Neighbour finds our christmas lights "annoying"...

merlot123

Maybe your neighbour doesn't want to close her curtains, I don't close mine downstairs, I can't bear feeling closed in.

The only way we are going to decide is for you to post a pic.

meritaten

hun - YOU are not being unreasonable! despite what other posters may say, a few light decorations are quite allowable!
my opposite neighbours had this flashing arrow (I never quite got the christmas allusion) but all I did was close my blinds - they loved it, I didnt! it didnt bother me! they turned it off about 11.00 so it didnt bother anyone in the front bedroom.
I dont see a problem - or if there is one, its HERS, not yours!

PinkPrincess83

I think the decorations how you have descirbed them sound fine, but I think personally for neighbour relationship reasons, next time you see her just mention that the children were so upset at the idea of having to take them down, so ask her exactly what she dislikes about them and see if there is any compromise (it could be just shifting the characters a foot or so could take them out of her eyeline). If there is no compromise then I would probably leave them and just see how things go (and im sure once the other neighbours have theirs up it wont make yours stand out so much)

GobbledyGook

Bumpmakesfour wrote: »

Why though?If you can't see them once the curtains are shut,they're not flashing etc what's the issue?:o

It's not been a problem in previous years, but this year he's moved where he's got them. I can now catch the lights of one out of the corner of my eye when I'm sat on my sofa - even though I have vertical blinds and curtains (admittedly not the thickest, plushest curtains).

It's really, really irritating. I asked him if he'd moved them and he instantly took the huff about it, that's why I was wondering if you were my neighbour. I didn't even ask him to change them, I just asked what was different.

babymoo

Bumpmakesfour wrote: »

I guess some might think they are tacky.It's a snowman,father christmas and a stocking.They're not huge and are at eye level on a garage,my car is parked in front and actually hides a lot of it.I DO value the relationship with the neighbour,hence my post.We don't make noise,if our dog starts barking we call her in,we don't park in their "usual" spaces etc and the decs have been the same for years which is why I'm surprised I guess.



She says she likes her curtains open...fair enough I guess.I suppose not everyone closes their curtains but even so I honestly don't feel we're being inconsiderate

She likes her curtains open, you like your decs up. She will live its only for a few weeks.

Is she a nosey neighbour? Is that why she likes curtains open?

sapphireeye

Perhaps if your neighbour is really against them and you don't want to upset your relationship but want to keep them you could turn them on earlier and off earlier? I'm not sure how old your children are but it gets dark around 4pmish so maybe you could have them on from 4pm - 6.30/7 so your children can see them if/when they come home from school and you can see them when you come home from work but your neighbour will only have to deal with them for an hour or two after coming home from work? (If they work!?)

Sky_

Why not talk to her and ask what she would like you to do? Maybe she'd just prefer you to turn them on a little later.

If she's never had an issue with them before, there must be a reason for the change.

Yes, you are entitled to decorate your house as you'd like, but I'd be inclined to try to reach a compromise. I think it's important to have a good relationship with your neighbours.

Nicki

meritaten wrote: »

hun - YOU are not being unreasonable! despite what other posters may say, a few light decorations are quite allowable!
my opposite neighbours had this flashing arrow (I never quite got the christmas allusion) but all I did was close my blinds - they loved it, I didnt! it didnt bother me! they turned it off about 11.00 so it didnt bother anyone in the front bedroom.
I dont see a problem - or if there is one, its HERS, not yours!

Why is what OP has done different to someone playing music a bit louder than is pleasant every day between 6pm and 10pm though?

Yes everyone has the right to enjoy their own home within limits, but if what they are doing causes the neighbour a problem, do they not also have the right to politely mention it? OP doesn't suggest the neighbour was rude or aggressive, or even that she asked OP to take them down, she just made OP aware that she was inconveniencing the neighbour, and left it up to OP to decide whether she would do anything about it.

I'm another one who doesn't much like outdoor decorations and it would irritate me if I had to look out on someone else's choice of decorations every night for 3 weeks before Christmas and a week or so afterwards. I don't put my own internal decorations up that early, so to have someone else's choice inflicted on me, would peeve me, though I probably would grit my teeth and say nothing.

OP can only see her own decorations when she is standing outside the house, yet only switches them on when everyone is home for the night and inside the house and leaves them on all evening. She isn't getting the enjoyment out of them during this period and it is bothering the neighbour. Is there really no compromise that could be reached - eg waiting another week or so to switch them on in the evening or only having them on at weekends? It would at least show the neighbour that she has listened to her concerns.

I also don't pull my curtains as early as 6pm in the evening and don't know anyone else who does, but that might just by my local area.

Agutka

Who keeps curtains open at night? It's nice when you walk the dog and get to look into people's homes in the evenings, but I would hate to be the one looked at.
She didn't really ask you to turn them off, just told you she doesn't like them, maybe that's the end of that.

My neighbours had a flashing blue light xmas tree every year. If I wasn't paying attention my first thought was always "omg Police!". I "complained" about them and found they had the same reaction, so the following year they got coloured non flashing lights. Everyone's happy.
It wasn't really a problem, and a single conversation was all that was needed.

Hovel_lady

I don't see how a few lights could posibly annoy anyone.

Does your house look anything like this?

http://youtu.be/g0IwpRzWL_4