The guy with the alligator in his pants never made it to Instagram and neither did the man with Ziploc bags of vodka taped to his thighs. But the supermarket-grade meat slicer someone tried to pack in a carry-on did make a social media appearance (and quickly garnered over 4,100 likes). Though it may not always seem so to followers of the Transportation Security Administration’s wildly popular (and currently unmanaged ) Instagram feed, standards apply to what it can post.

The T.S.A. is, after all, a federal agency, one with a multibillion dollar budget and over 57,000 employees and the daunting task of safeguarding the skies. Screeners at airports are considered “essential” employees and are working without pay in the government shutdown — although, according to CNN, “hundreds” are now calling in sick, many for practical reasons (child care, work that pays their bills).

And challenges for those workers ramp up this time of year when, over a two-week period that starts before Christmas and ends just after New Year’s Day, an estimated 41 million harried travelers shed belts and shoes, grudgingly remove both laptops and liquids from their luggage — and also, not infrequently, fail to recall that they have tucked a loaded pistol, say, or a pet tarantula or some throwing stars in their carry-ons.