BostonMaggie catches Santa saluting the commander of the USS Constitution during a tree lighting at Old Ironsides.

Tom O'Keefe took this video in Brookline tonight, reports "I'm not sure if they're Christmas lights or a form of alien communication."

Whalehead King notes the Neponset Circle Christmas tree is already in place:

... Office pools have already started to pick the day a placard will be planted next to this tannenbaum. What will the sign say? That is subject for another pool but most bets rest on variations of "Season's Greetings from Mayor Thomas M. Menino." Those are words that warm the heart like cocoa heated a few degrees above tepid. Season's Greetings!

About ten years ago, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department switched its Common holiday tree lighting from the multi-colored lights they had used for many years to all-white lights, except for the one Christmas tree.

This followed a trend in many communities, where multi-colored displays began to be seen as vulgar and all-white lights as "tasteful." Perhaps it was Martha Stewart or some other middlebrow tastemaker who put out the fatwa on multi-colored lighting, but many towns fell into line.

Don Martelli provides the photographic proof.

Seth Gitell, whom I'm betting was eating Chinese food on Christmas long before "A Christmas Story" came out, rounds 'em up.

David Weinberger, meanwhile, explains why Christmas is actually a lovely time for the sort of people who would go out for Chinese:

Of course, being Harvard Square, this Santa is just a bit different.

The annual Santas in Speedos run is this Saturday, along Newbury and Boylston streets.

Mats Tolander tells you what you missed at the annual Swedish Christmas fair at the Cyclorama:

... I gorged on Princesstårta, våfflor and what not. The kid, in full Swedish character dressed in a Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter-outfit, was well behaved and held it together even at the end when he was clearly sick and tired of the whole Swedefest. ...