Is it possible for too many Christmas decorations to be too much?
In cities like Kansas City, the more the merrier. Plaza holiday lights? Bring ’em – let the good times roll.
Then again, whatever happened to tasteful holiday decorated homes that seem increasingly to have become engulfed in garish overkill?
I migrated to Tucson a year ago where the powers that be here decided long ago to limit streetlights, neon lighting, even the outside lights on people’s homes. All in the interest of keeping nighttime skies dark and filled with stars, like the “good old days.”
They do it via strict zoning, the likes of which I’ve yet to see elsewhere.
That doesn’t stop big retailers from hawking all sorts of holiday lighting and inflatable monstrosities.
Did you know that for $399.95 Hammacher Schlemmer will sell you an 18 foot tall, inflatable Frosty the Snowman?
It may seem a tad late for this Christmas, but based on the demand, it might be a good idea to get your order in on Frosty now for next year.
“If your order for this item has already been confirmed, please be assured that we are working hard to get it to you as quickly as possible,” the company’s website reads.
For the politically-minded, there’s an 8 foot tall inflatable Donald Trump Santa for around 100 bucks that might be perfect for Sutherland Lumber’s Dwight Sutherland to piss off his woke neighbors in Mission Hills.
“There’s a house nearby on State Line and it’s got a sign that says, ‘No Justice, No Peace,’ ” Sutherland says. “You know, that Black Panther slogan form the ’60s. And right next to it is an inflatable Santa and elves. It’s kind of mixed messaging like, we’re going to bring this white patriarchy down, but we still want to celebrate a schlocky Christmas.
“And David Hall of Hallmark Cards lives near me in a $5 million house with three Black Lives Matter signs in his yard along with a bunch of Christmas schlock.”
Like the tacky inflatables like of lesser locals?
“Well, no,” Sutherland says. “He’s a trust-a-farian, so only the best schlock for him.”
In one of the ritzier neighborhoods near me in Arizona, one house had five inflatable characters in its front yard on Christmas day – all of which had fizzled out and lay lifeless on the ground. It’s not easy keeping air in those durn things.
Outside of cashing in on holiday cheer, what’s with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade action?
“I think holiday displays are a bigger deal now,” Sutherland says. “People get into their inflatble figures and hang tinsel ice cycles from their eaves. They like to compete with their neighbors and friends, and they’re proud of it. I have a cousin that’s a professional Christmas tree decorator. ”
While Sutherland has yet to jump on the inflatable bandwagon, he did have a physical run-in a year ago after busting a dude that kept driving past his yard stealing and destroying his Donald Trump yard signs.
“I never would have put up all those Trump signs if I didn’t have so many woke, rich neighbors,” Sutherland says. “Just like normally I wouldn’t put a bumper sticker on my car until Trump came along. Now people honk their horns, shake their fists and scream obscenities.”
Display those Christmas inflatables or fly your Trump 2020 flag a year after he lost by 7 or 8 million votes. My take on either of these? Whatever. People get way too worked up about what the Jones’ are doing. As long as it isn’t in my yard, knock yourself out. I always thought it was weird to have the desire to show your neighbors your political or religious leanings, but to each their own.
Cheers, HC. Hope 2022 is a great year for you.
Thanks, Jim…
Not sure I fully get it either but it is kinda interesting. And surely you have an extra four bills lying around for that 18 foot Frosty!
I decorate several commercial properties and have for many years. So yes I do decorate my own house probably more than average but with a degree of taste as well. I also do a huge Halloween outside display but just for two days or depending on weather. So yes you might say I’m a Christmas lover if you saw the inside and outside of my house and all the Santa appearances I make each year.
But I do agree there is such a thing as too much. Having every square inch of your front full of blow ups or your house looking like The Griswold’s place did isn’t to me decorating, it’s just seeing how much crap you can put in or on something. Some of the fancier lighted displays all in LED running via a computer are okay I guess if you want to spend those insane amounts of money. But every year there is this insane race amongst a few to outdo the other guy. One should see all the costs just in revamping the electrical systems on the home along with the renting of storge places to store all of the decorations that take weeks to set up along with renting lifts and other special equipment not to mention turns your home into an attraction that draws people by the thousands who end up pissing the neighbors off.
Larger displays can work in neighborhoods long as everyone but the neighbors never come by and look at them. The problem is always traffic as your street looks like rush hour on I-35 most nights for a period of 45 to 50 days and maybe more and then you have those who want to park haphazardly all over the place to bale out of the car to take a closer look as school busses, huge tour buses, and limos are all trying to get down the street.
Should there be limits as to what a person can do for a Christmas display on there home? Yes I say there should be. It’s like the guy who use to live on Falmouth in Prairie Village, I liked what he did in some ways but sadly those who wanted to look at it disrespected the neighborhood and turned it all into a zoo. That same display when it was first installed over to the north of SM West High School never caused the problems it later was known for.
Some of the best outside decorating I have seen at Christmas was all done with minimal decorations. Having the most or the biggest isn’t always the best.
I come from a (upscale) world, where very few reople swung for the fences in terms of holiday (Christmas?) lighting…
That world is pretty much history today, although one of then Hall kids setting out THREE “BLM” signs in their yard takes it to a whole ‘nother level.
The dude in Prairie Village was getting too old I think to keep up his game and I never got around to researching it further, although I’ll wager the new owner and neighbors would have some colorful commentary and memories.
FYI, he too decorated for Halloween.
Why is it though that so many people today feel compelled to play this game?
Maybe they’re just taken by the retailer displays.