Photos of the week (photo gallery)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ruth Nicolaci, left, hugs her son and firefighter Lt. G. Bourne Knowles Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, for the first time since learning that the landscaping business that she started with Mr. Knowles

AP

Retired U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Nancy Monahan, right, wears her dress uniform as she leans to kiss her soon-to-be bride Deb Needham while they wait at Seattle City Hall to become among the first gay couples to legally wed in the state, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in Seattle. The couple is from Renton, Wash. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a voter-approved law legalizing gay marriage Dec. 5 and weddings for gay and lesbian couples began in Washington on Sunday, following the three-day waiting period after marriage licenses were issued earlier in the week. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Actress Meryl Streep uses her iPhone to get a photo of her and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton following the State Department Dinner for the Kennedy Center Honors gala Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

LaBrandon Johnson of Lady Magic Detail Shop power washes the giant holiday ornaments assembled on the front lawn of the Omni Dallas Hotel in downtown Dallas, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Tom Fox)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A lobster boat heads out to sea at dawn, Friday, Dec. 7, 2012, of South Portland, Maine. A red sky in the morning often indicates a storm system is moving east. Weathermen are calling for showers by the afternoon. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

This NASA image from a composite assembled from data acquired by the Suomi NPP satellite in April and October 2012 shows the United States at night The image was made possible by the new satellite

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree is seen after being lit by House Speaker John Boehner and Ryan Shuster, 17, of Colorado Spring, Colo., not pictured, on the Capitol grounds in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012. The 2012 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is an Engelmann spruce from Colorado

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Indiana's Victor Oladipo is greeted by teammates as he is introduced for an NCAA college basketball game against Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012, in Bloomington, Ind. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York Giants running back David Wilson (22) flips after scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)