The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

For the past eight winters, I've sold Christmas trees in the Twin Cities.  Part of my job on the Christmas tree lot includes delivering and setting up Christmas trees.  Here is an inside look into the absurd world of holiday decorating.

"My Christmas tree smells like pickles," the irate customer barks into the phone.  "Like!  Pickles!"

"Excuse me?"  I reply, holding the phone away from my ear.

For the past eight winters, I've sold Christmas trees in the Twin Cities.  Shopping for a Christmas tree is universally regarded as a joyous yuletide experience.  But selling Christmas trees can be a brutal and sometimes sordid job.  Here is an inside look at life on the Christmas tree lot.

The Secrets of the City, the newly launched Rake website, is now one of the Twin Cities coolest publications.  It is a web site chock full of outstanding suggestions for great nights out on the town.  Whether it is theater, movies, restaurant, or a banging new downtown club, The Secrets of the City has got the Twin Cities covered.  The wildly popular “Secrets of the Day” section leads Twin City trendsetters from one awesome happening to the next.  Sadly, though, I do not participate in any of it.   I suck.  Roy