Tag Archives: Christmas

Recycle those old Christmas lights

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve hopefully already made a plan to recycle your Christmas tree. Now you can do the same for old and broken Christmas lights. The Houston Zoo is accepting old and broken Christmas lights to recycle them and keep them out … Continue reading →

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Christmas tree recycling 2025

Posted on December 27, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

You know what time it is. The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department is inviting residents to recycle their natural Holiday trees and help give them a second life. Beginning on Friday, December 26th and continuing through Friday, January … Continue reading →

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Say goodbye to 2025, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

And an even bigger good riddance this time. Today is Christmas Day and that can only mean returning once again to Mark Evanier’s Mel Torme Christmas story. As with the “Twas the Night Before Christmas” video from yesterday, I never … Continue reading →

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Wednesday video break: The Tuba Christmas before Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t figure out how to embed this from Facebook, but here’s the 2025 TubaChristmas Austin performance, for those of you who like this sort of thing (and you know who you are). Remember that these are volunteers, many of … Continue reading →

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The business of being Santa

Posted on December 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It’s pretty good work if you can get it, which requires some non-trivial investment on your part. “My Saturdays in December are booked for the rest of my life,” said Bill Dendy, 68, who’s performed as Santa in Dallas for … Continue reading →

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A story about Christmas tree farms

Posted on December 21, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

I’m happy for them. Four years ago, James and Mary Robinson put the last Christmas tree they would ever plant in the ground. “Once you plant the tree, it takes four years to harvest it,” James said. “But once you … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: A crooked jerky jockey riding on a crooked hoss

Posted on December 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

There are lots of good covers of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” out there, but this one features Weird Al Yankovic and a badass trumpet solo: I’ve become a big fan of the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band, both … Continue reading →

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Be careful what Christmas music you listen to

Posted on December 28, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

There’s a lot of AI crap out there. AI slop has consumed Facebook, is running Wikipedia editors ragged, is rapidly destroying Google search, probably put an extra finger on the scales of election influence, is confusing and annoying crafters, steals endlessly from authors, is on … Continue reading →

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Time for the annual Christmas tree recycling post

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the most wonderful post-Christmas Day post of the year. The City of Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) and Houston Parks and Recreation Department invite residents to recycle their live Christmas trees and contribute to a greener holiday season. … Continue reading →

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Recycle those Christmas lights

Posted on December 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Public service announcement: Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department has asked residents to recycle their discarded holiday lights in a very particular way. Instead of leaving them in a recycling bin, they are asked to bring them to either the Westpark … Continue reading →

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Say goodbye to 2024, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Good riddance, too, but we’ll put that aside for today only. Here again I present to you my favorite Christmas story, which Mark Evanier has taken to rerunning, with a reminder to not just flat out reprint it and claim … Continue reading →

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Christmas Eve video break: Revisiting my manifesto

Posted on December 24, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I often have occasion to revisit something I wrote years ago on this site, and I’m happy to say that more often than not, the archived post still holds up. I say that because I just re-read my Christmas music … Continue reading →

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Time once again to recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Speaking of annual traditions… Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) encourages residents to recycle live Christmas trees after the holidays. This holiday season, assist the City of Houston in diverting landfill waste by repurposing your live Christmas tree into mulch … Continue reading →

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Say goodbye to 2023, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

As I mentioned yesterday, we do have some traditions at this here weblog, and the Mel Torme Christmas story is one of them. 2023 was a year, that’s for sure, and 2024, well, we’d probably do best to keep our … Continue reading →

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Christmas Eve video break: It’s the time of the season

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Time once again for a revered tradition around here, the best reading of “A Visit From Saint Nicholas”: As noted before, I’ve been posting this for over a decade, I watch it every year, and it remains one of my … Continue reading →

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Christmas trees and climate change

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry to be a grinch. Christmas tree breeder Jim Rockis knows what it looks like when one dies long before it can reach a buyer. Rockis farms trees in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, where he and other producers often grow … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: The boys of the NYPD Choir still singing “Galway Bay”

Posted on December 2, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I will have a note on his passing in the Sunday linkdump, but for obvious reasons the first thing I thought about upon hearing of Shane MacGowan’s passing was this: As a part-Irishman, I’m an absolute sucker for a sad … Continue reading →

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It’s time to recycle your Christmas tree

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re in the city of Houston and you want your tree to get mulched, here’s how to do it. Houston’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) encourages residents to recycle live Christmas trees after the holidays. The holiday season is … Continue reading →

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The Christmas Bird Count

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

If you’re looking for a little holiday project… For the 123rd year in a row, the Christmas Bird Count is happening all over the country. Bird enthusiasts and nature lovers head outside, take a census of birds in their area … Continue reading →

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Say goodbye to 2022, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We have our traditions at this here weblog, and this is one of them. Enjoy, as I know you will, my favorite Christmas story. And may 2023 be better than 2022. Stay safe and warm and be well, y’all.

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Christmas Eve video break: The luster of midday

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hope you’re staying warm and that your pipes haven’t frozen. To celebrate, or to commiserate as the case may be, here once again is my favorite rendition of “A Visit From Saint Nicholas”, as performed by cartoon and voice actors: … Continue reading →

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Now is a great time to buy a Christmas tree

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Procrastinators rejoice. When it came to buying a Christmas tree in Houston it paid off to procrastinate. Prices, already high last year, jumped further this year as retailers sought to lock in supplies despite increases spurred by skyrocketing fertilizer and … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: A brief manifesto about Christmas music

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Been awhile since I’ve done one of these. Maybe I’ll work a few in next year, we’ll see how it goes. I was inspired by the Slacktivist re-running his own Christmas music manifesto from a few years ago. I broadly … Continue reading →

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Santa Claus is back

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

So, you know, you better watch out, and all that. Some Santas who stayed home the past two years out of concern for their health have returned, but performers have pressing issues, including inflation, on their minds. Many are older, … Continue reading →

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Say goodbye to 2021, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We have our traditions at this here weblog, and this is one of them. Enjoy, as I know you will, my favorite Christmas story. And may 2022 be better than 2021. Stay safe and be well, y’all.

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It’s never to early to wish you all a good night

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

And yet another viewing of my favorite Christmas Eve video: May you have a safe and joyous holiday. See you on the flip side.

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Say goodbye to 2020, Mel Torme

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

You know the story by now, my favorite Christmas story ever. If you know it, treat yourself and read it again. If you don’t know it, if you’re new here and you have no idea what I’m talking about, go … Continue reading →

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Christmas Eve video break: Time for tradition

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

And that can only mean my favorite rendition of “A Visit From Saint Nicholas”: I’ve been posting this on Christmas Eve for over a decade now. I watch it every year, more than once, and I never get tired of … Continue reading →

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Give Pancho Claus a hand

Posted on December 20, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Tis the season. He doesn’t come the night before Christmas in a miniature sleigh with reindeer like St. Nick, but instead parades along city streets with an equally number of low-riders, often surrounded by a festive jazz band. “To the … Continue reading →

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Christmas tree recycling 2019

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

For your last act of Christmas 2019, here’s how to dispose of your tree. Twenty-five recycling centers in the Houston area will take your Christmas trees. All city recycling facilities will take trees through Jan. 25. All you have to … Continue reading →

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I’ll have a Mel Torme Christmas, please

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

You know the story by now, my favorite Christmas story ever. If you know it, treat yourself and read it again. If you don’t know it, if you’re new here and you have no idea what I’m talking about, go … Continue reading →

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Tuesday video break: It’s Christmas Eve, y’all

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

And that can mean only one thing: Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good afternoon.

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Where have all the Christmas tree farmers gone?

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

They’re not growing them like they used to. Across the U.S., Christmas tree farmers are getting out of the business. Illinois lost dozens of farmers in recent years, dropping from 212 growers in 2012 to 182 farmers in 2017, according … Continue reading →

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Watch your packages

Posted on December 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

They’re disappearing off porches at an increasing rate. Package thefts have become a growing problem across the country, Texas and Houston as more people shop online. Nearly 26 million Americans have had a holiday package stolen, according to a study … Continue reading →

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