Who Gives A Shit: Hiring a Christmas Tree Stylist?

Oh for fuck's sake! Seriously?

Well, I actually had a jump start on this breaking news story from the NY Times because I WAS AT THEIR PAGE ONE 4PM EDITOR'S MEETING YESTERDAY!!!!! When I'm not being dissed or ignored by you BALLER people, I'm running another newsroom: my kid's middle school virtual newspaper. Pulitzer worthy, I tell you! 

And yesterday, we went on a field trip to the paper of record, which I had kind of broken up with after their lamentable Judy Miller debacle but all is forgiven.... Because I love this article and its reception at the conference table of the world's journalistic elites who ever-so wryly and understatedly let fly just how obscene they think this trend is.

Not so the crowd over at Brownstoner. I'm in a comments war over this very topic because I CANNOT BELIEVE how many of my neighbors think the soulless practice of hiring an interior designer to deck out your tree and holiday home is A-OK.

BSD: It's as lame as hiring anyone to do something you don't want to or have the time for. Sound kinda cranky for the holiday season.

Butterfly: it is no lamer than hiring a nanny to take care of your kids for you, hiring a maid to pick up after you, going to a restaurant and having someone cook for you, etc etc etc. some people just SUCK at decorating, and in end this provides jobs for people i guess.

duckumu: i agree with BSD. nothing wrong with admitting something is beyond your capability and hiring someone to do it for you. if you can afford it and it makes you happy, why not? and is it surprising that people with a lot of money would lack creativity? :)

urbancamper: Butterfly Rob, it's SOOOO much lamer, I can't even believe you are playing devil's advocate here.

crimsonson: Agree with Rob. Some of you need face it. Some have more money and have the ability to do things you can't. Who the hell cares if they can afford nannies, chefs, decorators, drivers, etc. You go out and pay for food right?

Montrose Morris: The interior decorator I do work for sometimes is booked this time of year to do exactly that for his best clients. He usually does it as a gift for them for their considerable contributions to his standard of living.

urbancamper: Even my acquisitive, entitled offspring know that Christmas is supposed to be about "sharing and caring" and putting up your own GD ornaments, preferably homemade ones.

Butterfly: homemade ornaments are a total turn off tho. if i walk into your home and see popcorn on your tree, i turn right back out!

Tiptoe: Some of the homeowners in Dyker Heights hire decorators to deck their homes in lights and Christmas figures...looks great, who cares.

It's shit like this that makes me want to move to a wind farm somewhere far, far away from Park Slope. 

Just walked the beast and came across my favorite tacky holiday mansion people. They have a different garish scene for each and every holiday save Ramadan. Now, THIS is how it's done. They have a mansion on PPW but they don't hire some decorator to do their tacky display. THEY do it themselves.

So, what do you think? I care about your opinion (as long as it coincides with mine).

Where To Get Your Christmas Trees In Park Slope: A Roundup

It's coming on Christmas... 

We went shopping for the tree yesterday morning. Having grown up with the bizarre tradition of not getting the GD tree until the day before Christmas, I'm rebelling and getting ours early.

This year, we turned up our collective noses at the Food Coop and Farmer's Market in favor of the charitable Ye Olde First folks. I couldn't believe the size of some of those trees! They looked like they were destined for the White House or Rockefeller Center. They were HUGE. Like twenty feet tall huge, although I *am* prone to exaggeration. Anyway, the guy told us he'd just sold two of the huge ones to a woman a half hour before. TWO? Hmmmm.

It turns out there are a crapload of Christmas tree purveyors all over Park Slope, and obviously (cause we're all lazy around here), I'm not going to go investigate them all for you people. BUT, what I have done is to pick through the pine needles and come up with a few choice options, as well as some quick hit customer reviews:

Click to read more ...

Out of Work Graphic Designer Takes Up Housekeeping?

The Christnukkah cards are starting to roll in and this one left me wishing I could still afford a cleaning lady/womyn/dude/service. And curious...

This card is genius. It's really a work of art.

Frankly, I think it rivals that awesome subway map inspired Hanukkah card we had up the other day.

In fact, I would venture to say this is the best housecleaning offer I've ever, ever, ever received (and note the twenty five buck discount if you book before Xmas).

So, I'm going to give Mina's Green Cleaning a plug, though I have absolutely no idea of whether Mina can clean to save her life, or if she really has a mean green team.

Per the card, Mina's is "environment safe, child & pet friendly" and specially trained in quality green toilet bowl cleansing and floor mopping etc.

Merry Christmas, Mina! And can you please clarify if you are, indeed, in the middle of a career change from art directing or graphic designing?

Who Gives A Shit: Tipping For The Holidays

This discussion goes on every year, and every year I still find it fascinating: how much do you tip your apt building workers/helpers/super at holiday time?

Brick Underground did a great 2010 Holiday Tipping Guide. Here's how they broke shit down:

Super, resident manager:  $100 -$175 avg (broad range: $75 - $500)
Doorman, concierge:  $75-$150 avg (broad range: $10 - $1,000)
Porter, handyman:  $20 - $30 avg (broad range: $10 - $75)
Garage attendant:  $50 - $75 avg (broad range $25-$100)

There's way more great scoop though, on when you should tip, how you should tip, and some common questions about tipping, so you should click on over there.

In the meantime, fill me in: do you tip? And if so, how much? And what do you do for housekeepers, dog walkers, nannies, etc?

This is a free country, so if you wanna go anon, DO IT.

(via Brick Underground)

Day Two: MatisyaWHO?

For you, on day two: a Hanukkah miracle.

I heard a live acoustic version of the insta-classic heeb holiday song, Miracle, last night on NPR and fell in love with hassid reggae/hip hop/beatbox singer Matisyahu. And that was before I got a load of this acid trip of a video.