The National's Fancy Staircase; Cooking the Christmas Tree

HOLIDAY SNACKWIRE— René Redzepi of Copenhagen's celebrated Noma thinks you should eat your old Christmas tree: "Nature takes enormous time and effort to produce something that we use only briefly. Why don’t we make greater use of this living tree, as we make use of so many other kinds of plants on earth, by eating it?" He has recipes for you. [Eater National]

MIDTOWN — Geoffrey Zakarian's The National just unveiled a fancy new spiral staircase that was always meant to be the centerpiece of David Rockwell's design for the dining room. The Feast has a video with the chef, the architect and the staircase. [The Feast]

MEATHEADS — Today a bunch of guys dressed up like they were going to the beach, but instead went to the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. They call themselves the "Polar Brrrger Club." Cute! [Gothamist]

BURRELLWIRE— Everyone's favorite spikey-haired female TV chef Anne Burrell has a few tips for hosting New Year's Day brunch, including this gem; “why not knock their socks off by providing a range of hangover cures as part of the brunch spread? Coconut water, Gatorade, aspirin, and plenty of ice water will make for a happy brunch bunch. If you have time beforehand, you could even package up these goodies in a little to-go bag — when you’re ready to take a nap on the couch, nothing works better than a party favor bag to urge guests out the door.” [Eatocracy]