Andy Park, 47, has eaten Christmas dinner every day for the past 17 years, reports The Sun.The divorcee, from Melksham, who is known as Mr Christmas, admits that his friends think he’s crackers.But he insisted: “I love my Christmas tree more than anything else, so that’s why I want to marry it.“I’ve already got a ring, although I’m not sure yet which branch I’ll want to hang it on.“The only problem seems to be finding a vicar who is willing to do the ceremony.”Mr Park said that although he’d only had the plastic tree for two years, he felt it was like “his best friend” and he never tired of seeing it sitting in his living room.He said: “I can’t see why we can’t be joined in matrimony. I’ve heard of other people marrying their pets and so on, so why can’t I get hitched to my tree?”Andy began celebrating Christmas in 1993 and since then he’s estimated to have eaten more than 6 000 Christmas dinners.He says it started when he felt “bored” and “fed-up” one July and putting up decorations had made him feel happy so he decided to carry on. — Orange news.
REFLECTORS FOR REINDEERSNorway’s 200 000 reindeer are being fitted with reflectors to protect them from being run over.So far about 2 000 of the animals have been fitted with reflective yellow collars or small antler tags, reports the Daily Telegraph.The aim is to reduce the number of car crashes that kill around 500 of the animals each year.“It really works,” said Kristian Oevernes, the leader of the project at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.“This is the first time it (reindeer marking) has happened on this scale.”A test drive on a snowmobile showed that marked reindeer were far more visible in the dark than others.About 200 000 reindeer live in Norway, mostly owned by Sami indigenous people who raise them for meat, skins and antlers.Sami herders had tried small experiments to attach reflective tape to the animals but the glue failed in the cold.Finnish herders had also tried a reflective spray, but it reduced the fur’s ability to keep out the chill. — Orange news.
SWEET SUSPECT PARCELPART of the European Union embassy in Berne was evacuated on Thursday after a scare over a suspect package — but it turned out to be a Christmas present, Swiss police said.The parcel was investigated and was quickly declared to be safe, the Berne police said in a statement.Police in Rome were checking embassies on Thursday after two people were injured in separate explosions at the Swiss and Chilean missions. The government suggested the blasts could be the work of anarchist groups. — Reuters.
SHOES UNDER BREASTSA SHOPLIFTER in Florida stole a pair of shoes and hid them under her breasts.CCTV showed the woman and a male accomplice stealing items from Beall’s Outlet, reports nwfdailynews.The man rolled each item and passed them back to the woman, who hid a pair of shoes under her breasts and the rest of the items in her purse. The man had merchandise worth $17,99 concealed on him, the woman $159,88 of merchandise, and were charged with theft. — Reuters.
