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Shop Hoppers

As a non-driver city dweller who loves to cook, I have to admit I was a big fan of Webvan. They never let me try to buy anything they didn't have in stock. The fruit and vegetables they brought me were as gorgeous as if I'd picked them up from the farmers market. Their selection was on a par with Andronico's or even Whole Foods. And their substitutions didn't suck. I truly wish they had started out charging us all delivery fees so that there would be a chance they'd still be around today.

PHOTOS: An SF Scary XMAS

Thanks to my friend Sharon, I have now confirmed that SF has a house that would do my suburban Christmas Tree Lane residents proud.

Located on 21st, a few crests of the hill past Noe as you drive towards the Mission, there is a house that replicates the North Pole, complete with oversized stuffed animals in the guises of Hello Kitty and Sponge Bob, a towering Christmas Tree, and even a real live Santa Claus. Suspiciously, my photo of Santa came out pitch black despite the holiday lights...

Merry Chrismukkah!

PHOTOS: Scary XMAS continues

Perhaps one of the scariest elements of holiday decorating is gaining insight into the strange sense of humor lurking beneath the jolly surface of some Christmas Tree Lane residents.

What, exactly, inspired the above homeowners to use masking tape to attach a lone red bulb to a scary white and black reindeer's nose? And at first glance, the holiday lights wrapped around the bridle looks like barbed wire in the daylight.

If I recall, the people with the melted snowman were also host  to this gaudy plastic Precious Moments nativity scene.

It appears this household has decided Santa is best encased in a crippled helicopter, sans reindeer.

Look carefully at the above tree lot snowman. Pay special attention to the yellow snow next to the smirking house pet.

Is Santa, lost in the desert, following the North Star under the watchful eye of the Precious Moments angels?

PHOTOS: Hive-a-licious

60% of the Hives turned out for a live interview on Live 105 during their Metreon broadcast on Saturday, December 11. Howlin Pelle was charming and exceptionally accommodating to fan requests to sign tickets, promo flats, t-shirts etc., and to pose for -- and tae -- dozens of photos. I had my white vinyl copy of Veni, Vidi, Visious signed byt he Hives in attendance, which leaves me wondering what I'll need to do to obtain the other 2 signatures... Is a trip to Sweden in my future?

More Hives Live 105 on-air appearance photos from their Metreon meet and greet.

PHOTOS: Scary Xmas Snowmen

Snowmen seemed to be the non-denominational Christmas decor of choice this year. Dozens of houses had this same wire snowman:

Of course, not all of the snowman looked alike, despite their shared point of creation; some snowmen seemed a little more disheveled than others.

I personally liked this Cubist snowman, who appeared to be comprised of wire closet storage boxes covered with some sort of fake plastic snow:

But this next guy, is he a polar bear or a snowman? And why is he wearing a pink jacket and mittens with black combat boots?

And finally, isn't it a bit scary for the small children to have melted snowmen like this all over your front lawn? Why exactly did these folks move to Christmas Tree Lane anyhow?

PHOTOS: Scary XMAS Intro

No matter how pretty it may seem to drive past Christmas Tree Lane on a cold winter's night, those holiday lawn displays are pretty darn scary in the daylight. Some of them look like the aftermath of a wild party even, with the previously merry hosts slumped over a pile of presents.

Take this Santa for example. Face down in the front yard at 2 in the afternoon. Was it a result of too much egg nog, or something more sinister? The "Beware of Dog" sign makes it seem all too possible that it's the latter.

More photos to follow.