Projo Holidays Blog

Don't throw out your old Christmas tree -- have it recycled.

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation says "once you are done with your dried-up, needle-dropping, fragrance-free Christmas tree," you can give your Christmas tree will have a second life.

RIRRC will chip all trees it receives from municipal collections and use the material as mulch or in its composting operations. "If buried in the Central Landfill, the trees would waste valuable space better saved for non-organic material." says the landfill agency.

On average, 250,000 Rhode Islanders purchase cut Christmas trees each year to decorate their homes. Last year, RIRRC accepted 313 tons of Christmas trees. For the cities and towns, the diverted waste saved them thousands of dollars in disposal fees since the trees are tipped for free rather than at $32 per ton.

To prepare the tree for collection, remove all decorations, especially tinsel. Do not put the tree in a plastic bag.

Collection schedules vary depending on where you live. For more information about disposing Christmas trees, call your local department of public works or RIRRC at (401) 942-1430 x778.

I know a lot of folks around here are very familiar with the Italian Christmas Eve tradition of the feast of the seven fishes.

But how many of you have taken part in the Slovak meatless Christmas Eve feast?

My husband's sister married a wonderful man of Slovak descent, and because of Rege and his family, we've been able to take part in many such special meals at their home in North Huntingdon, Pa., outside of Pittsburgh.

The Slovak words for Christmas Eve are “bountiful eve” and the bounty of this evening lies in the wide range of festive dishes. The traditional meal for Christmas Eve is meatless in the Slovak Republic.

The meal begins with the “oplatky” or unleavened wafers imprinted with scenes of the holy birth. Coming from the Latin, “oblata” (offering), these wafers are common to Slavs living in the Tatra Mountains. The “oplatky” are eaten with honey (to be good and healthy as the bees are) and reminded the family of the unleavened bread of the Passover supper of the Israelites. The Sabols, (Rege's family) also use maple syrup -- which is a little touch of New England in Pittsburgh!

Following the “oplatky”, a soup of tart quality, usually made of sauerkraut brine and dried mushrooms, continues the exodus theme of recalling the bitterness of slavery; life without Christ. The Sabols often serve mushroom soup with the more traditional brine.

Pieroghies are my favorite part of the Christmas Eve supper. They are dough pockets, pastry filled with fillings of sweet cabbage, sauerkraut, lekvar, (prune butter) or potatoes and cheese and boiled.

The family also serves haluski, which is twisted noodles of dough mixed in with sauerkraut.

For dessert, we always have lots of Christmas cookies, and wine is also served with the meal.

And I even learned how to say Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year by looking up these traditions on the Internet:

“Vesele Vianoce a Stastlivy Novy Rok.”

While adding to projo's list of holiday giving options, I remembered something that's been bugging me this season. I could be wrong, but it seems I'm seeing fewer people dropping money into the traditional Salvation Army red kettles.

Maybe it's because these are the days of the debit card, or maybe folks are just a little too harried to pull out their cash, but lately, those bell ringers seem a little more lonely to me than usual.

But that little bit of change helps the organization serve nearly 5 million people at Christmas and 35 million people throughout the year.

Yesterday I walked by the one stationed in front of Providence City Hall. I made small talk with the bell-ringer, and promised to donate some change on my way back from my errands. He seemed very cold, and joked with me that he'd like to wear the scarf that was around my neck. Sorry, no scarf, but I did throw a buck in the kettle.

If you're feeling guilty about passing by these donation points, there's any easy, debit-ready way to still give. Go to the Salvation Army's Web site, and make a donation directly. They also have a way you "host" your own virtual red kettle. It's a fairly high tech way to do some old-fashioned good.

Has the holiday spirit put you in a giving mood?

The Providence Journal continues to publish requests from local charities for holiday giving. In addition to the full list of charities on our Web site, we've added a few more you may want to help out this season, or throughout the year:

GENERAL

VIPS (Volunteers In Providence Schools)

The organization provides after-school tutoring and enrichment classes to hungry teenagers who attend Providence public schools. There are 25 or so high school students who come each day to theTechnology & Learning Center every afternoon for three hours after school to get homework help and tutoring. The organizationreally needs gift cards from area grocery stores or donations that will help us feed these hungry and eager-to-learn teenage students. For more information, call Theresa Seddon at VIPS, at (401) 274-3240.

ANIMALS

Animals Depend On People Too (A.D.O.P.T.)

The group that helps homeless pets at the Cranston Animal Shelter and throughout the state, is in need of monetary donations. A.D.O.P.T. also helps families throughout the state with financial help for sick or injured pets, spays and neuters and other problems. Call Linda Monahan at (401)-826-0320 .

The Hope For Animals Sanctuary

The cat shelter is in need of cash donations as well as litter, toys, cat food, cat toys, and soft blankets for beds. The sanctuary is also looking for foster homes for some of its special needs cats. Volunteers are always needed. For more information please contact Ann at (401) 966-4129. The web site is www.hopeforcatssanctuary.com

To be included in either the newspaper or online list, send your charity's information, including a name and contact number to pjnews@projo.com. Put Holiday Giving in the subject field.

When my family and I moved here nearly eight years ago, we were surprised to learn that the big holiday entertainment tradition in Providence was Trinity Rep's "A Christmas Carol."

In Pittsburgh, "the" fast-selling holiday ticket was the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's annual performance of "The Nutcracker." Like Trinity Rep's annual show, the tickets sold out fast, and many families went year after year because they loved the show so much.

Photo by Thomas Nola-Rion
Festival Ballet: The classic shot with the Snow King and Queen in the center of the snowflakes.

So early on in our tenure as Rhode Islanders, we started going to see "The Nutcracker" by the Festival Ballet in Providence. This year's show runs through Sunday at the Providence Performing Arts Center. The 23 dancers in the troupe will be joined by 80 children, a live orchestra and a chorus. Performances are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m. For tickets, $18 to $60, call (401) 421-2787 or visit www.ppacri.org. The theater is at 220 Weybosset St., Providence.

In addition to Tchaikovsky's beautiful music and the stirring dance performances, the show always features a great little gift shop in the lobby, where you can pick up your very own nutcracker -- I happen to collect them, and I can never get enough. They also have lots of other gift ideas, too. Be sure to wear your holiday finest if you go.

In my marriage, my husband and I have debated for years whether a live Christmas tree, or an artificial tree, is best.

He likes the no-fuss inexpensive route of buying an artificial, and I'm partial to the scent of the real thing I remember from my childhood.

You can respond to our survey: What's best: An artificial or live Christmas tree?

Truth is, I've won the debate. His artificial got put away the first year we were married. In the proceeding years we've done everything from tree lots to tree farms. And although the experience is great, cutting a tree down yourself can be a lot of work, unless the farm provides a lot of help.

Our North Kingstown neighbors make a family event out of going every year to Hartikka's Tree Farm in Voluntown, Conn. -- and we've been lucky enough to share the experience with them.

Children, parents and a little homemade schnapps make the trip. While everyone goes in their own car, the brother with the pickup truck is the designated tree-deliverer. Once each family picks out their favorite tree, Mike has the farm hands pile them all in his truck bed, and he drives around delivering them to each front yard. Then the decorating begins.

Here's a list of Christmas tree farms -- by state -- that provide links, directions and details of the 37 tree farms in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Good luck tree hunting.

When I read Donna McGarry's earlier post about her favorite Christmas as a child, it reminded me of one of my favorite dolls: the circa-1970 "Baby Go Bye-Bye."

The little blond, pig-tailed doll (which I named Cindy, after the littlest Brady Bunch sister), drove a battery-operated "Bumpety Buggy" that I thought was really cool, because it went around and as it turned, the doll's head moved along.

I guess that was foreshadowing for my own adult tastes, as I now drive yellow-gold 2002 Mazda Miata convertible -- and just like Cindy, my little head often bobs along as I drive, too.

Turns out there are a few of these dolls on eBay these days -- which is where the above photo comes from. I'd love to hear about your favorites from childhood. Check out our survey: What was your best Christmas present ever?