Neighbour finds our christmas lights "annoying"...

Desperado99

I would take them down...............


In January:rotfl:

I think they look lovely

spaghetti_monster

I don't care much about lights, whether people have them or not, or when they go up. I like a good gawp at the houses that are covered from top to bottom, but would probably be annoyed if a neighbour decided to put up something big and flashing right in front of our window.

But what I wanted to say was about the issue of not seeing the decorations in your own house. There are loads of things people do which they often can't see themselves, but others see all the time. Sticking to houses - what about people's gardens?
When I moved in with OH and started in on the garden the neighbour made a comment which meant I knew that the 6 foot high weeds had been annoying him.
The same neighbours put a lamp on their shed which we can see from the window (I don't care, OH finds it a bit irritating, but we shut the curtains).
Neighbours across the way have painted their doors and window frames a bizarre mix of bold colours.
I always like to see a garden with plants and greenery and don't like the local habit of paving over everything and putting a few twee knick knacks and statues there.

But I'd not complain about any of it - it's what people want to do with their own houses. I don't see how all this is so different from a few lights.

Bumpmakesfour

busiscoming2 wrote: »

No It's not that bad, ours is REALLY tacky :eek:, OH does the outside of ours and I do the inside (I only have a tree and a bit of tinsel) whereas he loves to go OTT.

Its only for about two - three weeks of the year (they aren't up yet), and although some people may hate them the vast majority think they are cheery.

OP - take no notice of your neighbour, it's not as though they are there all year.

Haa what delights does your hubby deck your house in?Mine'd go the whole hog if I let him and we'd probably have santa plus sleigh on the roof

virgin_moneysaver

Personally, I don't like houses that are decorated OTT with characters & many different coloured lights but the white icicle lights hanging from the gutters or in a tree can look quite pretty - this is all down to personal taste, & who is to say one persons taste is better than anothers, its just a different choice. She wants you to turn off yr lights so she doesn't have to close her curtains, turn it around, why should you turn off yr lights so she doesn't have to close her curtains. You're a stronger person than me if you hadn't mentioned the excessive music & car repairs at all hours. If you let her dictate to you what you do, where will it stop, the kiddies playing in their driveway or front garden are annoying her? - I'd not do anything, wait until the rest of the neighbours put up their's & see if she mentions it again. If she mentions her quality of life is affected then I'd let her know about the music, cars etc of which you had to put up with a lot longer than a couple of weeks - good luck with the imminent arrival

adamantine

wow i would hate to think what alot of posters would have said about a house in my area that used to get done up to the nines the last week of november and stayed that way well into january! people would literally come from 40/50 miles to see it and as a kid i loved it! 90% of adults loved it too. the whole lawn was covered in "snow" with ice holes "drilled" and people fishing, seals poking out the holes, santas workshop with santa asleep inside snoring (small shed with bed, santa asleep and a recording playing music and snoring sound effect, lights over his double garage, every window lit up stuff on his roof and all round his house. a few year he had a full size horse's carriage with character inside it like a disney princess etc. it was truely amazing!

he did it to raise money for the a cancer charity and the local lifeboat who he worked as a crew man for. one year the collection boxes were stolen though and so not much was donated through them but i believe people posted the money through his letter box instead. then a couple years later he got cancer and was ill and hasnt done it since. i really miss going up to visit his house and seeing everyones faces.

its only for a few weeks. the OP is being respectful by not having masses (but even if she did its her choice to) and not using the flashing settings.

i would pop round with a nice box of chocolates or biscuits and say "im sorry you dont like our decorations but its only for a couple weeks and due to our sons illness (if thats the right way to describe it. i hate labels for the likes of aspergers and autism) we have to do things a certain way to get him ready for christmas and please accept our apologies and this and hope you can understand its only for a short while."

margaretclare

Bumpmakesfour wrote: »

People not "allowed" as it's not "in keeping with the area"?Houses decked out like a "low rent seaside resort"? Oh dear.Not sure about you being a grinch..a snob on the other hand......:rotfl:

What's a grinch?

I disagree about snob. It's nothing to do with snobbery.

captainprincess

I think they are amazing!! I wish my neighbours would put Christmas lights up. I love seeing all the Christmas lights outside people's houses!!!
If this is your neighbours biggest problem, lucky them!!

harz99

Bumpmakesfour wrote: »

Oh bahh humbug!!:p
I'm not getting into this whole "it's not christmas yet" and to be totally honest being told my house looks tacky or rubbish doesn't bother me.I'm being honest here,christmas is not a particularly religious time for us and if we are "early" according to some then so be it.We decorate our house for US and if some of you think our house is OTT wow you should see the houses on the next road or especially the ones a few roads down on the nearest council estate.They have flashing santas climbing up chimneys,shooting stars flying over the roof and that's the low key houses
The ONLY factor in this that worries me is not upsetting my neighbour even though none of the others have a problem and the surrounding ones will no doubt be buying up most of homebase this afternoon in an attempt at one-upmanship!
To reiterate...I have explained already that my sons autism means we need a lot of time to introduce changes to him and being heavily pregnant with a bump that could arrive at any time we are preparing things now.We have three young primary school aged children and hubby is a total big kid,they love it and it makes them happy.Seeing them smile makes me smile Neighbour isn't a shift worker,she's an elderly lady who puts a huge christmas tree full of bright bright twinkly red lights in her front window.
We have been and continue to be,as considerate as we can be unlike said neighbour who shows absolutely zilch consideration for her those around her.She's actually quite "lucky" that it was me she spoke to as hubby is so hacked off by her music at 5/6am,woofing dogs,lodgers techno blaring etc he'd have probably set our house to major flash mode just to make a point!
I'll speak to her later,take her christmas card over,maybe grab her some chocs again and explain the above..see what she says.And really if she does have to close her curtains to hide the lights for three weeks I don't feel that's too much to do.Afterall we can't close our curtains to shut her noise out:p

OP - no DON'T speak to her! From what you have outlined as to her own inconsiderate actions in the past, you have all the makings of a tit for tat "neighbour dispute", which will have to be declared if you ever wish to sell your house, and that WILL make life difficult for you.

Simply make up your own mind, do what you wish to do and smile sweetly at her whenever your paths should cross ( and maybe hold off on the pressies in future).

AS you say, soon you will be surrounded by other decorated houses, let your neighbour moan at them.

busiscoming2

Bumpmakesfour wrote: »

Haa what delights does your hubby deck your house in?Mine'd go the whole hog if I let him and we'd probably have santa plus sleigh on the roof

We have a town house so a lot of height to cover! Rope lights, icicle lights, christmas tree, tacky santa and snowman, net lights at the windows, santa in a moon and rope lights to the lampost outside :eek:

I've probably forgotten some as they seem to get added to each year, so you have NOTHING to worry about

Marisco

I think they look nice I love icicles and blue lights anyway, not so keen on characters, but not fussed if others put them up. If they were flashing though I would go off it!!! I hate flashing lights!!! Oh, and I never shut my curtains, they only get shut when we go to bed! We have a fantastic view and I like to see the wildlife e.g. foxes, bats etc. Not far from where we live, a whole cul de sac used to do their houses up, it was fantastic, they had bus parties in the end going to see them!!! The odd house didn't put them up and they stuck out like sore thumbs!!!:D Traffic wise it was chaos, which is why it doesn't happen now But oh's kids loved it!! I'd hate to see their leccie bills though!!! :eek: