I’m pretty sure that it’s beyond the generally accepted time frame for exterior Christmas illumination but maybe I’m wrong? What do you think??

Let me know, cuz’ it’s driving me nuts!

Please do not misinterpret this post but I have a problem: Why do people insist on turning on their exterior Christmas lights before Thanksgiving? Being prepared is one thing but do they have to actually turn the lights on?

It’s bad enough that every year the stores put up decorations and lights a week earlier, pretty soon we’ll hear jingle bells in July! But when homeowners do it it’s like they’re embracing this bad behavior and it’s irritating.

I love Christmas but it defeats the specialness of it to have it last longer than the month of December. That’s as obnoxious as the people who take an entire month to celebrate their birthday….it’s one day people, celebrate and move on. But we have to take the birth of Jesus and make it last all of December and most of November nowadays. Yes, I know that he’s the Messiah and that there was preparation for his coming and that’s typically why we celebrate all month long, I get that. AND I’m going to spare you the “it’s overly commercialized” because that’s a given. My problem is specific, it’s the lights!

In a time when the economy is in the toilet, is such decadence as Christmas lights even necessary? (Don’t even get me started on how we cut down and kill trees in celebration) AND aren’t we trying to “go green” and not waste the energy associated with the electrical usage that Christmas lights require? Bah, humbug!

I look at it as a bit “in your face” for people to turn on their lights early. Kind of like they’re bragging. They’ve got their lights up and are way more prepared than anyone else and they want everyone to know it! I actually have a neighbor that pays a service to put up their house lights every year. The service was out there two weeks ago, and my response was “You have got to be kidding me!” However, these people are tactful enough to not turn the lights on yet. If they’re reading this, I would like to say on behalf of the neighborhood, Thank You!

What it really boils down to is envy. That’s right, I’m jealous of the fact that a few of my neighbors chose to take advantage of the beautiful weather this past weekend and put up their Christmas decorations and lights and we didn’t. Nope, the day we finally get our shit together will be the crappiest coldest, wettest day on record but we will not be outdone, the lights will go up……eventually!