Who Gives A Shit? Pine Needle Gate

It didn't take long but we have a new local scandal for a new year. No, I don't mean the suicidal dude who tried to kill himself over the weekend by jumping out his window only to land on a life-saving mound of garbage bags, courtesy of our beloved Sanitation Department. 

No, you know it's a whole new day, a whole new year when you go down to take out the recycling on the first Sunday evening of 2011 and see five separate irate notes yelling at the inconsiderate dumbasses who dragged their Christmas tree down the stairs sans bag and vacuum cleaner.

The perps left a telltale trail of pine needles from their door (they tried to clean up a touch by the actual door to cover up) but nothing gets by my good neighbors. And not a one of these notes was from me, either. 

Thank Gawd our tree is still standing in the corner; there could be a knock on the door any minute.

We are going to wait until it is so crispy, it catches on fire as we throw it out of our 4th floor window, yelling "look out below." No, actually, my family treehugger wraps our tree in enough plastic and duct tape to ensure that it will never shed a needle and then drags it up to the park to alleviate a little of our liberal guilt over killing it in the first place.

And yes, the same household who brings us the annual pine needle procession tried throwing it out the window a few years back. I watched in shock and awe as the dude stood on the fire escape with the tree and the wife tried to direct from below. And they're very nice the other 364 days of the year.  

So, where do you come down on this most important issue of 2011 (so far, anyway)? Would you pull out the vacuum? Would you publicly spank your neighbor for not? Would you buy them a giant tree bag for next year?

Do you give a shit?

Also, Attention Lazy Christians!!!! Per their press release, "the environmentally-friendly staff at 1-800 Mr. Rubbish will be voluntarily (as in free) picking up discarded holiday trees on January 8th and 9th as part of Mulchfest. All neighborhood residents living in the area between Union and 15th Street and between 6th Avenue and Prospect Park West can leave your tree at either end of your block before 1:00 p.m. on both days for pickup."