Christmas

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The Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl leads a congregation of 4,000 in Solemn Mass of Christmas Day at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C., Tuesday, December 25, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Christmas trees were for sale at the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Associated Press A LOT OF TREES: Choosing the right Christmas tree is a favorite tradition for families, but the needle-shedding evergreens become only memories after the holidays. That’s when governments and businesses take over and use the castoffs for a variety of purposes.

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In this Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, photo, items that will be presented to guests during the inauguration of President Barack Obama are seen inside Aunt Bea's Little White House B&B, in Washington, the six-room bed and breakfast in Northeast Washington still had two rooms available for the presidential inauguration as of the week before Christmas, with rates starting at $225 a night. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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With the store shelves thinning out, Christie Wilson, Sebree, grabs a gallon of milk as shoppers at Sureway Eastgate, in Henderson, stock up before the forecasted blizzard hits late Christmas evening, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/The Gleaner, Mike Lawrence)

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Christmas stockings with the names of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting hang from a railing near a makeshift memorial near the town Christmas tree in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Conn., on Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012. In the wake of the shooting, the grieving town is trying to find meaning in Christmas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

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Pope Benedict XVI delivers his "Urbi et Orbi" ("To the City and to the World") Christmas message from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

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Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal waves to the crowds before Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

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Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, center right, attends Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Twal, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, has celebrated the United Nations' recent recognition of a Palestinian state in his annual pre-Christmas remarks.(AP Photo/Adel Hana)

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A cross is held during Christmas celebrations outside the Church of Nativity, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Thousands of Christian worshippers and tourists arrived in Bethlehem on Monday to mark Christmas at the site where many believe Jesus Christ was born. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)