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The Ghosts of Christmas Trees Past: Seven Sidewalk Disposal Styles

Will Etling takes us on a visual tour of the funniest, saddest, and most inventive methods of Christmas tree disposal on Southland sidewalks.

By Patrick James,
Patrick James
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Will Etling
Will Etling
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Jan 18, 2011

All photos and captions by Will Etling.

trashartphotographychristmasconsumptioncitieschristmas treeswill etlingpollution and waste

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Breakthrough solar-powered 'leaf' eliminates need for fossil fuels in everyday essentials

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Writing down three good things each day can lead to months of happiness.

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Doctor's ‘Three Good Things’ hack can rewire your brain for long-lasting happiness

Sometimes it can be hard to put on a smile and boost yourself out of the doldrums. Even “fake it ‘til you make it” doesn’t work all the time. There’s no quick fix to make lasting happiness, and anyone who promises instant joy is trying to sell you something. Even if it works, it’s likely fleeting. However, one doctor has a happiness hack that could improve your happiness in just a week.

Positivity-driven psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman developed a method that, when practiced routinely, has been shown to improve happiness. Dubbed the “Three Good Things”/“Three Blessings” method, Seligman recommends that you mindfully sit before going to bed to write down three good things that went well that day. It could be something as big as getting a promotion at work or as simple as your sandwich order being correct. By reflecting on the good in your day, you could feel genuinely happier and more grateful by the end of the week.

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In 1976, George Harrison joined Paul Simon for a haunting 'SNL' duet of 'Homeward Bound'

The Beatles released their culture-shattering debut album, Please Please Me, in March 1963. A year and a half later, as the British Invasion was starting to take hold, an American folk-rock duo named Simon & Garfunkel released their first LP, the largely overlooked Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. In many ways, through the rest of the decade, these two bands were kindred spirits—prioritizing harmonic cleverness and lyrical depth, evolving to experiment more in the studio. They even collapsed at essentially the same time: Simon & Garfunkel released their final studio project, Bridge Over Troubled Water, in January 1970; four months later, The Beatles bid farewell with Let It Be.

Of course, all of their respective songwriters continued with solo careers, and it only felt natural that they’d collaborate in some way. That summit took place on November 20, 1976, during the eighth episode of Saturday Night Live’s second season. Paul Simon was pulling double duty that evening, hosting the show and serving as musical guest—but George Harrison also served as a second musical guest, appearing in two promo videos and duetting with Simon on two tunes, Simon & Garfunkel’s 1966 classic "Homeward Bound" and his own 1969 Beatles anthem "Here Comes the Sun."

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A British woman in the U.S. shared some favorite sayings that have a surprising positivity.

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British woman in the U.S. shares her new 'favorite' sayings that she will never stop using

English is wildly inconsistent and often maddening, especially if you’re learning it as a second language. Plus, depending on where you live—say, the U.S. versus the U.K.—you may utilize it in very different ways. (This is technically even true in other parts of America. I used to teach public speaking at the college level, and I often asked my students to share common idioms from their home state. I’d estimate I recognized about 20% of them at best.)

Suppose you’re a British-born person visiting or living in the U.S.. In that case, you’ve probably experienced an adjustment period—just like Juliette Amie, a self-described "Brit in Boston" who often posts on social media about her life in the States. In one recent video, she shared a list of "things I never said until I moved to the U.S." More specifically, these are expressions Amie has picked up through cultural osmosis and now wants to keep in her rotation. It’s interesting to watch this clip as an American—some of these phrases are so ingrained in my regular speech that it seems weird even to find them notable. It’s also interesting to hear her describe them as positive and affirming—maybe we’re being nicer to each other than we realize.

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A mom asked her 5-year-old with autism to draw her and the result was not what she expected

It's a moment familiar to almost any parent: asking your child to draw a picture of you, bracing for a delightful, if not entirely accurate, creation. For mom Rebecca Rand (@officiallysidity), this simple challenge with her 5-year-old daughter, who has autism, led to a viral moment of pure joy and profound insight.

In a TikTok video, Rand explained that she is always trying to encourage her daughter’s creativity. "We had just got this new whiteboard, so I was like, 'Okay, mommy is going to sit right here and you draw what mommy looks like,'" she recalled telling her daughter. After a period of focused work, her daughter was ready for the big reveal.

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Retired detective schools an angry woman and her son after she tries to kick his family off a public lake

Some stories of public confrontation are so perfectly structured they feel like a movie scene. This tale, shared by a retired detective on Reddit, is one of them—a masterclass in what happens when someone tries to wield authority they don't have against a quiet expert.

The detective, posting under the username u/Country_Fence, set the scene on a local public lake where he and his family often took their ski boat. "One day, after a few hours on the lake, my daughter mentioned she needed to use the bathroom," he recalled. They did what they always did: pulled their boat up to a docking area near the public restrooms, making sure to stay far away from the designated swimming zone.

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Representative image: Travel shouldn't include this much drama.

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Entitled woman stole his plane seat so he tricked her in the best way

Air travel is stressful enough without entitled passengers making it worse. Whether it's armrest hoggers or seat recliners, there's always someone who makes the journey unpleasant. But one airline passenger took things to another level—flat-out refusing to move from a seat she didn't pay for.

Reddit user u/compile_commit shared the wild story, which involved his cousin flying from Ahmedabad to Kolkata on Indigo Airlines. He had specifically booked an exit row aisle seat and even paid extra for it. However, when he boarded, he found a woman already sitting there, completely unwilling to move.

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Life can be incredibly stressful and overwhelm a person with anxiety, stress, and burnout. It could come in the form of an argument with your kids, an unforeseen bill, dealing with a bad boss, or anything else. You don’t want to burden your friends with constant moaning about your life’s troubles, but it can get to the point where you just want to scream. If that sounds like you, join the club. No, seriously, you can join a literal screaming club.

A new trend is emerging worldwide, from Austin to Chicago to London and beyond. Meet up with others who are also having a rough time and scream as loudly as you can. These are called “screaming clubs,” and they’re forming new chapters in various communities to meet weekly to monthly, so locals can give a loud, cathartic scream together in public. Even if the screaming itself doesn’t solve a person’s problems, it seems to be bringing people together to make new friends who are also having a tough time.

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In the world of workplace stories, tales of "malicious compliance" are a genre unto themselves. They’re the oddly satisfying accounts of employees following a manager’s ill-advised rule so perfectly that it completely breaks the system. One story that has resonated for years, recently resurfacing on Reddit, serves as a masterclass in this quiet form of protest—but with a surprisingly positive twist.

The story was shared by a Redditor, u/my-reddit-saga, about a job he held 15 years ago at a government agency. His primary role was maintaining a fleet of cars, a job that involved a mix of tasks with varying time commitments—from quick fixes and supply runs to thorough, 45-minute hand washes for each vehicle. The job came with flexible hours, a system that worked perfectly for the task-based nature of the work. On some days, he might finish a final car wash and stay 15 minutes late; on others, he’d wrap up early and head home.

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