To love OTT Christmas lights/decorations?

[Destinysdaughter]

They make me so happy! It's such a grim time of year, I love people who take the time and effort ( and expense ) of putting lights and decorations outside their house for all of us to enjoy. The more bonkers the better!

[mincepiesforbreakfast]

Yeah I quite like them

I do wince a bit about the electricity bills though!

[Destinysdaughter]

Anyone got any pics of any near you?

[Birdsgottafly]

I don't put lights up, but I'm glad others do.

My DDs used to love them and my GD, does, also.

I'm going to pay someone to do mine next year.

[LittlestLightOnTheTree]

Why do you think it's 'a grim time of year'?

[FourEyesGood]

I love them too! We don't have any outside our house, but we often take a detour through the more lit-up areas on our way home from if we're driving in the dark. We saw some fantastic ones this evening - Santa in lights climbing up a house; a herd (gang? flock?) of reindeer in someone's front garden; a house and garden entirely covered in blue lights... It was really good fun and the DCs loved it.

[Destinysdaughter]

It's grim cos it's cold and dark. The lights just brighten it up and makes it cheerful and welcoming. Especially when the lights are outside so are for others to enjoy. Am really grateful that people do that and really appreciate it.

[SalemSaberhagen]

I love Christmas lights too OP. The gaudier the better!

[BrandNewAndImproved]

I love driving home and seeing all the lights, it really warms me up.

[Outfoxed]

Me too! The more spectacularly tacky the better!

[Bearbehind]

I love it!

There's houses by me that are clearly trying to outdo each other- I'm expecting a local power cut imminently but it'll be worth it just for the laugh value.

[EponasWildDaughter]

Yes, me too OP.

In our last house most of the street used to put a few lights up and ours were sort of 'middle of the range' amount (think icicle lights along roof edge, some lights in a little tree and something in the window).

We moved and this is our second xmas in a quiet street which has hardly any other lights up.

Last year we felt a bit sheepish with our lights.

This year we've put up even more i'm proud to be The House With Lights (I hope there is someone in the street who is enjoying them apart from us!)

[WhatTimeIsItCuckoo]

I've been forced into loving them OP! We never had them before kids but now have them all around our house, complete with LED reindeer and polar bear at the front. Then this afternoon my husband arrived home with our two eldest who were giddy with excitement about the programmable LED message light they'd just bought (husband was ambushed into it I think ) which is now wishing all passers by a 'Merry Christmas!' However I completely drew the line at 'Happy Holidays!' which is what my daughter wanted . Inside our house is equally tacky, think lots of musical dancing ornaments and an annoying door greeter (that we once tried to palm off on a pizza delivery man who politely declined, unsurprisingly). The kids love it all so much that we can't not do it thinks back wistfully to the days of a tasteful tree and a few well-placed tasteful decs .

[wasonthelist]

YANBU OP, I have loved seeing this stuff since I was a kid, and I still do, even though it's now 100 times more tacky advanced

[Destinysdaughter]

WhatTime that sounds fabulous! Would love to see a picture of it!
( please?)

[StillStayingClassySanDiego]

We have some stonkers round my neck of the woods, I love looking at them to and from work.

It's cheering to see, the bigger the better, on others' houses.

I keep the gaudy for indoors. 😉

[Destinysdaughter]

should have been, in the Xmas spirit!

[EponasWildDaughter]

I keep the gaudy for indoors.

See, i'm the complete opposite Still. Out doors we're all flashing mismatched coloured lights with neon blue reindeer standing about.

Indoors however it's silver and pale blue tree with soft white lights (no flashing) and 90% of the other decs are tasteful green holly swags and similar. NO tinsel!

[Sparklycat]

We moved road this year, my last one was excellent and nearly everyone (200 houses!) had lights up. This year in a road of about 60 only ours and five others have, booo.

[Mrsboathook]

My peppa pig loving 3 year old adores the well (tackily!) lit house across the road, and lovingly refers to it as "potato city". Those who have suffered through repeated episodes of the evil pig will understand.

[WhatTimeIsItCuckoo]

Wish I could manange that Eponas but every year I declare that I'll be buying some new tasteful things for indoors then, at the end of November as DH goes into the loft to hunt out the advent train sigh, the tack also comes down and, lo and behold, I'm suddenly surrounded by it so give up on the idea thinking, 'Oh well there's always next year' . Destinys I fear a photo wouldn't fully demonstrate the tack-fest as we are in a fairly sprawling bungalow so everything is a bit spaced out IYSWIM (which is actually quite an apt description of my state of mind at the min .

[ohtheholidays]

Yes we have them in our garden,fake snow and all.

I started doing it about 13 years ago.DH puts them all up now.I started of doing it for our children and for all the other children that live in our area.

It takes hours to do but it does seem to bring alot of joy to other people which is really nice.We usually have cars slowing down and they'll beep they're horns,others will walk they're children and grandchildren down the road we live in and we usually end up with groups of people looking at the decorations and waving to us.Lots of people say Thank You as well which is really sweet.

We have some that are sensor controlled,so once the sensor goes off(someone walking in front of them)One plays Christmas songs and another one waves.They always seem to be the most popular with the younger children and the grandparents.