Jeff Millard wrote: I don't know if it's envy, or just disgust. I have one neighbor who used to decorate quite a bit, but now they don't put anything up. That breaks my heart. There were many things that caused me to drop having a big display for 2009. (The Philly's lost, DirecTV dropped the Versus channel, you know, all the things that bother everyone else too) But I'm hoping that having a small static thing with some pleasant incandescent lights will bring them back...
At our old house, our neighbor (who we generally got along with) wandered over one mid-summer day, when I was working out in the yard and pretty much Christmas was the last thing on my mind, and said "you know, I've been thinking -- you put up enough lights for the both of us so I'm not going to put any up anymore." All he ever put up was a single row of C9's on the eves which quite frankly were faded and not all that attractive - but hey I'm not one to knock someone's honest effort... I tried to talk him out of it but he insisted. He was one of those people who had a very dry sense of humor that you never knew if he was kidding or not. But sure enough, after that, their house was dark every December, at least until we moved...
Our current immediate neighbors, save the house right next to us, are "interesting". That's all I'll say, many of you know the story The neighborhood as a whole doesn't decorate that much but they seem to appreciate our display -- we get a lot of compliments at the block party, not to mention the ones we get in-season...
When I moved into my house 9 years ago, we had a neighbour (3 house away from us) that had a ton of lights.
For one reason or another that neighbour hasn't decorated for a few years now.
I started out small building every year.
My on the south side (they have lived there for over 20 years) never decorated.
Every year they are putting out more and more. There are about 8 houses in a row that decorate.
Envy? probably not. Indifferent is more like it. At least my neighbour to the south probably doesn't know I have lights. He's always working. Now the neighbour to the north the husband seems o.k. with it but his wife thats a different story. The kids on the street call her "the hawk" because she always out on her porch watching everything thats going on. Last year friends of mine overheard her saying to her guests that it was "disgusting, all those lights".
Here's a pic of the southside neighbor's house. Its been like this for FIVE YEARS!!!
The neighborhood as a whole doesn't decorate that much but they seem to appreciate our display -- we get a lot of compliments at the block party, not to mention the ones we get in-season...
