Christmas Trees 'Round the World

One of the most famous trees of all time is the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree:

Most of the other trees are very impressive.

The Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., is decorated with 3,000
ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. schoolchildren. Encircling
evergreens in the 'Pathway of Peace' represent the 50 U.S. states.

The world's largest Christmas tree display rises up the slopes
of Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy's Umbria region.
Composed of about 500 lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire,
the 'tree' is a modern marvel for an ancient city

A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo's nighttime neon display is
projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague's Old Town Square,
and casting its glow over the manger display of the famous
Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountains
in the southern Czech Republic.

Venice 's Murano Island renowned throughout the world
for its quality glasswork is home to the tallest glass tree
in the world. Sculpted by master glass blower Simone
Cenedese, the artistic Christmas tree is a modern
reflection of the holiday season.

Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox
calendar on Jan. 7. For weeks beforehand, the city is alive with
festivities in anticipation of Father Frost's arrival on his magical
troika with the Snow Maiden.
He and his helper deliver gifts under the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir.

The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than 230 feet tall)
can be found in the Praça do Comércio in Lisbon, Portugal.
Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special
enchantment of the city during the holiday season.

'Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree': Even in its humblest attire,
aglow beside a tiny chapel in Germany's Karwendel mountains,
a Christmas tree is a wondrous sight.

Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette! In Paris, even the Christmas trees are chic.
With its monumental, baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and
high fashion, it's no surprise this show-stopping department store draws
more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower

In addition to the Vatican's heavenly evergreen, St. Peter's Square
in Rome hosts a larger-than-life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.

The Christmas tree that greets revelers at the Puerta del Sol
is dressed for a party. Madrid's two-week celebration makes
millionaires along with merrymakers. On Dec. 22, a lucky citizen
will win El Gordo (the fat one), the world's biggest lottery.


A token of gratitude for Britain's aid during World War II,
the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square has been
the annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947.

Drink a glass of gluhwein from the holiday market at the Romer
Frankfurt's city hall since 1405 and enjoy a taste of Christmas past.

Against a backdrop of tall, shadowy firs, a rainbow trio of Red, White and Blue
Christmas trees lights up the night (location unknown).

(Author unknown)

Holiday Giveaway at ECOwomen.net

And who couldn't use some more shopping gear? It's a fun eco-friendly bag to put your groceries, or whatever you wanna buy, inside.

So pop on over here and post a comment, maybe you'll walk - or, um, click - away with a fun bag you can fill however you like.

The Happiest Time of the Year

This is supposed to be the happiest time of the year but I also think it's the busiest time of the year. Sometimes it's hard to remember how happy we are when we're soooooo busy. So I wanted to remind us all of an old childhood tool parents used to teach us the simple things: "STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN" so you can remember to appreciate these moments in your life, otherwise they slip by and you barely notice.

And if you're curious which ones of us are the happiest, yes, there's been a study to determine which state is the happiest, you can check it out here. And you might be surprised.

I hope you all have a happy holiday season!

Earth-Friendly Friday

Recycling is up, garbage is down - at least in Portland, Oregon.

The city uses blue and green roll carts that are used to collect unsorted recyclables. Now, with this one simple change, which makes recycling easier, Portlanders are recycling and composting more. For example, since last year recycling and yard debris material increased by 14 percent which is the equivalent of 10,000 tons or 20,000 pounds. Not bad for one year.

This one change helped residential garbage decrease by almost nine percent or 9,000 tons - which is 18,000 pounds of garbage that isn't going into the landfills.

Overall, the city says that Portland's households and businesses are recycling and composting 67 percent of the waste that they generate. The goal is to stop growth in the waste stream and raise recycling to 75% by 2015. This is one way to reach that goal.

Plus, if you're looking for some green gifts, check out this site: www.ecometro.com.

Answer to Thought for Thursday

Answer: George Washington. And these dogs were the founders of the American Foxhound breed.

Washington bred descendants of English hounds mixed with a French foxhound given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette.

Thought for Thursday

Thought for Thursday for all you dog lovers out there:

WHICH U.S. President's dogs were named Tipsy, Drunkard, Sweetlips, Truelove and Tipler?

Take a guess. Put in comments and then come back around 3:00 to see if you knew the answer.

Answer to Word for Wednesday

Answer: Describing someone with the ability to use their feet to pick things up. Also, pedextrous. If you want to read more, check out the Urban Dictionary here.