Notes and References. 1  U.S. Senate: Reference Home > Glossary > Christmas tree bill. 2  Lardner, George (1966) The Day Congress Played Santa: A Look at the Christmas Tree Bill, Washington Post, 25 December, p. A1, A10. 3  Shribman, David (1983) It Began as a Rather Ordinary Piece of Legislation, New York Times, 9 November, p. A22.
One official name for eye boogers is rheum. Rheum is the natural discharge of the eye, formed from a combination of mucus, tears, dust, and even skin cells from the eyelids. The eye produces rheum all dayâ¦ so why does it build up overnight? When weâre awake, blinking washes rheum and tears away so we donât get a buildup of sleepies.
Boogers are made of the mucus that lines the nostrils and, along with the tiny hairs known as cilia, protect the lungs from foreign objects such as germs, dust, dirt and pollen. Most of the time, the cilia trap these minute invaders, encapsulate them with mucus and move them out of the nose. Sometimes, however, this mucus becomes gummy and gelatinous -- or hard and crusty -- and forms what is known colloquially as a booger [source: Kids Health].