I was in DC this weekend, where I learned a little about White House Christmas traditions.  During World War II, President Roosevelt ordered that the holiday lights remain off out of respect for national electricity rationing.  How cool would it be if Bush did something like that this year as a symbol of solidarity and sacrifice in the face of the greatest battle of our age?

In her second piece for the Huffington Post, Cathy Erway, blogger extraordinaire, bemoans the kind of kind of excessive holiday cheer that comes with a steep energy price tag:

In the lobby of my apartment building, there is a Christmas tree adorned with ornaments and colored lights. A boombox is placed conspicuously behind it, playing holiday tunes at higher-than-expected decimals. Both the lights and the music are kept on all day and night, welcoming the rest of the tenants and I each time we come home.

I appreciate the gesture on behalf of my building’s management. But in a time when public service announcements are urging residents to shut off their electronics when not in use, and companies worldwide are searching for ever more energy-saving solutions, it doesn’t set the tone right with me.

In an effort to revamp their power-greedy image, major landmarks are trimming the environmental impact of their spectacles. The Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center proudly announced its switch to more energy-efficient LED lights last year. Times Square recently made the move towards reducing 190,000 kWh of energy and 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually, and the New Year’s Eve ball was also outfitted with LED lights. The Eiffel Tower decreased the length of its nightly light show from ten to five minutes this October, stressing an emphasis on sustainability rather than savings. (Imagine if, instead of bathing the tower of the Empire State Building in green light on Earth Day, it went au naturel?)….