This is a pet peeve for me and it is driving me and a few of my neighbors crazy. The neighbor that lives in the very first house entering our addition still has his Christmas lights up. Not just up - he is still turning them on every night. Even during the holidays they were an eye sore because they are not attractive lights to begin with. It looks like he hammered nails about every 10' along the eve, got some icicle lights, stood back and just threw the lights up until they caught at whatever angle/interval - not nice and straight or anything close to it. Then in a tree, he has these big 12" wire balls that he has wrapped a few lights around and has them hung from the branches he could reach. And the worst is the brick mailbox - wrapped with rope lights that are not even Christmas colors - blue, pink, purple, yellow. It looks hideous. Last year some of us got together in mid-February and put a note in his mailbox that said "Christmas is over" in hopes he would get the hint. He didn't. That year the only lights he had were on a lamp post in the front yard and he was still turning them on in March. Eventually, someone (it wasn't me!) ran up into his yard and drove over the lamp post. That got rid of the Christmas lights last year, but I don't think anyone is going to be driving over his mailbox and tree this year.

Do you have neighbors that are still burning their Christmas lights? When do you think it is appropriate for the lights to come down? Do you have any ideas on what to do or say to this neighbor that would convince him to take them down, or at least turn them off? Or should I just close my eyes as I drive past every evening and mind my own business?

the lights should come down after the first good thaw. not turning them on anymore is another story.

Last year some of us got together in mid-February and put a note in his mailbox that said "Christmas is over" in hopes he would get the hint...Eventually, someone (it wasn't me!) ran up into his yard and drove over the lamp post. That got rid of the Christmas lights last year, but I don't think anyone is going to be driving over his mailbox and tree this year.

Think he might be retaliating from last year?

If it isn't detracting from values, IMO who cares. Maybe instead of a note maybe you should be more neighborly and invite the folks over for dinner and get to know them. IMO it is better to get to know your neighbors and be friendly to them. People who know you are more apt to look out for you and help you when you need it. Be a good neighbor and 99% of the time it will be to your advantage.

Yes, mind your own business.
Personally, I take my lights down at the end of January but some of my neighbors keep theirs up longer and that's fine with me. It's their property and I'm not going to tell them what to do on their property anymore than I want them to tell me what to do on my property.

Mike

I voted January 1st even though mine were up until the 5th (I have an excuse, I was out of town). You can always do what my wife's step-dad did - big C9 colored bulbs 1 Christmas. Leave them up all year and faded to big C9 CLEAR bulbs the next Christmas....
Frank

Gosh us Redneks get confused. When we study the situation its a choice between having them up late or early for next season. After about a minute of thought we just move on to something important. Whose got the best price on beer this week.

the family two houses away has had their Christmas lights up for 14 months straight. They didn't even have them on this Christmas. Tacky. Guy next door took his lights down, but left the little plastic holders up. Not so tacky. Oh well. I have more things to worry about. A yard with overgrown weeds bugs me more than Christmas lights left up throughout the year.

BTW, I scored New Belgium 2 Below beer for $11.99/12-pack last night :cool:

WE think you need to buy 30 of something for that kind of money.:yes:

i take mine down after the 1st of the year. Dont pay to much attention to my neighbors stuff. We put them up the day after thanksgiving, so 1 month is enough for me.

Jan 1 the game is OVER. :yes:

Gosh us Redneks get confused. When we study the situation its a choice between having them up late or early for next season. After about a minute of thought we just move on to something important. Whose got the best price on beer this week.



:thumbsup::thumbsup::yes::D


Randy

Christmas lights are tacky no matter what day it is. :yes:

WE think you need to buy 30 of something for that kind of money.:yes:

30 of any beer for $11.99 will never be as good as the 2 Below I just bought :D . And that's coming from a guy who drinks Keystone Light as my primary beer.

Christmas lights just waste energy and contribute to Global Warming :p . lol.

Keep in mind our first choice is free and cold. ;)

Do you pay his electric bill? Did you offer to take them down for him? Is he disabled? Maybe he is injured and can't get around like he used to.

Maybe one of your muscle cars gets on his nerves as you drive by and it shakes the pictures off his walls. This is his way of paying you back. :)

There is a retired Lt. Col at the beginning of our street and his lights are always up. His wife put the lights up when his son went to war...he never came back. The lights are up and the Christmas tree is still in the window for all to see.

Jan 1, tree down.Jan 6, outside lights down. 12 pack O.V. 12OZ , $5.99, best beer deal out there, IMO.

Think he might be retaliating from last year?

No, don't think so because he did the same thing last year when there was nothing to retaliate to.

If it isn't detracting from values, IMO who cares. Maybe instead of a note maybe you should be more neighborly and invite the folks over for dinner and get to know them. IMO it is better to get to know your neighbors and be friendly to them. People who know you are more apt to look out for you and help you when you need it. Be a good neighbor and 99% of the time it will be to your advantage.

Don't think a dinner invite is the answer. We've already met him. When he first moved in, a neighbor friend and I took him and his wife a goodie basket to welcome them to the neighborhood. He just pretty much said, "OK, thanks". Ok, so he's not real sociable, no biggie. The next time I talked to him was when he was walking his dog past my house and I was getting my German Shepherd out of the car from a vet visit. (No, my dog is not mean, Yes, he's big but he's also fat and lazy. He thinks he is a people and couldn't care less about other dogs) My dog still in the SUV, just laying there, and this guy yells at me, "You better keep that dog penned up! He looks dangerous...could kill my pup!" I started to say this and that about my dog, but he just kept on walking. And the last time I heard from the guy was when the kids were swimming in the back yard. He yelled over the fence, "You need to keep it quiet over there my kids are trying to sleep". It was 9:00pm on a Saturday night. No, he won't be getting a dinner invite any time soon. :noway:


Gosh us Redneks get confused. When we study the situation its a choice between having them up late or early for next season. After about a minute of thought we just move on to something important. Whose got the best price on beer this week.

Hey, I live just up the road north of you in OK. I own a convenience store. Come on up and I'll make you a heck of a case deal! :beers:

Do you pay his electric bill? Did you offer to take them down for him? Is he disabled? Maybe he is injured and can't get around like he used to.

Maybe one of your muscle cars gets on his nerves as you drive by and it shakes the pictures off his walls. This is his way of paying you back. :)



No I don't pay his bills, no he is not disabled, he put them up he should be able to take them down. Muscle cars on his nerves? What a great idea! I've got a 6-pac in the garage that could use the gas burned out of it. May have to move it outside and strategically point the rear end towards his bedroom window. When he comes out to tell me to cut it off maybe we could work out a deal! :hurray:

There is a retired Lt. Col at the beginning of our street and his lights are always up. His wife put the lights up when his son went to war...he never came back. The lights are up and the Christmas tree is still in the window for all to see.

That is sad. :(

Mine come down the first working day after New Year's. If New Year's is on Saturday they come down on Monday.
Having said that, I live in SC. Many folks here NEVER take their lights down. They may not be on be they are sure still on the house! I have lived here twice for more than 10 years and cannot get used to seeing Christmas lights on a house in July.

January 1st. But I would never bust my neighbors balls over his lights. He can leave them up as long as he wants, it's his house. 10oz. Bud Light $13.99 a case at The Early Bird in Hollywood, Md.

I just passed the house ya'll are talking about in Atlanta, Texas. Have to go back over there tomorrow and will get a pic. Jeff Foxworthy would be proud.

Jacquie I will be in OKC about May 1st with a load of calves and I prefer Toby Keith's.

You guys still do not understand the relationship of quantity and price. $12.99 /30 Pk Busch lite. 360 oz./$.036 oz. You have to least drink enough to make the ugly girls shine......in the light. There ain't enough in some those boxes to work.

I put my Christmas lights up in 1999.
In a couple more years I'll probably have to replace them since the wires are getting weathered.
They just don't make stuff like they used to.

I just passed the house ya'll are talking about in Atlanta, Texas. Have to go back over there tomorrow and will get a pic. Jeff Foxworthy would be proud.

Jacquie I will be in OKC about May 1st with a load of calves and I prefer Toby Keith's.

You guys still do not understand the relationship of quantity and price. $12.99 /30 Pk Busch lite. 360 oz./$.036 oz. You have to least drink enough to make the ugly girls shine......in the light. There ain't enough in some those boxes to work.

Alrighty then, bring it on...Toby's it is! And if one won't do it, don't worry, we can double box it and get the price down to $.035! :D

I put my Christmas lights up in 1999.
In a couple more years I'll probably have to replace them since the wires are getting weathered.
They just don't make stuff like they used to.
http://cantweight.net/files/Smiles/faint.gif

Jacquie,

Be a good neighbor and help him take down the Christmas lights. Just tie one end to the 440/6 rear bumper and go! (BTW, you will have to scream HO HO HO really loudly while you are doing it...) :)

The guy is probably a UT fan. After another butt kicking by OU next year he will probably load his yard up with Halloween stuff so you can be upset about that.:yes:

Maybe not "down", but "turned off"??

I shut off the full lighting on Jan. 2nd. I've got 2 little pines in planters (flanking the front door) that'll be lit until ice-out.... it just looks nice.

Jacquie,

Be a good neighbor and help him take down the Christmas lights. Just tie one end to the 440/6 rear bumper and go! (BTW, you will have to scream HO HO HO really loudly while you are doing it...) :)

Now Bruce, HO HO HO??? You know that's not politically acceptable! :D

How did I know that you'd pick up on that? :)

After January 5th they just turn into porch lights around here. Then about Thanksgiving there called christmas lights again.

After January 5th they just turn into porch lights around here. Then about Thanksgiving there called christmas lights again.

LOL :)

I couldn't vote because my option wasn't listed. I never put any Christmas lights up so I never take any down.

We un-decorate (take down the tree and lights) the day after new years. A few folks around here go a little longer, but we're all pretty much on the same page in my neighborhood. It does sound to me like a little case of retaliation is going on here. This is perfectly legal and if one chooses then Christmas lights, Holloween decorations, and every other decor associative with any other holiday may be left to be seen year round if a homeowner so chooses. I'd take Jeff's advice and try to get to know these folks a little better. You never know, you might wind up liking these people!

A few of my neighbors leave theirs up year round. It doesn't bother me. The lights don't usually work after a year or two in the sun around here, so they have to change them out anyway when the Christmas season comes. One of my neighbors for years would be out there about the time I was halfway around my house puttin' up his own lights. Every year, I used to vary my schedule, so as to make sure it wasn't a coincidence, but no, there he was. Even when he got lazy, left his lights up, he wouldn't light up his house until the day I lit mine up. :confused: This past year, I didn't put any up. He didn't turn his on at all. :rolleyes: This is the same guy who named his new dog Shadow, even though I've had a dog named Shadow for years. I buy my daughter a Shih-Tzu, he shows up one day with a Shih-Tzu. :clonk: Anyone else feel like they ARE the Jones'?

My brother has a couple of thousand lights up in his bar. He will take them down after the super bowl. Why? He's lazy.