It’s illegal to sell Christmas trees before December 5th in Montgomery County, Maryland:
For six years, North Bethesda United Methodist Church has operated a Christmas tree lot on its grounds at Lone Oak Drive and Old Georgetown Road. And for six years, it opened right after Thanksgiving. The money raised helped fund missions and other church programs, including a medical clinic in Tanzania.
But last week, somebody — county officials aren’t saying who — dropped a dime.
Turns out the churchgoing folks at North Bethesda have been breaking the law. According to county code, for more than 30 years it’s been illegal to sell a Christmas tree in Montgomery County before Dec. 5. Those caught taking cash, credit cards or checks for a tree before then can be fined $500.
The church opened its lot Nov. 29. Three days later, the county inspector came calling.
Uh, hello, Mr. Grinch?
(…)
County Council member Roger Berliner (D-Potomac-Bethesda), whose district includes the offending church, was shocked to learn that such a law existed.
“My wife has urged me to amend this law,” Berliner said, adding with a chuckle: “This is Montgomery County as its finest. I’m sure there’s a politically correct reason why this is so, and we will be investigating.”
Saying, “we need more Christmas spirit,” Berliner said he intends to change the law unless there is a compelling case for keeping it in place.
What, tell me, could possibly be a “compelling case” for a stupid law like this ?
December 6th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
My guess is that this was originally a safety statute. The earlier you buy the tree, the sooner it dries out and becomes a fire hazard.
In the old days, when they literally put candles on the trees, they would not cut it down until Christmas Eve or the night before and promptly remove it on the 26th or 27th.