I have Canon Rebel XS. I have been trying to take decent night photographs for a while. But it seems to take a lot of effort. Can we take good night shots without a tripod? Also a slight motion in subject is leading to blur due to high exposure times. But if I reduce the exposure time, I cannot properly capture the landscape behind. Can you provide some guidance for taking great night shots?

 Landscapes and a person in front? The moon and stars? Highways where you can see taillight trails?

EDIT: I am looking for scenario where downtown is in the background and person is in front. I am not much interested in taking pictures of moon and stars. I would be also interested to know how we take good shots of landscapes just with moonlight. 

EDIT: I am using the standard 18-55mm lens shipped with Canon Rebel XS. (EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Autofocus Lens)