Dec. 1: Traditions

Perhaps we're biased: today, Dec. 1 is a very special day, not just because it's the beginning of the last month of the year and the first night of Hanukkah. It's also because it happens to be the editor of this site's birthday.

To celebrate, here's what he (arguably) does best — a rundown of the news, events and other items of interest for the next 24 hours in Little Neck:

1. Going, going... gone. wraps up more than a half-century's worth of good food and good people with — literally.

2. In case you missed it: here's our story on the from Little Neck Bay and Alley Pond Park, which coincided with the much more publicized round-up of birds at Brooklyn's Prospect Park in July.

3. And what better way to mark this editor's birthday than to participate in one of his most cherished childhood rituals, the selection of the family Christmas Tree. There are many places in and out of town to choose from. Here's .

4. There's also many of quite another activity to help fuel the holiday spirit. Whether it's , or , give early and often to our area's coat drives.

5. The into Tuesday's hold-up of a Little Neck nail salon, the latest in a .