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Abominable Snowmen:The War on Lawn Decorations
The Wall Street Journal ^ | 20 Dec 2007 | SARA SCHAEFER MUÑOZ

Posted on 12/22/2007 12:33:12 PM PST by BGHater

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To: BGHater

Inflatables are Satan’s yard decorations.


41 posted on 12/22/2007 1:57:44 PM PST by Xenalyte (Can you count, suckas? I say the future is ours . . . if you can count.)
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To: Age of Reason
Anybody know why people who hang those icicle lights on their homes, leave them up year round, never taking them down?

I don't have them, but my guess would be that it is too much work to take them down and put them back up each year.

42 posted on 12/22/2007 1:59:42 PM PST by PAR35
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To: BGHater

So those people perhaps need to have a gentle hint dropped re the whole December 25 thing?


43 posted on 12/22/2007 2:01:40 PM PST by Xenalyte (Can you count, suckas? I say the future is ours . . . if you can count.)
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To: PAR35; Age of Reason

And that there is the definition of trashy: “When it’s too much trouble to throw away, we leave it.”


44 posted on 12/22/2007 2:03:17 PM PST by Xenalyte (Can you count, suckas? I say the future is ours . . . if you can count.)
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To: BGHater
What kind of name is "McDilda"????? Sounds like as if McDonald's went into the, ahem, "adult toy" business.
45 posted on 12/22/2007 2:03:17 PM PST by gunservative
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To: BGHater
After months of sniping between Mr. McDilda and the city, he decided to throw in the towel

McDilda??? Christ, this guy must be an absolute bada$$ street figther or one of the biggest liberals on the planet.

46 posted on 12/22/2007 2:20:54 PM PST by Centurion2000 (It's only arrogance if you can't back it up.)
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To: BGHater

When enough of these decorations are banned the little children in China will starve and we’ll have to send them the money we saved from not buying their decorations. It’s a viscious cycle.


47 posted on 12/22/2007 2:28:55 PM PST by fella (The proper application of the truth far more important than the knowledge of it's existance."Ike")
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To: Mears
The Christmas display at a house on The Jamaicaway here in Boston has also caused traffic problems.

That place is literally breathtaking.....thanks for reminding me I'm otw to get a tree and will take my camera to get a picture.

48 posted on 12/22/2007 2:32:52 PM PST by ninonitti
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To: BGHater

All of those are quite modest compared to this one house in my town-they’ve been famous for their decorations since the late 1970s at least.


49 posted on 12/22/2007 2:59:23 PM PST by Verloona Ti
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To: Xenalyte
Inflatables are Satan’s yard decorations.

You got that right!

Personally, I love seeing Christmas lights and decorations but I can’t find anything aesthetically pleasing in decorating one’s yard to look like a used car lot.
50 posted on 12/22/2007 3:11:13 PM PST by Caramelgal (Rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words or superficial interpretations)
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To: Age of Reason

For the same reason they breed dust bunnies.


51 posted on 12/22/2007 3:11:26 PM PST by Old Professer (The critic writes with rapier pen, dips it twice, and writes again.)
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To: Caramelgal

What you said.

Me, I love white lights. Those make a wonderland for me.


52 posted on 12/22/2007 3:15:01 PM PST by Xenalyte (Can you count, suckas? I say the future is ours . . . if you can count.)
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To: Xenalyte
Me, I love white lights. Those make a wonderland for me.

Me too. If I take the back roads home from work I pass a beautiful big stately house. It sits on at least an acre of land in Maryland “horse country” in and the house, barn, outbuildings fences and every tree is decorated with simple white lights. Nothing flashes, nothing is animated, no cheesy cardboard cut outs, and no inflatables.

You would love it. It’s spectacular and breathtakingly beautiful in its simplicity.
53 posted on 12/22/2007 3:36:39 PM PST by Caramelgal (Rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words or superficial interpretations)
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To: Caramelgal; Tax-chick; AnAmericanMother

Wow - you and me both!

I’m keeping a personal FReeper list of People Who Agree With Me. Sounds like I should add you. ;)


54 posted on 12/22/2007 3:39:19 PM PST by Xenalyte (Can you count, suckas? I say the future is ours . . . if you can count.)
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To: Petronski

Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl...


55 posted on 12/22/2007 3:41:00 PM PST by Clint N. Suhks (What goes oh, oh, oh? Santa Claus walking backwards!©®™)
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To: Petronski; Bon mots
Hey! Don't forget the twice life-size cutouts of Elvis!

What's Christmas without the King?

56 posted on 12/22/2007 4:08:53 PM PST by uglybiker
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To: Xenalyte
It's funny, I'm of two minds about this stuff.

Personally, I prefer the restrained approach -- we have a wreath on the mailbox and on the door, a cat-as-Angel-Gabriel banner at the head of the steps, and some tasteful small white lights in the shrubbery either side of the door.

On the other hand, there is an entire little town near my parents' house in South Georgia (Townsend by name) that 'puts on the dog' every Christmas. The whole town is dolled up with lights on every stationary surface (walls, roofs, EVERY SINGLE tree, lamp posts, telephone poles, fences. Plywood cutouts everywhere (including "LeRoy the Redneck Reindeer" in overalls and Cat Hat) and I guess we'll see the inflatables this year. It's incredibly tacky, but it's a communal effort and it really is so over the top that it is fun to go see and take pictures.

There's a similar house in Richmond VA and one of our Thanksgiving traditions when we visit my husband's mother is to get in the car Thanksgiving night and go see the local Tacky Christmas Light House on a nearby street. Similar amazing effort with lights on everything and cutouts and little animated manger scenes (multiples!). The folks on either side have decided to join in the fun so now there are THREE houses side by side. The tour buses can't fit in this little cul de sac so they park at the bottom and people walk up. But it's all in good fun.

On still another hand, there's a very expensive house on the road we take to church (I'm talking a $5-6M monster mansion on a half acre lot) and the owners have squeezed every possible inflatable into the yard -- we stopped and tried to count them one time and gave up at 25. Sponge Bob, Disney characters, snowmen, a train, you name it . . .

I enjoy the first two but despise the third. I think it has to do with the obvious personal effort that goes into the decor in Townsend and Richmond - a lot of the stuff is hand made and the lights take a lot of time to install - and the "hire a bunch of stuff for the yard" attitude of the house down the road. Also there may be an element of contempt for "new money" in play here, since our family is "old blood but no money" and - as my grandmother might have said - even if we have been poor, dahling, at least we have always had Good Taste.

57 posted on 12/22/2007 4:09:26 PM PST by AnAmericanMother ((Ministrix of Ye Chase, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment)))
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To: AnAmericanMother; Tax-chick

You and me both, sister. What you said. Preach it!

BTW, I have long suspected that you, Tax-Chick, and I are triplet daughters from different mothers.


58 posted on 12/22/2007 4:14:08 PM PST by Xenalyte (Dennis, we want you back. We know you can do it.)
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To: Xenalyte
I’m keeping a personal FReeper list of People Who Agree With Me. Sounds like I should add you. ;)

(raising hand timidly) Could you add me, too? I'm a newbie.

59 posted on 12/22/2007 4:28:37 PM PST by ottbmare
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To: Mears

I love ‘em!

Something about sparkling lights make you feel so happy.

I’ve often wondered what the psychology of that is...why is it that sparkling lights bring up feelings of happy excitement...

?


60 posted on 12/22/2007 4:32:11 PM PST by bannie
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