On Christmas Day, a small squadron of snowmen appeared in front of City Hall, carrying signs in support of Snowzilla. Sadly, the snowmen were destroyed, and their remains scattered across the sidewalk.

The Snowzilla saga is a long and complicated story. Some people say it's a tale of one man struggling against bureaucracy. Others say it's a story of a stubborn man's insistence on setting up an annual eyesore, despite the protests of neighbors.

For the last three years, homeowner Billy Powers has constructed a giant snowman in the yard of his Columbine Street home in the Airport Heights neighborhood. Sightseers came from all over the world to see Snowzilla, along with reporters and neighbors - some curious, some angry, some both.

This year, the 16 foot tall snowman met his match in a city code officer, who cited Powers for creating a "public nuisance and safety hazard." Concerns for traffic safety were raised, along with the possibility that Snowzilla was an unstable construction and could collapse, perhaps leading to injury or death among the bystanders.

The Anchorage Daily News has a vast and growing collection of letters to the editor, both in favor of and against Snowzilla. Many people are calling the city government a spoilsport for slaying Snowzilla, and isn't a giant snowman the sort of quirky thing Alaskans should celebrate?

Once city official has mentioned the possibility of negotiating terms with the Powers family. Perhaps some day Snowzilla will (legally) rise again, albeit only for a few weeks a year.