Outdoor Christmas lights?

[stevie_c2it]

What's your take on outdoor Christmas lights this festive season? Harmless fun for the kids or garish and anti-social?

[boobesque]

Fun for kids and some adults and the one near us has a collectionbox for charity and every year they raise loads, so worthwile too.

[ELVIS68]

When people cover the whole of the house I think it looks very tacky

[joko]

i'd have thought that rather than being anti-social, it would encourage people to stop and perhaps chat, and others to take their kids to view them as a treat.

any one who would go to all that effort is hardly being anti social!

i would say each to their own - they don't hurt anyone so its no-one elses business - and its only for the xmas period.

people who complain should mind their own business and get a life

[snapdarlich]

It's once a year! Who cares! If you've got kids and want to do it, why not? And if you don't have kids, why not?

This world could do with a bit of cheering up. It's coming to something if you're a social periah for decorating your house with lights. Look in any major city - People love christmas lights. It's dull enough through the day, why does seasonal affective disorder exist? If you don't like it, look away. I don't do it, but it's a laugh, isn't it?

[woofgang]

I think a bit it depends on whether they are left on at inconvenient times, shine too brightly into neighbours windows etcetera. I like to see them myself (middle aged kid!!)

[WaldoMcFroog]

We flew in to Stansted from the Netherlands last night and the first thing we could clearly make out when we were coming into land were the houses with OTT lights on them! Personally, I wouldn't do it, but I always enjoy looking out for the most tacky house decorations around - always a laugh and often for charidee, mates...

[nedflanders]

don't mention Christmas! You may offend some minority groups or local councillors!

[WaldoMcFroog]

The recently knighted Sir Iqbal Sacranie (effectively the most senior muslim in the UK) just yesterday stated that the muslim community have no issues whatsoever with the celebration of Christmas and are rather bemused at the notion they might object - after all, Christ is considered to be a muslim prophet.

I work for a London Borough council, one that has often been cited as been loony lefty, with a very high musilim population and we've got Christmas trees and 'Happy Christmas' messages up in the town hall lobby.

I really do believe that the number of incidents of 'banning Christmas' are actually extremely few in number and receive a disproportionate amount of press.

Back on topic, can I enter as exhibit A the following truly magnificent example of houses with Christmas lights, with added Prog:

http://media.putfile.com/WizardsofWinter-SM

[WaldoMcFroog]

Oh pants - remove '</p>' to get the URL working properly.

[Drisgirl]

Harmless fun for everyone and garish (love it).

But (there had to be a but) - a lovely couple put up lights - collected for charity - but they lived in a cul-de sac.The neighbours were plagued for about 6 wks with hundreds of people nightly arriving to see them.They couldnt get their cars out their drives and didnt get a minutes peace.They eventually had to go to court over it.The judge found in the neighbours favour.I am not a killjoy but how would you feel if it was right on your doorstep?

[eupraxia]

I think they don't hurt any one at all Good for those who want to brighten up a dull christams night.

The only draw back comes with the electric bill. How much do these things cost to run and in a world weary about the unessisery wastage of fossile fuels is it excetable. personally I think it doesn't mater. It's only once a year.

[maggie01]

I think most of them look nice. My husband says that he can't see the point of having an increase in his electricity bill so that everyone else can see the lights outside while he wouldn't be able to see them while he was inside. I think Scrooge could be his middle name. He is not a lover of Christmas

[funnywebsite]

I think they look nice as I am driving round at night. I got really excited when I saw a hotels decorations a few weeks back, they had got Christmas trees outside all decorated with blue lights it looked really nice.

[Octavius]

I remember as a child there was one particular house about halfway between the 6 miles from our house to my grandad's house that always did a big display and even had a little nativity scene etc etc. We loved it, always stopped by to see it and they even had a collection box to raise money (I think for a local children's hospice for christmas presents). I couldn't wait to see what new things they added year on year. Sadly I think the (anonymous - you never saw him!) man who owned the house must have passed on as it stopped one year and never happened again.

Harmless fun for the kids, garish? Definitely.
Anti-social.....? you what???

[libertie]

Yep..... liked by most children and tolerated by most adults!

[stevie_c2it]

To clarify the �anti-social� part of the question, there is a street in the midlands that�s famous for its Christmas lights and is often on the news and TV.
It raises a great deal of money for charity, and is visited by thousands of people every year, however it�s now become so popular that some of the residents have complained about the effects its having on normal life, because of the struggle they�re having in getting in or out of there homes between 5pm and midnight due to the congestion of traffic and people.
One resident pointed out that, although it�s only for xmas, it�s the equivalent of having someone else�s car blocking your drive, with there headlights turned on your bedroom, stopping you from sleeping, whilst playing �jingle bells� continually for 7 hours every day for 5 weeks!
It�s an extreme case, but I guess I could see his point.

[lazy daisy]

I live near the top of a high rise block of flats. I am in the proccess of putting mine up on my balcony. I have to make sure they are VERY securely tied as its gets quite windy up here. Im doing it for me....But I know my grand children will love them. Anything to make winter seem more colourful surely has to be a good thing.

But there are some housed that do go completely OTT which stands for Oh Terribly Tacky. But even these seem to raise a smile from passers by.

Mine can hardly be seen as antisocial as im 100 feet up in the air.....

[Narolines]

I don't have any strong feelings one way or the other - I wouldn't do it, but if others want to that's up to them. BUT (there's always a "but", isn't there?) I'd prefer it if the "Christmas Season" didn't start in October. As I understand it there are 12 days of Christmas - Christmas Eve to 12th Night. Accordingly, our Christmas tree & decorations go up on Christmas Eve and come down on 12th Night. It seems to me that most people who put their decorations up before Winter has started tend to take them down on or very soon after Boxing Day (the best day of the Festive Season, for my money), thus missing the actual Christmas Season almost entirely!

[joko]

big kid at heart, but i can see the point about being a nuisance for neighbours.

perhaps local news papers should start a 'times' list for the particularly traffic stopping displays - the owners could turn them on for an hour or two then off for half an hour - or something along those lines to encourage people not to pile up and stay for ages....?