Shipment of holiday slugs has arrived

Here’s the good news: Your Christmas tree will arrive complete with ornaments! Hooray!

The bad news: The ornaments are an infestation of slugs.

Apologies for making light of a disheartening development, with the horrid little buggers discovered when the first batch of trees arrived in November from the Pacific Northwest. Thanks to the wet weather in recent weeks, the slugs decided to try to stay dry by creeping into the boughs.

Look, it could be worse. At least the trees will have the effect of tinsel: slime trails.

Apologies again. Yes, that’s a pretty gross mental image. If anyone knows of a quick and easy treatment that isn’t too messy, tell it to the state plant inspectors working overtime to clear the trees.

Finally, a less shocking electric bill

It’s good news for consumers, just in time for holiday shopping.

Thanks to a decline in the price of low-sulfur fuel oil, residential electricity rates fell on Oahu in November, dropping to their lowest level since February. Hawaiian Electric Co. reported that the average 600-kilowatt-hour residential electric bill dropped by $10.19 from October to November. Not enough for a 80-inch flat-screen TV, but still. And with gas prices easing a bit too, our wallets can breathe a little easier.