It may be too late to keep that sweet sweet mulch for yourself, but you can still drop your tree off to be recycled for MulchFest. If we had to guess which neighborhoods would enthusiastically participate, Park Slope would be at the top of the list. But Gothamist operative Kristina Monllos snapped photos of multiple trees sitting untied on top of cars, and one cyclist dragging the carcass of their evergreen down the street. "Maybe Park Slope families have no idea how to properly clean up after Christmas?" Monllos writes. And is that any way to treat a $200 fraser fir? more ›

Consumers like gift cards because they make the joys of obligatory generosity easier and thus more joyous. A recent survey noted that 80% of shoppers said they were going to purchase a gift card this holiday season, for an estimated total of $27.8 billion. Companies like them too, because companies like free money. According to the Wall Street Journal, from 2005 to the present, $41 billion worth of money on gift cards has been lost or will never be redeemed. This doesn't include any of the $800 billion cost of Iraq War that President Bush attempted to pay for with old gift cards to Applebee's. more ›

It's the most wonderful time of the year... when we get to see animals opening up colorful Christmas presents at the city's zoo. Last year we saw a polar bear in Central Park open up a gift box containing fishsicles and fruit (what, no bloodsicle?), and this year the Wildlife Conservation Society offers up the below videos. They show Prospect Park's dwarf mongooses unwrapping gifts of mealworm treats, and bears in the Queens Zoo digging into their specially wrapped peanut butter! more ›

Friday is Festivus (Observed), so stop crying and fight your father. Though laymen associate this alt-Christmas holiday with Seinfeld, the tradition, as zany as it sounds, is actually based in reality. Seinfeld writer Daniel O'Keefe, who later published a book called The Real Festivus, says the holiday was created by his father, who celebrated it "whenever the hell [he] felt like it, September to May." As you can see, it's funny cuz it's true: more ›

If you're the type of person who passes on a plate of holiday cookies because you're "watching your weight" or "don't eat things shaped like people," it's time to succumb to the primal urges of the flesh: humans are wired to eat more during the winter. "We are driven by things implanted in our brain a long, long time ago," Dr. Ira Ockene, a cardiologist, tells NPR. As the weather gets colder, and the days get shorter, our caloric intake increases. The fact that another pint of Caramel Cone keeps the crushing ennui at bay another 30 minutes also helps. more ›

Because no one is content with just leaving people the hell alone to celebrate what they believe in, police in Yonkers are investigating the vandalization of eight different nativity scenes. "It's not about the statute, it's about what it means for you. It hurts," Victoria Beldran told CBS. Beldran's nativity scene was damaged over the weekend, and vandals appear to have hit six homes and two churches. "We believe an attack on one religion is an attack on all and it violates our basic freedoms," Police Commissioner Edmund Hartnett said. more ›

Lori Berenson, the New York native who spent over 15 years in a Peruvian prison after her 1996 conviction in a foiled terrorist plot, arrived at Newark Liberty Airport this morning as part of a sanctioned holiday visit. Before finally taking off in Peru with her 2-year-old son Salvador, she told an AP reporter, in reference to her mandated January 11 return date, "I just hope we don't get caught in a snow storm." more ›

Staten Island has HAD IT with the War on Religious Holidays That Have Been Secularlized To The Point Of Insipidity. So says the editorial board of the Staten Island Advance, who penned an article entitled "Bureaucratic Cowardice" in response to the DOT's decision to remove Christmas and Hanukkah decorations from the Staten Island ferry terminals. "It’s out of some warped sense of political correctness that the people in charge of places that attract a lot of traffic…seem to live in abject terror of offending a handful of cranks." Who's worse: litigious cranks or cranks on an editorial board? more ›

[UPDATE] Berenson was stopped at the airport by Peruvian officials. "They didn't let me leave and they're putting out this version that I arrived late," Berenson told the AP earlier today. "An abuse of authority has been committed," her attorney said. "Administratively, you can't block a court order." On Wednesday, a three-judge panel agreed to allow the visit, and Peruvian officials denied to comment on why Berenson and her 2-year-old son Salvador, have been denied the trip to New York. more ›

There's been a bit of an uproar among commuters who use the Staten Island Ferry, which has been stripped of the holiday decorations that formerly livened up the terminals in Manhattan and Staten Island. The DOT has taken away the "holiday" tree and the big electric Hanukkah menorahs, which Rabbi Moshe Katzman has provided every year for decades. DOT spokesman Seth Solomonow issued a statement explaining the new policy, suggesting that the change is mainly about "keeping the passenger terminal clear" to "allow staff and crew to focus on their primary mission: Getting the system’s 65,000 daily commuters where they need to go safely and on schedule." But could there possibly be more than a desire for "clear" terminals at work here? more ›

Hangovers keep you lean, mean, and honest. They punish you for your hubris and force the necessary introspection that comes after a night of self-abuse. The worst hangovers steel you for your next worst hangover—and for New Yorkers who have two or more drinks on a given evening, they're part of life [pdf]. Given that there is medicine to keep you studying, copulating, and growing hair, why not a potion for hangovers? If only it were that simple. In the interest of the most august journalism, we tested several different hangover "cures" so that you may be better prepared. more ›

From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow, Occupy Wall Street is hosting an "open feast" for Thanksgiving in Liberty Square, where more than 3,000 individually-wrapped plates will be handed out "in accordance with New York State Health code." According to a release, the food was made possible thanks to people who have donated their kitchens, as well as restaurants who support the cause. Or, pay $78 to be a part of the 1% at Prune, but don't be surprised if your meal is mic-checked. more ›

Because you'll have to talk about SOMETHING at the Thanksgiving dinner table, here are some tips for engaging the topic of Occupy Wall Street. more ›

Thursday is Thanksgiving and that means not just balloon-filled parades and massive meals—it also means it is time for the annual moment where Americans across the country go "Oh, crap, we should probably give some food, time or money to the needy." But do note: as most sitcoms should have taught you by now, food pantries really need your help on days that aren't Thanksgiving or Christmas. And if you want to to give food, well, there are lots of things you probably shouldn't be giving. Like sugary drinks and junk food. more ›

Is watching TV—nay, FOOTBALL—during Thanksgiving dinner a bad idea? Of course not! Doctors say you need at least sixteen hours of watching millionaires beat the hell out of each other every week otherwise you'll start throwing underhand and have your "man card" confiscated. Leave it to a Times reporter to endanger our national security. more ›

This week, we documented the excruciatingly drawn out death of one 75-year-old, 74-foot-tall Norway Spruce tree from Pennsylvania, from the first shadow of eternal darkness to pictures of the carcass being dragged to its final resting place in Rockefeller Center. In case you haven't been following its dedicated Twitter feed and missed this video, check out a timelapse below of the Christmas tree being put up: more ›

This Thursday night NY1's Roger Clark is hosting an event in celebration of A Holiday Benefit, Vol. 4—a compilation featuring local musicians and which benefits 826NYC (video promo below). In anticipation of the seasonal shindig, we dug deep into Clark's stocking to find out his yuletide secrets, here's what he told us: more ›

Back in October, a 17-year-old boy was indicted for attempted murder after he shot a plainclothes cop while being chased by officers in East New York. The teen, Elijah Foster-Bey, was released on bail the day before Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, the officer who was shot three times, Richard Ramirez, 29, has been laid up in the hospital recovering. He missed his Thanksgiving, and says his dream now is that he will be able to go home for Christmas. And he is furious that Foster-Bey got to celebrate the holiday he didn't get: "Obviously, we're not worth anything . . . I can't believe a judge would allow a criminal like that to go free," the injured officer told the Post. more ›

She may not have made it to the SNL stage this year, but Lindsay Lohan is determined to get to New York for the holidays. According to TMZ, the fallen starlet plans on asking her new BFF Betty Ford if she can spend the holidays at home with her family. Recently she reunited with her father Michael, who said: "I will say is that I am an incredibly proud father tonight. My daughter is progressing extraordinarily well"—her mother Dina is still feuding with her ex, however. Hey, you know what goes well with a stressful family visit during the holidays? Booze. Lots of booze. more ›

Remember when Daily Candy suggested you buy an adorable little potbelly piglet as a stocking stuffer over the holidays? Well, now those and other animals given away as gifts this past Christmas are filtering into the shelter system. more ›

From the Daily News: "Nigel Tetteh of the Bronx bought clothes at the flagship Macy's store for his dad. He was headed for nearby Victoria's Secret and JCPenney to hunt for gifts for his girlfriend - even though she had accidentally locked him out of his apartment. 'I'm upset at her, but I won't let Christmas go by without getting her something,' said Tetteh, 24." more ›

Post offices have suffered a year of insufferable lines and rodent attacks, and now as a grand finale their terrible service is being featured in the Daily News. As holiday crowds rush to get their gifts shipped, there aren't enough USPS employees to keep things moving quickly. more ›

Life seemed so much simpler back in the days of Don Draper. You could get back home after a long day in the office on the commuter train, which according to Mad Men was never over-crowded, and highly encouraged relaxation methods like smoking cigarettes and reading the evening paper. Or you could just drive drunk back to Ossining. Choose your own adventure! Either way, the romanticized Grand Central of yesteryear is a far cry from the nightmarish reality of today. more ›