It all started here. I had set a cut christmas tree in a bucket of water, along with just a touch of dishwasher detergent (surfactant). After moving the tree indoors, the bucket was allowed to sit outdoors as the temperature plummeted into single digits.

The next day I turned the bucket over and dumped it. The 1/4" thick frozen sidewalls gave way under the weight/pressure of the remaining liquid water. Since temperatures remained frigid the next few days, this is what sat outside my doorway.