SUNDAY IN THE PARK
December 26, 2010
Christmas Eve, our Episcopal parish church, Church of the Incarnation, had three traditional services and two contemporary services.
Patty and I, and our daughter-in-law, Susan, went to the 5 PM traditional service. By 4:30, there were no seats remaining. I suspect the church holds about 1,000.
Afterward, "Chef" Randy had dinner waiting for us. He had stayed home to babysit Millie.
That begun a great Christmas celebration. It'll end tomorrow with Patty's birthday.
I hope your celebration was every bit as wonderful -- Bill Cherry
CHRISTMAS FIRES...IN FACT, FIRES IN GENERAL
We bought a freshly cut tree from one of the prominent Dallas nurseries three days before Thanksgiving. It was delivered Sunday, four days later. By December 15th, that tree was dry and an obvious fire hazard. The 7-8 foot tree cost $140 including delivery, and it was not safe two weeks later.
We only ran the lights for brief periods of time, and when we were in the room with it. Today, I'm ready to take it down and get it outside. And today's only December 26th.
This was our 6th Christmas to celebrate in Dallas since we moved here. Every year at least one house within a few blocks of us has caught fire and seriously burned because a dry Christmas tree ignited.
<<---A home fire caused by dry a Christmas tree.
Those fires are almost like explosions. They happen very fast, they get very hot, and the fire and heat is concentrated in a small area. The fire protection of the drywall ceiling becomes minimal under those condition, and as soon as the fire burns through into the attic, the attic's ventilation acts as a chimney.
That's when the fire is out of control. And from start to finish, that takes less than one handful of minutes.
Often people caught up in the Christmas spirit understandably find themselves taking one more chance by buying a real tree, putting themselves and their property in peril, but rationalizing false confidence that they'll beat the house fire odds one more year.
Perhaps it's past time for state, county and city fire laws as they pertain to Christmas trees to be looked over. Perhaps how trees are cut, stored, transported, etc., need to be regulated. Perhaps local fire departments need to frequently visit Christmas tree lots, condemning those trees that are unsafe.
This might be a good project for the National Association of Realtors to lobby for.
BILL CHERRY, REALTORS
DALLAS - PARK CITIES
Since 1964
214 503-8563
Man in the Park drawing by Carlotta Barker.
