Pennsylvania Residents Fill Widening Pothole With Christmas Tree

A Christmas tree seen on Nov. 27, 2018. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Pennsylvania residents took matters into their own hands and drew attention to a massive pothole in a road by sticking an entire Christmas tree in it.

“I was upstairs in the attic and was looking for more Christmas decorations and thought that would look nice in the hole,” Marietta Spak, one of the residents, told WNEP.

She said the massive pothole was a big safety problem for drivers in Wilkes-Barre.

“It can cause so many problems with these holes. That’s not just a pothole. That’s sinkage, and it’s starting to spider web,” Spak said.

The Wilkes-Barre Department of Public Works was aware of the pothole but said the company that paves streets for the city was backed up with other jobs.

The company was slated to finally fix the hole on Dec. 12.

Texas Resident Fixes Potholes

Potholes have a way or irking residents, especially if they don’t get fixed for a long time.

In Dickinson, Texas, monster potholes created by years of rain and few fixes prompted area residents to go into action.

“We just kind of got tired of looking at it and tired of trying to get the city to do something and nothing happening,” Zach Weeks told KTRK in late October.

He, his wife, and a friend learned how to patch a pothole, and repaired three potholes over the weekend, spending hours of their time and around $150 to repair the potholes.

Others warned him that it was illegal but Weeks said he couldn’t find a case of somebody getting in trouble.

He plans go to the city council to discuss volunteer repairs and wants to get funding from the community or city.

The official White House Christmas tree is seen in the Blue Room during the Christmas press preview at the White House in Washington, on Nov. 26, 2018. The tree measures 18 feet tall and is dressed in over 500 feet of blue velvet ribbon embroidered in gold with each State and territory. AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Christmas Decorations and Spending

Nine in ten Americans, and 95 percent of Christians celebrate Christmas, according to a Pew Research Survey.

Many of them celebrate Christmas by decorating their homes, both inside and outside.

A key part of the decorations? A Christmas tree. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are approximately 25 to 30 million real Christmas trees sold in the United States every year. The top Christmas tree producing states are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington.

This year, consumers said they were planning to spend an average of $1,007.24 during the winter holiday season, with $215.04 of that planned for food, decorations, flowers, and greeting cards, according to the National Retail Foundation.

Adults told Gallup that they planned to spend an average of $885 on Christmas gifts in 2018, the highest holiday spending projection since the 2007 to 2009 recession. That included 33 percent of respondents who said they planned to spend at least $1,000 on Christmas gifts.

A 2017 survey from the Lincoln Financial Group found that millennials typically spend more on the holidays versus other age groups, at an average of $1,400. That was about $500 more than Boomers and Gen Xers.

Experts said people should save up throughout the year if planning to spend big for the holidays, and plan ahead and make a budget.

“It’s tempting to splurge at this time of year, but it’s important to ensure that holiday spending doesn’t derail your finances,” said Jamie Ohl, president at Lincoln Financial Group, in a statement. “As with all financial matters, planning is a good way to stay on track, even when you’re tempted by sales and impulse buys.”

From NTD News