Is this the worst Christmas tree or what? writes Michael Laurie. "Yes, the recession has even affected our Christmas tree. I left it up to my father-in-law to chop one down from the farm, to save the pennies. There were branches in the middle, but once we put a couple
of tiny baubles on, the branches plunged towards the floor. Still, our 2-year-old daughter thinks it's fantastic."
* * *
Matthew writes: "We were playing a social game of volleyball in Cornwall Park when a security guard came up and gave us 10 minutes to get the net down. We were told it was dangerous and we could hurt people. We were in the middle of a field, a good 30m from any path ... What next for our recreational parks - park-goers not allowed to run in case we trip over?"
* * *
A reader had an argument yesterday about whether the noughties ends on December 31, 2009, or December 31, 2010. "My friend tried to argue the end of a decade needed a zero. Come on, the year 1980 was not part of the 70s, was it? The 80s was 1980-1989, then 1990 was the start of a new decade. The noughties run from 2000-2009 - 10 years. So in a few weeks this decade will be over and we'll have to start thinking of another awkward abbreviated name for it. What's the abbreviation for 1910 anyway? In 10 years it'll be easy. It'll be the roaring 20s again."
* * *
Dorothy Miller, an 87-year-old grandmother from Michigan, uses Twitter every day to keep in touch with her family, but she doesn't use a computer. Instead, she uses a fax machine and a service called Celery that posts the messages to her Twitter page. "I don't usually write to my daughter that much because she talks too much. And she takes up too much of our time, but she can read my twitterings here and she can see what her mother's doing and know that her mother's okay ..."
Says Celery founder Neil Grabowsky: "We all have at least one older person in our life who doesn't use computers. It can be as difficult for them to stay in touch with us as it is for us to stay in touch with them."
* * *
The mall handcream hawkers are still at it, writes a reader. "I was at a mall yesterday and was actually pulled by the arm by an overly enthusiastic young man to try the salt scrub and hand cream. After he had oozed all over me, I was taken over to his accomplice, who tried to fleece me of $55." When our reader decided to leave, the hawkers took great offence. "It's hard enough trying to get the Christmas shopping done without the added stress of these vultures."
* * *
View today's Herald cartoon
* * *
Today's Webpick: First Bob Dylan did it, now Blondie make Christmas music cool with her very recent cover of "We Three Kings". Go here and leave a comment.
LAST DAY TO ENTER: To say thanks and Merry Christmas to Sideswipe and Spare Room readers, I have put together The Best Christmas Hamper Ever. It's worth over $2500 and will make Christmas very merry. Go here to enter. The winner will be emailed on Saturday and goodies delivered before Christmas.
