The economics of the US holiday tree industry

The spirit of the season is free, but that tree is going to cost you.

How to choose the most sustainable Christmas tree, no matter what it’s made of

How many years you reuse a fake holiday tree matters. So does what happens to a live tree when you’ve packed up the ornaments.

The Christmas tree is a tradition older than Christmas

Evergreens have long served as symbols of life during the bleakness of winter. But Queen Victoria spurred the tradition that has become a global phenomenon.

Your Christmas tree is not a climate crime

As noted before, the idea of a personal ‘carbon footprint’ was invented by … BP.

Photos: Santas ski Sunday River slopes on Sunday

Santa’s helpers took the day off on Sunday with a few hundred of the jolly ol’ elves hitting the slopes. Photos taken by Robert F. Bukaty of The Associated Press.

Hanukkah celebrations have changed dramatically

Assimilation no doubt played a role in making Hanukkah the commercialized holiday it is today. But other factors shaped the modern festival, too, a scholar of Jewish studies and gender explains.

Read our complete coverage of the Lewiston shootings

What to know about Hanukkah and how it’s celebrated

Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra. In Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC, […]

Elliott Epstein: Paul LePage should have tried to prevent the Oct. 25 mass shooting

The former governor vetoed a ‘red flag’ law that was meant to deter gun deaths.

Hanukkah’s true meaning is about Jewish survival

Hanukkah was instituted in 164 B.C. to celebrate military victory, but the meaning has changed over time with the circumstances of the Jewish people.