Abominable Snowmen:The War on Lawn Decorations

The Wall Street Journal ^ | 20 Dec 2007 | SARA SCHAEFER MUÑOZ

[BGHater]

Over-the-Top Displays Inspire Loud Complaints, Even Rage; An Inflatable Santa Beheaded

Jim McDilda's holiday display last year included a 28-foot lighted arch, a 50-foot tree, 50,000 lights and dozens of animated silhouettes. The spectacle -- he needed a crane to set it all up -- lit up the sky and drew thousands of gawking visitors to his Redding, Calif., house.

But nearby neighbors weren't so thrilled. Cars, limos and tour buses clogged the cul-de-sac, and trash was strewn across lawns. Christmas music blasting from Mr. McDilda's display kept neighbors awake. They complained to the city, which required that Mr. McDilda get a special-events permit and demanded that he remove the nearby cargo containers he used to store the display most of the year. After months of sniping between Mr. McDilda and the city, he decided to throw in the towel. This year, his house is unadorned.

"They gave me so much trouble, they took the fun out of it," he says.

Look out, Santa: There's a backlash brewing against over-the-top holiday displays. With community associations ramping up holiday decorating contests (some in the hopes of attracting potential home buyers) and manufacturers pitching an increasing variety of yard decor -- think 8-foot inflatable snowmen -- some homeowners and cities have had enough.

Disgruntled neighbors complain of everything from traffic to wasted electricity. In places like Redding and Aurora, Ill., people called for the city to crack down on loud music or decorations that linger after holidays. Police in some areas of the country even report that the growing number of blow-up Santas adorning people's yards are targets for stabbing and other forms of violent

[BGHater]

The link has an interesting video.

Overall, money spent on seasonal decorations last year totaled $16 billion, up 9% from 2004, according to Mintel International Group, Ltd., a market-research firm.

Inflatable yard decorations, like the ones displayed in front of this home in the Brook Forest community outside Houston, were the fastest-growing decorating category in 2006. People spent $500 million on inflatables last year, up from $100 million in 2003.

The decorating contest among residents of the Brook Forest community outside Houston has grown every year. Here's one contest entry in the neighborhood.

This 28-foot lighted arch was a part of Jim McDilda's holiday display last year. The Redding, Calif., resident used a crane to set up his decorations, which also included a 50-foot tree and 50,000 lights.

This year, for the first time, Gemmy Industries Corp., a manufacturer of nylon inflatables, sponsored a contest entreating people to send in photos of their decked-out yards. The prize: more Gemmy decorations. Here's one entry.

Kat Shumar, an Indianapolis homeowner, airs her grievances about gaudy Christmas decorations on tackychristmasyards.com, and challenges readers to send in pictures of yards with the most aesthetic "violations." Ms. Shumar dubs this Indianapolis home "The Brigade."

Ms. Shumar calls this photo, of a home in Greenwood, Ind., a possible "Intermingling Violation," which, she explains, "is when more than one theme is presented through décor in too close of a proximity. For instance, Jesus was not born in the North Pole, the reindeer didn't look into the manger, Santa was not one of the wise men... ."

[Mears]

The Christmas display at a house on The Jamaicaway here in Boston has also caused traffic problems.

I wouldn’t want to live nextdoor to it.

[alicewonders]

I love driving around on Christmas Eve & looking at everyone’s decorations - some of them are just WAY too much & take away from the aesthetics of it. I like decorations that have a theme and are tasteful.

No way would I want to live on the same street as one of these “over the top” decorators!

[Popman]

Christ-mas.

Lest we forgot.

Audacious displays are really stupid

[Clint N. Suhks]

I'm up to 12,000 mini lights. Hard to tell but they are there.

[Starwolf]

We had one on our street when we were in MD. Best one in that end of the county and it got a fair amount of traffic.

Being rural, each side of the road had drainage ditches. Unless you had a really big truck, if you dropped a wheel in one, you could not get out without a tow truck.

Espcially if it snowed, there would be one or two drivers foolish enough to try and turn around in the street rather than drive to the cul-de-sac. I came to the conclusion that it was not so much a holiday display but a stealthy income generator for tow trucks.

[Age of Reason]

Anybody know why people who hang those icicle lights on their homes, leave them up year round, never taking them down?

[DoughtyOne]

We drive twenty miles to see decorations around Christmas. I can see some problems. And what this means is that by the time the decoration police are done, there will be no Christmas decorations.

What I generally see is communites (very localized, say a neighborhood) join together to produce a great little oasis in the night. I love that they do this. It makes Christmas very special. Naturally, I don’t want that to impact neighbors negatively, but then I wonder what the true motives of those neighbors are?

Is the display truly that bad, or are the neighbors against the idea of celebrating Christmas at all?

Frankly, if someone made a great big display in my neighborhood, I’d be happy to enjoy it. And if I had to pick up trash off my lawn in the process, or put up with some traffic in the process, I’d take it in stride.

It used to be that the public square was the real focus. And now it’s quite clear what’s up IMO, and it doesn’t have to do with inconvenience as much as those who hate Christmas.

And hating Christmas as they do, those who cherish it will have to accept it being destroyed.

[Michael.SF.]

Disgruntled neighbors complain of everything from traffic (Possibly a justified complain depending on the circumstances)

to wasted electricity. (What a bunch of liberal green earth, global warming, nut cases!)

[DoughtyOne]

If it gives children and adults pleasure and it’s not against the law, I do think there is some stupidity involved..., but not by those doing the decorating. Sheesh!

[Petronski]

I absolutely hate seeing a front yard Creche set out with care, with a Santa and Snowman standing next to the Wise Men.

Sheesh.

[al baby]

Hey Merry Christmas Petronski. What erks me is people that leave lights up year round.

[Petronski]

We use a string of white jumbo (C9) Christmas lights on the back porch in the summertime. It’s a soft, festive light.

[Bon mots]

I absolutely hate seeing a front yard Creche set out with care, with a Santa and Snowman standing next to the Wise Men.

Yep.
That's why I'm always careful to make sure that nobody obstructs the view of Frosty the snowman holding baby Jesus in my display. The wise men riding reindeer are way out in the back next to Mary and the sleigh.

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[Petronski]

Oh, Merry Christmas to you too! Hope Santa stunes your beeber.

[xtinct]

Whether your a neighbor who is either delighted or dumbstruck by Domenic's Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA home, you've got to hand it him --> There's nothing like it any place else in Massachusetts. Domenic owns The Castle. This year he added a 10 foot high, 650 lbs light up crown. He has over 250,000 lights on display. Here's some examples of the Christmas Wonderland:

That's the house... The yard about a quarter of an acre is spectacular too.

[al baby]

lmao

[alicewonders]

I live on a quiet dead-end street, which is the main reason we moved there. I’m OK with neighbors that have noisy parties, I like to have fun too! No one up here abuses that. I don’t think I would enjoy it if there were a lot of strangers driving and turning around in our driveway - driving my dogs crazy & leaving trash behind. In the right location, if a house is on a main road, for instance - that’s fine - but some neighborhoods just aren’t conducive to “tourist attractions”.

[Petronski]

Precisely.

Don’t get me started about the platoons of inflatable pastel Easter Bunnies seen storming old ladies’ lawns like some kind of Omaha Beach landing.

[Fresh Wind]

Historically, here’s no problem having snowmen intermingled with a Nativity scene. Because of Global Warming, climate change has turned the Middle East into a hot, dry desert. Two thousand years ago, heavy snows were frequent there, and reindeer were more common than camels.