Tree Lighting

Every year, Santa comes to my town in a firetruck and lights the large evergreen in front of town hall. I have never witnessed this phenomenon, but I have, on multiple occasions, witnessed the Santa-mannequin-in-the-rocking-chair-in-the-rowboat parade of fire department vehicles from yesterday's blog post.

So I was curious to see what the fuss is all about. I got there, and the mayor was complaining that the planning committee did everything she asked except make the weather warmer. Apparently, on December 6th, 2001, the temperature was 71. Tonight, it is 28.

So, after the Pledge of Allegiance, led by the boy scouts and the high school color guard, and then the national anthem sung by the high school choir, and Christmas carols led by the choir, and the high school band, we finally generated enough holiday cheer to beckon Santa from the firehouse down the road- I mean, all the way from the North Pole. When the engine pulled up (poor reindeer got outsourced for a cooler, flashier mode of transportation), Santa hopped off and took a microphone. Mayor Bieri asked him about the weather up at the North Pole and here's what he said:

"Oh, I gotta tell you, the Nowth Pole is so cold, this weatha down heah isn't cowld at awl. Its wawm!" Apparently, the North Pole is inhabited by settlers from Brooklyn. "Well, I heah I've got an impowrtant job to do, so, lets get awn wid it." Then we had a countdown, just to get people involved and the halogen lights dimmed, the tree lit up, and that was that. Thank goodness, now I can get out of the cold.