Longtime readers (all three of you) might have noticed a lack of holiday complaints here this year. Usually they start back in October, with observations about the first appearance of Christmas commercials. Then they progress to complaints about Thanksgiving disappearing in the hubbub, followed closely by major gripes about Black Friday shoppers heading out on Thanksgiving afternoon, stores staying open all night that night, etc. Then I’ll whine endlessly about Christmas taking up at least one-sixth of an entire year.
This year’s been different — so far. Hot on the heels of a most unpleasant election and its aftermath (which continues to this day), the onset of the holiday season was a welcome relief. Even I, Grinch that I am, heaved great sighs of relief as something — anything — began to erode the national preoccupation with Covid and politics.
And then it started. At first it was only one house on my block. Then a second. And yesterday, a third, this one directly across the street. Inflatable Christmas decorations! Ugh!
I’m sure they are much easier and safer to set up than lights strung along roofs, around doors and trees, across yards, etc. And at night they glow cheerfully, adding to the festive mood.
But you see, I don’t drive after dark. I don’t go out after dark. So I only see those decorations during the day — when it looks like the homeowner’s dirty laundry has been strewn across their front yard. Now, you wouldn’t find laundry in the front yard the rest of the year, when the neighborhood is so nice and neat. So why pick the holidays to literally trash yards up and down the block?
Let me say this about that, and then I won’t mention it again. I’ll champion your inflatable decorations — if and only if you keep them inflated round the clock. Because otherwise our street will look like the aftermath of a tornado. And there’s no Christmas cheer in that.
Yes, inflatable decorations are just wrong. I use the old fashioned lights and trees in the yard.
I applaud your good taste, and I’m sure your neighbors do also.
I really detest them. In my opinion (and I know what that’s worth to most people), they are tacky, ugly, and so far outside of the true meaning of Christmas. I’m not religious but I do appreciate the peace and hopefulness of the season. .
It’s been many years since I’ve really enjoyed Christmas. The commercialism is totally gross, but the decorations are always pretty. Except for the inflatables. “Tacky” is the perfect description, especially when they aren’t inflated. During the day they are just so much trash.
Is that where they all went? We used to have laundry loads al over the neighborhood, but not this year, thank goodness. I don’t think the local Home Depot/Lowes carried a very wide assortment with this year. (Now Halloween was another story in those places…air-ed up terror!)
Those things are a lazy way out of decorating and shutting the kids up? Anyway, glad the trend deflated locally…maybe some windy night will send a few elsewhere….that made them less popular here.
Williamsburg greenery and re velvet bows… worked then, maybe now, too.
I don’t know where that picture is from, but apparently they found a huge sale on inflatables. I hadn’t thought about the wind; that can be a very big deal here so maybe it will keep the fad from spreading. I went from one wreath to a couple of bows and now I’m not even doing that. The wreath wore out and the bows blew away.
Maybe it’s the lockdowns…people spending far too much time ( and money) on Amazon?
Too many wrinkles in all that to figure out HAHA
(DIL OK?)
DIL tested negative after first five days. She’s staying in another five and will do another test before going back to work. She’s doing fine, just tired, and tired of isolating. A co-worker on her ambulance was positive, so we’ve all been worried since they spend all day together in a very confined space.
(I’m one of those spending way too much time on Amazon. Way, way too much.)
Ah, Tennyson ….. a favorite of mine. As for inflatables — I am so repelled by them. I simply light one successive battery powered candle in my only small window facing the house front. — a simplistic contrast with neighbor houses exterior lights. My living room window looks out on my backyard and immediately at a flowering Bird of Paradise.
I’ve thought about doing the candle in the window, although I have a double window facing the street and would need two candles. I’ve never gotten around to getting one or two. A single one would be much more effective, I think, but I don’t have the right window arrangement for it. Isn’t there some famous saying about lighting a single candle?