'Tis the season

In for a penny, in for a pound of giant inflatable Christmas ornaments seems to be the watchword at this house on the VFW Parkway in West Roxbury. Meanwhile, on Bateman Street in Roslindale, somebody is dreaming of a tropical Christmas, just like the one they used to know:

On Metropolitan Avenue in Roslindale, St. Frosty, the patron saint of lifesize illuminated plastic choirboys, gives his blessing:

Hizzonah and Santa exchange pleasantries at the West Roxbury tree lighting today:

The ceremony, which featured songs by the Beethoven School chorus, as well as pizza and cookies, was notable for a couple of things: One was that Menino made a point of referring to the tree as "a Christmas Tree" (take THAT, Jerry Falwell!). The other was that when the tree lights went on, it was hard to tell, because noon is just not the best time to illuminate a Christmas Tree - especially when the sun is shining right into it.