Vail, Colorado doesn’t want to put up Christmas lights themselves this year — so they are giving away 37 miles of lights to city residents and businesses to help make the area merry. Is it a budget thing? Are they trying to claim being green themselves by allowing the townsfolk to bear the burden of decking the halls? Or are they simply being generous?
Month: May 2009
Texas Lawmakers Wrangle Over Christmas
While most the world in government wants to exclude the word “Christmas” from just about anything associated with politics two Texas lawmakers have been brawling over which Texas town is the “Christmas Capital” of the State.
Republican Vicki Truitt claims the city of Grapevine, Texas is the rightful owner of said title and has introduced a resolution in the state legislature to make it official.
But Democrat Paul Pierson of Arlington says “Not so fast!”. She claims her own city of Arlington, Texas is wildly merry and deserves the title just as much as Grapevine.
Despite nagging politcal issues in Texas such as gun control, immigration, abortion and soaring government deficits it seems Christmas is all they can talk about recently. The two debated the issue over the Memorial Day weekend.
Not surprisingly, the argument came down to what it always comes down to — money. “Tourism dollars are wildly sought after,” Pierson said. “If you make a town the Christmas destination, it could be costly to other towns.”
Boston Puts Beloved Christmas Village Out to Bid
Another iconic piece of Christmas bites the dust. Boston’s “Historic Enchanted Village” — a collection of 84 costumed and mechanized figurines that have charmed Christmas crowds for decades are being put up for auction next month. The city budget just can’t afford to maintain the aging displays that have seen years of declining revenue for the city.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino said yesterday that the city is looking to find a good home for all the little village people and props – from shelves of authentic books, some from the 1890s, to jars of popping corn – and hopes that a Christmas-themed amusement park will buy the entire village and restore it to its former glory.
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