The gifts have long since all been unwrapped. Stray strands of tinsel still litter the carpet. The Christmas tree has come down and the holiday ornaments have been stashed back into the attic. ...more

December 30, 2009

If you have a live Christmas tree, you might want to consider recycling it. There are several ways to do it. ...more

December 30, 2009

If you have a live Christmas tree, you might want to consider recycling it. There are several ways to do it. After you remove all the decorations, you can take the whole tree to the landfill at 350 Falkenburg Road if you are a Hillsborough County waste residential customer. Bring your current tax bill and identification and be prepared to unload the tree yourself. Your Christmas trees will be recycled into mulch and other environmentally beneficial byproducts. Artificial trees are not accepted. For information, call (813) 744-5591. ...more

December 30, 2009

The Giving Tree is an advent tradition begun in 2001 by the parish council at St. Anne Catholic Church. ...more

December 30, 2009

In houses throughout the world, one might assume it was the children who spent Friday morning unwrapping gifts left for them under the Christmas tree. ...more

December 26, 2009

The great Christmas-tree debate should be settled for now. No more agonizing over artificial versus natural, not after the Canadian sustainable-development firm ellipsosreleased a bombshell study last year. A life-cycle assessment - following "the recognized ISO 14040 and 14044 standards" and relying on "no funding (direct or indirect) by any of the concerned stakeholders" - determined that "a natural tree will generate 3.1 kg of greenhouse gases whereas the artificial tree will produce 8.1 kg per year." The president of the firm, Jean-Sebastien Trudel, rightly called the finding "astonishing," given that "the artificial tree is reusable" and "the natural tree requires annual trips to purchase it." ...more

December 26, 2009

For the first time in his 19 years, James Wright will be 3,000 miles away from his family on Christmas Day. ...more

December 25, 2009

Technically, Christmas is over — all over our living room floor, that is. ...more

December 25, 2009

It was the winter of 1950. That was the last Christmas my family enjoyed in Southern Indiana, before we moved to the sunny south. And, being the tender age of 6, it was the first Christmas that I can recall. ...more

December 25, 2009

John White just wanted a breather. With bags at his feet and a cell phone ringing in his pocket, White took a rest Thursday near the large Christmas tree at The Shops at Wiregrass. All around him, people toted bags, pushed small children in strollers and window-shopped. ...more

December 25, 2009