There’s no denying the magic of the holiday season: the look on people’s faces when you give them gifts, the twinkling of red and green lights on every house and evergreen trees, or that mysterious saucer-shaped object whizzing past the night sky at otherworldly speeds and angles.

OK, that last one is a bit of a stretch—but probably not as much as you might think.

First, some context: UFO sightings are the highest during the summer months of June and July. Data provided to The Daily Beast by the UFO Reporting Center found that July 4 takes top spot when it comes to ET sightings “as people tend to misidentify fireworks,” according to Christian Stepien, the technical director of the organization.

That’s about the same as many other UFO reporting databases. These databases also tend to report more sightings during the merriest time of the year: Christmas.

“There’s always Santa Claus and the reindeer.”

— Ron James, Mutual UFO Network

“We do have a slight uptick twice a year in the summer and around the holidays,” Ron James told The Daily Beast. James is the media relations director of Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), one of the oldest and largest organizations dedicated to studying ET sightings.

“There are a few reasons why people might be paying more attention: they might be off work, they’re doing family activities and things they don’t normally do, so there’s more possibilities for people to encounter things,” he said. “Then of course, there’s always Santa Claus and the reindeer.”

MUFON’s media relations director Steve Hudgeons concurs, telling The Daily Beast, “If there is an uptick, I can understand that because there’s a lot of people out during Christmas time shopping and doing things. They might be looking up in the air so I can understand it if there is.”

MUFON isn’t the only UFO organization to notice this holiday trend. Chris Rutkowski, a Canadian UFO researcher with Ufology Research, told CBC News in 2020 that over the past three decades of compiling data of UFO sightings, he found a “significant” increase in cases in the holiday season—with 75 sightings occurring on Christmas Day alone over that time. In some instances, they seemed to be of a most jolly origin.

“Most were simply lights in the sky, and yes, some were of a single red light flying overhead followed by a string of others,” Rutkowski said. “But others did not seem to have a reindeer explanation.”

Anecdotal evidence of this surprising holiday trend supports this idea as well, with scores of UFO reports having occurred on or around Christmas Day over the years. While many of them can be logically explained (shooting stars, swamp gas reflecting light from venus, etc.), there are those with more mysterious origins.

Cheryl Costa, an airman first class, spotted what she described as a “bright star-like object zooming from the north” across the sky while she was stationed at a U.S. Air Force base in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, on Christmas Eve 1971. She thought it could have been a meteor or an aircraft before it stopped in its tracks and hovered in the sky for a “minute or two.”

“Then it seemed to dance or dart around before it dashed toward the south at tremendous speed until it winked out,” Costas wrote.

The official National Archives of the United Kingdom even has a collection of holiday-related UFO sightings. For example, during Christmas 1983, there were reports of a pyramid-shaped object with three bright orange lights over the skies of Groombridge, England—and a very similar shaped object over Newport just two years later on the same day. On Christmas Eve 2008, there was a report of 15 “red and flickering” lights in Sussex.

Of course, many reports of UFO sightings have mundane explanations. For example, on Christmas Eve 2011, hundreds of people witnessed a group of Christmas-colored lights zooming across the skies of Germany. The glowing orbs moved with tails of green, red, and white.

Researchers later identified the lights as pieces of a Russian Soyuz rocket falling from Earth’s orbit and bursting into burning fireballs as they hit the atmosphere. Pretty cool, just not the merry Martians you’re probably hoping for.

“Tensions in mission control climbed higher than the star on a Christmas tree. ”

One of the earliest instances of a Christmas ET sighting actually occurred during a NASA mission. It was 10 days before Christmas 1965 when flight controllers received a message from astronaut Wally Schirra Jr. aboard the Gemini 6 spacecraft orbiting Earth.

“We have an object, looks like a satellite going from north to south, probably in polar orbit,” Schirra said according to his memoir Schirra’s Space. “Looks like he might be going to re-enter soon […] You just might let me pick up that thing.”

Tensions in mission control climbed higher than the star on a Christmas tree. What could they have spotted? What if the Gemini 6 crew were in danger? Before flight controllers could respond, Stafford said: “I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit.”

It was then that ground control heard the familiar yet ethereal noises of “Jingle Bells” being played on a tinny harmonica—accompanied by none other than sleigh bells.

“Wally came up with the idea,” Thomas Stafford, a fellow crew member aboard Gemini 6, told Smithsonian Magazine. “He could play the harmonica, and we practiced two or three times before we took off, but of course we didn’t tell the guys on the ground.”

As for why Christmas time seems to bring out our inner UFO truther, there are plenty of reasons we can point to. For one, there are simply more people out and about during the holidays than normal shopping, visiting friends and family, or gawking at Christmas lights.

For James and Hudgeons and the rest of MUFON, though, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the UFOs aren’t already there—people are just noticing them more.

“My feeling is that there’s not that there’s an actual increase in phenomenon occurring. It’s more that there’s more people in a position to see and experience things that might already be there pretty much consistently,” James said.

There’s also the physical and psychological factor. Studies have shown that alcohol consumption spikes during the holidays along with ET sightings. Pair that with our annual obsession with a jolly fat man and his flying reindeer, and it could easily lead to drunken visions of sugar plum fairies and dancing lights in the sky where there isn’t really anything at all.

So whether it be Christmas magic, flying extraterrestrials, or you just having one too many egg nogs, there’s plenty of reasons to bundle up and keep an eye out on the stars this holiday season. After all, there’s a good chance you might see something truly inexplicable in the skies—twinkling merry and bright.

 As a direct result of social media and the prevalence of cellphone cameras, we’re seeing more and more videos of supposed UFOs. Recently, a woman in the Orlando, Florida area captured photos and videos of a massive craft hovering in plain sight. However, no one else seemed to notice. If they noticed, they showed no sign.

Instagram user Chivonne SayWhat streamed a video of the UFO on Instagram Live. She also posted photos of the craft to her feed. Later, TikTok user Master Xebula shared that video with their followers. In the video, you can tell that Chivonne is a little shaken by the sighting. You can watch it below.

“There is a f**king UFO out here in the middle of the damn sky,” Chivonne exclaims as the video begins. “Everybody is out here riding around like they don’t see this sh*t.”

Chivonne went on to say that a loud boom preceded the UFO sighting by about a day. “So apparently yesterday in Orlando, or central Florida, you could hear a loud boom from five-something in the morning all the way from Jacksonville to Orlando,” she explained.

The UFO in the video looks like a classic flying saucer. It appears to be a massive disc-shaped craft ringed with white lights. While the camerawork and video quality aren’t the best, the craft seems to be stationary.

Floridians have reported a total of 7,513 UFO sightings. The only other state in the Union with more sightings is California with more than 15,000 documented cases.

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Original Article

Prince Philip’s UFO investigation could be released following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

The prince developed a fascination with aliens after a bricklayer reported a close encounter with extra terrestrial life at the home of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Philip’s late uncle – but until now, his investigative work into UFO sightings in the UK has remained under wraps.

Philip – who died in April 2021, aged 99 – has been credited with creating a so-called Royal X-Files on the subject of space and alien life.

And the royal family are now facing calls for the investigation to be made public, the Daily Star newspaper reports. The work previously remained a secret during the reign of the queen.

Nick Pope, the ex-Ministry Of Defence official who was in charge of the UK government’s UFO desk between 1991 and 1994, claims that Philip and Sir Peter Horsley – his ex-RAF associate – spent years investigating alien sightings.

He said: “[Philip] kept an eye on developments, subscribed to UFO magazines and newsletters and had witnesses interviewed.”

He also claimed Philip’s interest in the subject was deliberately kept under wraps during the reign of the late monarch as it would’ve caused a stir.

Nick told ‘History TV’: “This is highly sensitive. Here you have the queen’s husband investigating UFOs. Had the news got out it would have caused a sensation.”

Lord Mountbatten – who was assassinated in August 1979 – and Prince Philip are said to have “talked extensively” about the possibility of extra terrestrial life.

And Richard Dolan – an expert on the UFO subject – is convinced that the late monarch was aware of the conversations between Philip and his uncle.

He said: “You have to assume Queen Elizabeth knew.”

AN INCREDIBLY clear photo allegedly shows a disc-shaped UFO estimated to be about 50ft across emerging from a storm before vanishing into space.

The series of images showing the round silver object have caused a stir after they emerged in Mexico and were shown on national news TV.

Car mechanic Juan Manuel Sanchez took the UFO photos which went viral after he shared them on his Facebook.

He claims he spotted the object while trying to take snaps with his mobile phone of an approaching storm.

The clear and high resolution photos appear to show the saucer shape hanging in front of the dark clouds in the distance.

But while the photos have caused a stir, it’s unclear if its camera trick, a natural phenomena, an elaborate hoax, or a genuine sighting of an mysterious object.

Juan however stands by his story and gave his account of the sighting outside his home in Valle Hermoso on August 17 to Mexican television station RDTV.

His wife and one of his co-workers also claim to have seen the mysterious saucer before it shot off into the sky towards space.

The mechanic estimates the object was around 50 feet across and he believes it was around half a mile from his home.

And he hit back at doubters who claim his photo is a fake, saying people had told him they think it was a hubcap or a pan lid.

Juan said he was “in shock” when he first allegedly spotted the object, saying it wasn’t “fear, but something like astonishment”.

The mechanic said he is disappointed he didn’t get a video, but as his camera was in photo mode he simply took the pictures he could before the object vanished.

And he claimed later that night he then saw lights in the sky, and claimed others have told him they have had similar sightings in the area.

Juan admitted he was worried about making his sighting public as he feared the stigma associated with UFOs.

He told RDTV: “It was right there above that house above the cables.”

It’s sad I wasn’t able to get a video

Juan Manuel Sanchez

“I got my mobile phone to film it because it was always a dream to see something like this, this close.”

The mechanic went on: “We were working here outside at the workshop when we saw some very dark clouds- it was cloudy like it is now, a bit more.

“I wanted to film a video but my phone was on photo mode and I got the first picture.

“When we started watching it, it was in one place it wasn’t moving and then as I got the second and third photo it started moving upwards.

“When I changed my phone to video mode it wasn’t possible. As it was going away I could see it more, the disc the shape of a disc.”

Juan lamented: “It’s sad I wasn’t able to get a video.

“There are people who don’t believe- they say it was a lid from a car or a pan of tamales.”

The authenticity of Juan’s photos remain unclear – but he appears convinced he saw something in sky.

And it comes as UFOs are once again taking centre stage across the border in the United States.

Lawmakers, former servicemen, intelligence officials and even former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are now all speaking more openly about the topic.

And it came to a head with a landmark hearing earlier this year on Capitol Hill.

US officials have acknowledged there is something in the skies they cannot explain – and the stigma around the traditionally fringe topic is finally being stripped back.

Is the phenomena previously unknown technology used by the Russians and Chinese, secret US weapons projects, or unknown natural occurrences?

Or perhaps it could be the total misidentification of easily explainable natural phenomena or known aircraft? Or even an example of hoaxes and mass hysteria?

And there is the other option, perhaps its something more alien?

The US’ official stance now is that they do not know – and pressure is growing for more transparency on the topic which is becoming increasingly mainstream.

The Sun Online previously revealed the hunt for “black triangle” UFOs around Britain in the 80s and 90s – and last week the US released video of a mysterious unknown drone swarm buzzing the USS Zumwalt.

In Congress, where legislation is drafted, debated and enacted, clear and concise definitions are of paramount importance. As military aircrews increasingly encounter unidentified flying objects (UFOs), lawmakers recently made several striking revisions to the definition of “UFO.” Key among them: The explosive implication that some UFOs have non-human origins.

As first reported by researcher Douglas Johnson, a draft bill approved unanimously by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence rebrands UFOs as “unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.” Expanding the definition to include objects in space and under the oceans significantly broadens the scope of a muscular new office tasked by Congress with investigating UFOs.

The revised definition of “UFO” also includes “transmedium” objects which, according to lawmakers, “transition between space and the atmosphere, or between the atmosphere and bodies of water.”

In short, members of a key national security-focused committee believe that objects of unknown origin are demonstrating remarkably advanced technology by moving seamlessly between space, air and water. A report accompanying the legislation notes that “transmedium threats to United States national security are expanding exponentially.”

Most strikingly, Congress’s new definition of “UFO” excludes “man-made” objects.

Over the last seven decades, most UFO sightings involved “man-made” objects, such as misidentified aircraft, balloons, satellites or drones. Yet now, according to Congress, “man-made” objects “should not be considered under the definition as unidentified aerospace-undersea phenomena.”

Moreover, in a congressional directive, objects identified by the new UFO office “as man-made…will be passed to appropriate [Department of Defense and Intelligence Community] offices” for further analysis.

Congress, in short, is forcing the government to focus on objects that are not “man-made.”

Imagine that the new UFO office identifies a highly advanced drone flying in sensitive airspace. Under the draft legislation, regardless of the drone’s origin – be it Chinese, Russian or otherwise – the UFO office must immediately stop investigating and hand the case over to another government entity.

This implies that members of the Senate Intelligence Committee believe (on a unanimous, bipartisan basis) that some UFOs have non-human origins. After all, why would Congress establish and task a powerful new office with investigating non-“man-made” UFOs if such objects did not exist?

Make no mistake: One branch of the American government implying that UFOs have non-human origins is an explosive development.

It is also part of a remarkable shift in official attitudes towards UFOs.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, many senior government officials believed that UFOs had “interplanetary” origins. But a series of still-unexplained encounters in the summer of 1952 sparked Cold War national security fears among defense and intelligence agencies. As a result, the U.S. government initiated a campaign to “debunk” and discredit all UFO sightings, no matter how credible. For decades, officials mocked any suggestion that UFOs had extraterrestrial origins.

Not anymore.

In discussions and interviews, NASA administrator Bill Nelson suggested that UFOs encountered by military aircrews in recent years have otherworldly origins. (NASA, it should be noted, is proceeding “full force” on an unprecedented scientific study of UFOs.)

Former CIA Director John Brennan stated that UFOs might “constitute a different form of life.” According to James Woolsey, a fellow ex-CIA director, “something is going on that is surprising to…experienced pilots.”

As Top Gun-trained aviators remain convinced that they observed objects “not of this world,” director of national intelligence Avril Haines – America’s top spy – has not ruled out extraterrestrial origins for UFOs.

Moreover, former President Clinton refers reflexively to the high likelihood of otherworldly life in the universe when asked about UFOs. For his part, former President Obama speculated openly about contact with extraterrestrial life when asked about recent military UFO encounters.

After the customary giggles and smirks that still accompany any mention of “UFO” died down, both Clinton and Obama adopted a serious, matter-of-fact demeanor when discussing the topic. Clinton, in particular, scolded a television audience for laughing when a host asked him about UFOs. Of note, former presidents continue receiving the government’s most sensitive intelligence briefings.

Unsurprisingly, this remarkable shift in attitudes towards UFOs is fostering a broader, richer discussion of the phenomenon.

Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher, for example, recently theorized that UFOs are intentionally revealing themselves to fighter pilots.

He may be on to something. The geometrically reconstructed flight path of a well-known 2015 UFO encounter off the U.S. East Coast indicates that the object reacted as a Navy fighter jet attempted to sneak up behind it. Importantly, the object’s movement did not suggest hostility as much as a desire to be observed by the aircrew, which ultimately “flew right up to the thing.”

A UFO involved in the now famous 2004 “Tic Tac” incidents appeared on radar at the precise location of a rendezvous point known only to a small group of aviators and radar operators. Ten years later, two fighter jets nearly collided with a UFO hovering at the exact location and altitude of an entrance point to a military training range.

To Maher’s point, some UFOs appear to move and position themselves in ways that make their presence obvious to nearby military aircrews.

With Congress openly suggesting that UFOs have non-human origins, this behavior is particularly intriguing.

When talking about UFOs, it’s important to remember that it’s not necessarily a question of aliens from outer space. UFO literally means “unidentified flying object.” In fact, the term has been shifting recently, and many prefer to use “unidentified aerial phenomena” or UAP, to refer to these things in the sky that are utter unknowns.

Researchers in this field have described five unexplained and seemingly impossible characteristics that true UFOs or UAPs seem to share, including anti-gravity lift, sudden and instantaneous acceleration, hypersonic velocities without signatures, low observability, or “cloaking”, and trans-medium motion. Though this video is of poor quality, the weird behavior exhibited by the object meets several of these criteria. 

The video has been massively zoomed in, so all that is truly visible is a ball of glare. It is impossible to tell if this is a winged aircraft, a flying saucer, or even a balloon. Additionally, the object went on to exhibit some truly unusual behavior, such as “winking out of existence” multiple times. This is in keeping with the “low observability or cloaking” pattern exhibited by many UFOs.

The man taking the video claims he began filming after his son noticed this thing in the sky appearing and disappearing in different places. This might be an indication of trans-medium motion (i.e. shifting in and out of the Earth’s atmosphere and thus his field of vision) as well as the unexplained “instant acceleration” that even military pilots have noted during encounters with UAPs.

While it could be nothing more than sun rays glinting off a conventional aircraft or weather balloon that makes it seem visible or invisible, there are enough questions remaining about this sighting to warrant further investigation. 

@novva2121 my son saw this shiney thing in the sky last night so u pulled my camera out this is at 100x zoom on a s21ultra we both watch it dissappear and appear in a different spot 3 time I got it one time dissappear on camera we were both shocked!!! #ufo #ufosky #set #dissappear #alien #aliens #ufosighting #activeskys #galaxy #fyp #viral #sotherncalifornia #California #desert #strange #weird #crazy #unknown #scary #openskys ♬ original sound – novva2121