It's December 1977. The United States proposes the emergency admission of 10,000 more Vietnamese refugees known as  "boat people."

 A hijacked Malaysian 737 crashes minutes before landing in Singapore, killing all 107 people on board.

 RCA reports that there are 130 million TVs in American homes and that the average family watches TV for 6.3 hours per day. 

 Lady Spencer-Churchill, widow of Sir Winston Churchill, 92, dies.

 Ed Koch is sworn in as the 105th Mayor of New York City, which is facing severe financial problems.

 Amnesty International is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

 Johnny Carson signs a new contract with NBC. He will now work Wednesday through Friday for most of the season. The Tonight Show will have a guest host on Mondays, and run The Best of Carson on Tuesdays.

 In London, Princess Anne's baby is christened Peter Mark Andrew Phillips at Buckingham Palace.

 Charlie Chaplin, known as "the Little Tramp," 88, dies in his sleep on Christmas Day at his home in Switzerland.   

 Cher, 31, is granted a legal separation from her husband of less than three years, Greg Alman, 29.

 In Binghamton, a 50-year-old female clerk in a sandwich shop is shot and killed during a robbery. Three local boys, ages 11, 13, and 14, later admit to shooting her and robbing the store of $100. Because they are under 16, the boys can only be charged with juvenile delinquency.

 The Village of Owego agrees to create a special architectural business district downtown.

 Sambo's Restaurant in Broome County refuses to change their name until they are convinced that a large number of local residents consider it to be a racial slur. 

 A fire breaks out in the cellar of the Finch Block on North Avenue in Owego. The vacant building was scheduled for demolition. 

  Monday night TV shows include Little House on the Prairie, The Betty White Show, Maude, and Switch.

 Top tunes include How Deep is Your Love by Bee Gees, You Light Up My Life by Debby Boone, Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt, Back in Love Again by LTD, and It's So Easy by Linda Ronstadt.

 Movies playing in local theaters include Close Encounters of the Third Kind ("We are not alone"), Pete's Dragon, Telefon starring Charles Bronson and Lee Remick, Saturday Night Fever with John Travolta, The World's Greatest Lover starring Gene Wilder, The Goodbye Girl, and The Gauntlet with Clint Eastwood.

 A one-pound box of Russel Stovers Candy costs $3.25, the 1978 Dine-A-Mate costs $10, and one quart of Hogg's Dairy's homemade Christmas eggnog costs 90¢ (plus 10¢ deposit for the glass bottle).

  Merry Christmas!