Who tossed on the first tinsel? Two Baltic capitals disagree

Riga, Latvia

IN the Baltics, there may be no war on Christmas but there's a pretty prickly one over the tree. For six successive seasons, Riga and Tallinn - the capitals of Latvia and Estonia - have waged a feud over which was the site of the world's first decorated Christmas tree. Riga says it was first, in 1510. Tallinn claims a much earlier event, in 1441.

More than civic pride is at stake. Christmas-themed travel has become extremely lucrative, especially in the ice-choked north, where there are no swaying palms to lure the winter-weary.