O, Christmas tree

	Katherine Frey, Washington Post Aldon Nielsen is believed to be the only person in the country with such an extensive archive of photos of the National Christmas Tree. Click photo for larger image.

The annual lighting of the National Christmas Tree reflects what's going on in America and the world at the time. Jimmy Carter had energy-efficient lights. Richard Nixon pulled the switch while being jeered by Vietnam War protesters. Ronald Reagan, after an assassination attempt, lighted the tree from the White House instead of the Ellipse for security reasons. During the Iran hostage crisis, the tree was dark except for a star on top. On Dec. 18, 1980, President Carter lighted the tree for only 417 seconds, one for each day the hostages had spent in captivity. When they were released on Inauguration Day in 1981, President Reagan ordered the tree redecorated for their return home.

All this comes from a Washington Post story on the man who has taken these pictures and more. Aldon Nielsen, now 84 and a retired government bureaucrat, became the unofficial-official National Christmas Tree photographer just by showing up every year since 1963. It was lighted later than usual that year because President Lyndon B. Johnson said the lights should not be turned on during the mourning period for President John F. Kennedy.

Don't blame the wide boys

The citizens of Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham, England, are cheesed off because a thief stole the lights off their Christmas tree, two days after 50 of them turned out for caroling and the official lighting, the first such occasion in more than a decade. One community leader said: "A woman driving a car in the early hours of Sunday morning has ripped the lights off the tree. The local wide boys had promised to leave the tree alone and then this happens."

Councillor Margaret Waddington was more agitated. "What kind of moron would even think of taking these lights?" she told the Birmingham Evening Mail. "We went around to all the troublemakers to ask them to leave it alone, and they all agreed the place looked better with the lights on."

It's tough out there

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In Scotland, Santa was handing out chocolate coins to kids in a shopping mall when he was set upon by a gang of six youths, who hurled mincemeat pies at him, knocked him down and aimed a shopping cart his way. His bosses carried out "a risk assessment," The Daily Record of Scotland reported. The conclusion: For safety reasons, Santa has to wear a helmet, complete with reindeer antlers, until it's mission accomplished on Christmas Day.

"What kind of idiots would attack Santa?" Santa told the Record. "Trying to get down all those narrow chimneys is difficult enough, without having to wear a safety helmet. But I don't want to let all the children down. So, even if it looks a bit odd, I will just have to wear my festive hard hat."

The manager admitted the mall has a problem with youths throwing missiles. "Some customers looked really shocked as the mince pies rained down on him. The neds really made mincemeat of Santa," neds being a derogatory term for a youth of low social standing and sloppy dress, speech or behavior -- the sort who would hurl mincepies at Santa Claus.

O, tinsel!

Joseph Bottum, in the Weekly Standard, weeklystandard.com:

"Tinsel. No one needs tinsel. Even the word is a tinselly kind of word. It ought to have been a mild profanity, suitable for bridge clubs and 1950s sorority girls: 'Oh, tinsel, I forgot my keys again, Janie.' Instead, it names one of the most destructive substances known to humankind. Originally made from lead foil -- till somebody finally noticed that it was turning children's livers purple and green -- the loathsome stuff evolved through various aluminum incarnations to become the plastic killer that it is today. Tinsel murdered my vacuum cleaner this Christmas. Sucked up into the air vents, tinsel wrapped itself around the motor, melted and smothered the helpless appliance. Tinsel smoked, and tinsel sparked, and tinsel set off the fire alarm. And now, on top of all the other holiday expenses, I have to run out and buy a new vacuum cleaner. Oh . . . tinsel . . .

"On Christmas Day, after Mass, I'll see the tree all gussied up, a bandits' den of brightly colored gifts underneath it. I'll watch my daughter open her presents -- gently and carefully, not wanting to tear the pretty wrappings. I'll smell the Christmas dinner beginning in the kitchen and hear the old familiar anthems play. I'll look around in satisfaction at the wild mess of wrapping paper and opened packages and stray pine needles and scattered crumbs of sugar cookies. And, of course, I'll remember that I forgot to buy the new vacuum cleaner to clean it all up. Tinsel."