Feliz Navidad: Don't Try This at Home

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Typically, the Christmas commercial season begins after Thanksgiving Day with a stampede to rival any Game Boy trampling. With the ever increasing need to get a jump on the competition, the date of opening day inches forward each year. Here we've got a tree going up on Daniel Island not quite a week before. It might have been even earlier had this crew not been collecting pumpkins after Halloween.

Drawing up to this curious tree trimming we thought we heard Jose Feliciano in song then we thought we saw him on the lift, but we were incorrect on both counts. The two gentlemen in the basket of the cherrypicker are in charge of ornament placement and have tentative control of the pitch and yaw via the hydraulics which move them about. We observed some untoward pitching and yawing into the tree and expressions on their faces sufficient to indicate that such operational instructions as they may have received were given only in English. Our friend at ground level seems in charge of observing the unfolding events while learning to dodge the unexpected movement of the base unit which seems unchecked.

Statisticians sternly inform us that most accidents happen within 25 miles of home if not IN the home. Santa's helpers in this case are considerably farther away from home, but just as likely to take a tumble. We hope that Santa has left a first aid kit under the tree. We wish them a safe completion of their tasks and, as always, Feliz Navidad.