It has been a long road since the 1968 sanitation worker strike in Memphis. And yet it seems like only yesterday.

Today is a day of celebration and remembering the monumental presence of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr in all of our lives, no matter what color.

Tomorrow, we get to work.

And if you need more inspiration, read the words that Dr King spoke to my parents, my in-laws and millions of others on the Washington Mall so many years ago...

When it comes to Christmas trees, I am a traditionalist. Try as I might to be enthusiastic about little trees in a pot (that I can replant in some forest someplace at some point) or a cool all white kitchy fake tree (landfill fodder, anyone?) I still find myself pulled towards a nice big 7 foot live tree that I stick in some water and load up with as many lights and decorations as I can deal with.

And now that there is a next-generation in my immediate family, we're even more into it.

But now all those people who look down their noses at us trad tree users can just be quiet. Because NYC Dept of Sanitation is picking up trees curbside and mulching them. The mulch is then used to help take care of the city's parks and trees. Just put your unadorned tree on the street before January 14th and you're good.

Or, if you want a piece of the action, this weekend (Jan 7 and 8) is Mulchfest, where, in many parks around the city, you can take your tree, watch skilled professionals run it through a crazy mulching machine, and then walk away with a bag of your own mulch. The Parks Dept keeps the rest.

Sure, tons of people have written about Dumbo's gloriously rennovated Jane's Carousel. But it took a few spare hours to kill on Christmas day to get my little family down to the waterfront between the bridges to give it a go.

It is now one of our favortie spots on Earth. It is seriously not to be missed.

click below for more photos and info: