Christmas

Dreaming of a green Christmas? From biodegradable greeting cards to solar-powered Santa decorations, consumers have countless ways to celebrate an eco-friendly holiday season this year. And in this tight economy, here's some good news: Going green doesn't mean having to spend a lot of it. "It's a massive misconception," said Sophie Uliano, a Los Angeles author who wrote "Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life."

Little Atwater Village pulled out all the stops last week at the ceremony to light its Christmas tree, a redwood that towers handsomely over the commercial drag. No one had ever seen a crowd like this -- 1,400 people jammed into a bank parking lot, quite a turnout considering that fewer than 20,000 people live here. There were pigtailed girls handing out candy canes. There were dogs tolerating Rudolph costumes. Santa dropped by.

It's that special holiday time, that holiday special time. Every Christmas adds at least a few new films or cartoons to the canon, most of which, like Santa's own reindeer and sleigh, will fly off the radar. Many are not worth seeing anyway, and of those that are, few will ever be called timeless (though given all the many hours of cable there are to fill, most will be back). But here are two worth at least a look.

Here we are in the coming winter of hard skies. Cairo. Men in tunics coil turbans, sniffles in their noses. Fires burn, garbage smokes. Stones grip the night's chill. Delivery boys pedal through morning and girls in white linen hijabs hurry over train tracks. Gruff dudes sell Christmas trees in the roundabout, but the silver tinsel and the pop-up cardboard Santa seem like misfits against the palms at the desert's edge. It's as if they fell off a truck on their way to someplace else.

When Westminster police responded to a routine disturbance call last week, they stumbled onto a herd of wicker reindeer in the living room, strings and strings of Christmas lights -- some plugged in, others just tossed around the house -- a few faux Christmas trees, several snowmen and one too many inflatable Santa Claus figures. It all seemed just a little much, officers thought, even for the most devoted holiday fan. Then they remembered the theft reports.

Like their authors, each letter is unique. Some writers get straight to the point, like 10-year-old Neida, who wrote in black and red marker: "Dear, Santa Claws, I want a Nentendo D.S. black and red, I also want a remot control!" Madeline kept things simple, didn't give her age, skipped the greeting and started with a list: "1) Jewels, 2) Gears, 3) Crystals, 4) Beverly Hills china . . . 8) Snow."

The Santa Claus of this bleak desert outpost wears a polo shirt with a pack of Camel Lights in the pocket and a pair of suspenders stretched tight over his stomach. Larry Bai is 60, balding and Jewish. He shuffles through the post office doors this blustery morning, gripping a cane topped with a lion's head. He opens Santa's post office box, No. 133. There are eight more letters.

San Francisco and environs may be short on snow in December, but it has more than enough jingle to make your holidays sing. You may not be able to take a sleigh ride through Golden Gate Park, but here are 10 places where you can find plenty of Christmas cheer in the shops, restaurants and shows from Union Square to South of Market. 1.

On a day when America's banks were failing and the Big Three automakers were on their knees begging Congress for money, Paul Ecke III could muster little sympathy. "I can't go to Washington looking for a bailout," the 53-year-old industry leader said. "I should be making $20 million a year like these auto guys. All they have to do is make good cars that don't break down. Mine is a far more complicated business." Foreign competitors and outdated equipment.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wishes the world a merry Christmas, even though he thinks much of it is in crisis because the West's "bullying, ill-tempered and expansionist" leaders have strayed far from Jesus' path. In a recorded message to air Christmas Day on Britain's Channel 4, Ahmadinejad praises Christianity but goes on to say that if Jesus returned to Earth, "he would fight against the tyrannical policies of prevailing global economic and political systems."