SCROOGED: A Northridge tour company will give...

SCROOGED: A Northridge tour company will give refunds to 167 couples whose Christmas vacations to Mexico were canceled. Paul Mostman, hired to do the refunds for Fabulous Vacations Tour Co., said the plane was impounded in Switzerland and gun-toting men took over the hotel. . . . “I can’t imagine wanting to stay in that hotel unless Santa brings me a bullet-proof vest,” he said.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: St. Nick may be able to deliver that late Christmas card. Any Express Mail purchased today at a Valley post office (most are open until noon) will get to California cities tomorrow. Some carriers will wear Santa suits, but not in the Valley. “We’ve been having so many robberies that having carriers in a Santa suit probably wouldn’t be a good idea,” said one postmaster.

PRESIDENTIAL: Robert George, above, has played Santa for six Presidents, but has always served a higher power. . . . The Sun Valley resident, 71, believes the Santa role and his faith go together. He “wants to serve humanity by fulfilling the symbolic expression of the love of God,” says one friend. Even the Santa suit is sacred. He once turned down an invitation from President Reagan because the staff would not let him wear his red-and-white outfit. See Religion (B1).

SHOOTING: They shoot for sport, don’t they? They sure do. They belong to the Southwest Pistol League in Ventura County, but one of the best shooters comes from the Valley. . . . David Gentzvein, 31, of Woodland Hills, has won the league’s open division title three years in a row. . . . “Shooting is much like golf,” he says, “very stylistic” (C10).

AT RISK: Many of the 48,060 Salvadorans who live in the San Fernando and neighboring valleys are war refugees who, come September, will lose their protected status and must go back or become illegal. . . . Said counselor Mercedes Ramirez, with the Central American Resource Center: “I think this will be the saddest Christmas for them.”