••• “To drop off your [Christmas] tree for recycling, bring it to Bogardus Plaza […] anytime from Sunday, Dec. 31, through Sunday, Jan. 7. The NYC Department of Sanitation will also be conducting special curbside collections for mulching and recycling of Christmas trees from Tuesday, Jan. 2, through Saturday, Jan. 13.” You have to strip off all decorations first. —Tribeca Trib UPDATE: This came in from the Battery Park City Authority: “As the holiday season passes, the Battery Park City Authority is again collecting trees for its annual recycling program beginning Tuesday, December 26. Please leave your undecorated tree on the curb for pickup by our BPC Parks team—no tinsel, ornaments, or lights please! Collections will continue through early January.”

••• “Children in a West Harlem homeless shelter were treated to a happier Christmas, thanks to a group of Tribeca mothers who are dedicated to sharing holiday joy—and a lot more—to people in need.” —Tribeca Trib

••• The New York Times ogles the art collection of Mary Ehni and and her husband, photographer Stephen Frailey. “Ms. Ehni realized that starving artists wanted to look good, too. So, as she  circulated in the New York art world, they became friends with painters and photographers who struck deals with Ms. Ehni: She’d color their hair in exchange for prints and canvases. Today such acquisitions make up a fifth of the notable art collection Ms. Ehni and Mr. Frailey have amassed, which includes works by Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince and Christopher Wool. Many are on display in their Tribeca apartment; others are in storage or hanging in their houses in Marfa, Tex., and Washington County, in upstate New York.”

••• The New York Times takes a long look at the troubles at the St. Nicholas National Shrine, the Greek Orthodox church being built in Liberty Park at the World Trade Center. The estimated cost has gone from $20 million in 2013 to $72-$78 million today, “of which $49 million had been pledged. How costs spun so high will be examined in an independent investigation and audit ordered by the archdiocese in November, the archdiocese said in a statement. PricewaterhouseCoopers and BakerHostetler have been retained to conduct the inquiry. A spokesman said that the investigation would find whether donations earmarked for the St. Nicholas Shrine were among those raided for general expenses. But internally, it has already been acknowledged.” Also: “The archdiocese said in an email that it was hopeful that construction would resume as early as the spring. It added that design work and the construction of skylights and parts of the marble and glass-fused curtain-wall and lighting system that will ultimately allow the church to glow at night were continuing off-site.”