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Original poster

Outdoor flashing Christmas lights are obnoxious & tacky

159 replies

Skyrainlight · 15/12/2024 21:58

One of my neighbours has recently moved in and has just put up the most hideous Christmas lights, red and yellow then flashing to blue and white, with aggressive unpleasant flashing back and forth. Fortunately they are on the same side of the road as I am so I barely see them, I see the lovely lights on the other side of the road that don't look like a tacky flashing casino. Is it just me or does anyone else dislike these lights?

OP posts:
emanresu24 · 16/12/2024 07:27

I love warm white (not yellow) lights and the big lit reindeer, those illuminated bows and bells are pretty too. A white dripping icicle light, a snowfall projector, or even every bush, tree and hedge covered in multicoloured net lights. What I hate is blue lights and bright flashing ones. I'm photosensitive, it can literally make me ill. My child was run over recently and due to the 6 emergency vehicles and crime scene stuff I'm now triggered by flashing lights too. I wish they wouldn't sell blue ones.

Heatherjayne1972 · 16/12/2024 07:25

Their house their choice

personally it’s not for me but other people love it

mum11970 · 16/12/2024 07:22

Couldn’t give a rats arse whether the neighbours like my lights or anything else about my house, neither do I care who thinks things are tacky. Tend to find someone who refers to something as tacky is thoroughly up their own arse

Original poster
Skyrainlight · 16/12/2024 07:16

NotParticularly · 16/12/2024 07:07

I remember a woman the East Midlands news did a feature on years ago — she had an extreme case of photo-sensitive epilepsy, and was more or less housebound for a month around Christmas. I was thinking of her yesterday when we were driving to PiLs, and there was a particularly violent set of flashing lights on a house and an even brighter set on the house immediately opposite. Clearly a Flash Off.

That's sad! I did wonder about that because some TV shows have warnings about flashing lights so I thought Christmas lights may set epilepsy off too.

OP posts:
PCOSisaid · 16/12/2024 07:14

I am generally against anything thing that would annoy a neighbour, loud music in the garden, barking dogs, kids playing loudly after 7pm, bad parking, loud cars, and tacky obnoxious Christmas lights that you could receive sunburn from.

I can only imagine what kind of a selfish arrogant person you would have to be, to put up tacky lights that you could see from space, grim. They might as well wear a T-shirt that says I am a massive twat on it.

Original poster
Skyrainlight · 16/12/2024 07:11

WaitingforStrike · 16/12/2024 07:01

You could ask them to move the lights to another setting? Most flashing lights have a variety of speeds etc. And they absolutely should go off later at night.

I haven't met them, they moved in recently and I haven't seen them in the street to say hello yet, they are one door down. I wouldn't want to offend them, my neighbour who has spoken to them said they are really nice and polite. I think they probably would change the setting for me, but I would never ask because it's their choice. The lights would be lovely on the static setting though. I am very pleased I have black out curtains because they left them on all night and I could still see a little flickering around the edges of the curtains.

OP posts:
NotParticularly · 16/12/2024 07:07

I remember a woman the East Midlands news did a feature on years ago — she had an extreme case of photo-sensitive epilepsy, and was more or less housebound for a month around Christmas. I was thinking of her yesterday when we were driving to PiLs, and there was a particularly violent set of flashing lights on a house and an even brighter set on the house immediately opposite. Clearly a Flash Off.

Seymour5 · 16/12/2024 07:05

I love old fashioned coloured lights, plain white twinkly ones are lovely too. I don’t understand the attraction of cold blue lights, blue has never said ‘Christmas’. There is a mixture on our street, most look great. The one house with wildly flashing blue ones doesn’t do it for me.

56Chandeliers · 16/12/2024 07:05

Tasteful twinkly lights, cozy. Bit of tackiness, fun. Even a good dollop of tackiness.

But there’s a tipping point. Loads of clashing, flashing junk thrown up around a house is ugly.

People have strong feelings about this stuff, I’ve found - once had a heated argument with a colleague who was appalled that I took the side of the mean, fun-sponge neighbours in a DM story about someone whose Las Vegas light show had caused a dispute after attracting visitors from miles around.

WaitingforStrike · 16/12/2024 07:01

You could ask them to move the lights to another setting? Most flashing lights have a variety of speeds etc. And they absolutely should go off later at night.

Original poster
Skyrainlight · 16/12/2024 07:00

@brbg2g "Mary Joseph and Baby Jesus staring in judging us.
Might prefer the lights to be fair..."

That made me chuckle.

OP posts:
CalicoPusscat · 16/12/2024 06:56

I love them, sorry @Skyrainlight!

I love being on the bus in the dark and going past all these magical lights, takes me back to childhood.

Original poster
Skyrainlight · 16/12/2024 06:53

Flopsy145 · 15/12/2024 23:00

I'm with you! Warm white is best followed by colourful ones, ideally incandescent rather than LED. But it's the bright blue and/or flashing that I find irritating, flashing lights if you can see them from your window are just annoying. I would rather some big inflatable colourful craze that didn't flash to a simple flashing set.

Agreed. An inflatable is a lesser evil than flashing lights.

OP posts:
TheLittleOldWomanWhoShrinks · 16/12/2024 06:51

Flashing lights are awful, slowly twinkling ones twee.

I've ditched the 'warm white only' snobbery, though. A couple of years ago I bought coloured ones for the tree. Red, yellow, green and (the horror) blue. I love them. We had those gorgeous Pifco London lights when I was a child and they remind me of them (although they had more colours, gorgeous, jewel-like oranges and greens and deep pinks).

Original poster
Skyrainlight · 16/12/2024 06:51

user1471453601 · 15/12/2024 22:38

Can I ask that you nip next door and ask them where they got them from? Red, yellow, blue and white? They sound right up my street. Thankd, in advance.

Sorry, I haven't met them so that would be a little awkward as a first conversation knocking on their door to ask. Also, perhaps a bit of an own goal since I don't like the lights and they will assume otherwise and perhaps get even more if they think the neighbours love them that much. 😳

OP posts:
CyranoDeBergerQuack · 16/12/2024 06:49

HolyZarquonsSingingSeals · 16/12/2024 05:41

Flashing lights are hideous, but useful for establishing which of your neighbours are chavvy attention-getters.

Yes!! Always look to buy a house around christmas so that you can undertake a night-time 'Do my immediate neighbours or those in close proximity have external crimble decs/lights/inflatable toys' reccy prior to putting in an offer

Slidingdoors99 · 16/12/2024 06:47

I find flashing lights really uncomfortable to look at both inside and outside the home. Hate them. Absolutely awful. Imagine living opposite flashing lights, how can you relax. Just as offensive to me as loud music. It’s a sensory thing for me.

PortiasBiscuit · 16/12/2024 06:46

HolyZarquonsSingingSeals · 16/12/2024 05:41

Flashing lights are hideous, but useful for establishing which of your neighbours are chavvy attention-getters.

Guess your neighbours have probably already established who the judgy, pretentious snob is?

CyranoDeBergerQuack · 16/12/2024 06:45

Skyrainlight · 15/12/2024 21:58

One of my neighbours has recently moved in and has just put up the most hideous Christmas lights, red and yellow then flashing to blue and white, with aggressive unpleasant flashing back and forth. Fortunately they are on the same side of the road as I am so I barely see them, I see the lovely lights on the other side of the road that don't look like a tacky flashing casino. Is it just me or does anyone else dislike these lights?

No outdoor christmas light is tasteful.
Flashing or not, any festive themed display ('snow' lights, etc) is common

Original poster
Skyrainlight · 16/12/2024 06:44

CydonianKnight · 15/12/2024 22:59

You need the new Richard Franks ‘Mum’ video.

Hilarious!! "Operation Christmas takedown I need you!" Thanks, it has made me laugh. x

OP posts:
NoCarbsForMe · 16/12/2024 06:43

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

This

RedRiverShore5 · 16/12/2024 06:31

Fortunately there isn't any up our road but visited DB yesterday and loads of houses had them.

Chocolatecrispsandwine · 16/12/2024 06:31

Totally agree OP, we have a big wreath with white (non-flashing, obvs) lights on the door and that’s it. Looks lovely and festive. Less is definitely more in our house.

TheSomething · 16/12/2024 06:28

Yesterday we drove past a 20 foot inflatable Grinch in someone's garden. The house was also covered in colourful lights. We all were so excited, me included.

Lighten up op.

I've put colourful lights on my xmas tree this year instead of warm white ones and it's made me feel that Xmas joy I felt as a kid. I don't put up lights outside my house as I'm short and too tired ha ha, but I love looking at other people's houses with my kids.

I'd seen a post on social media last week though that someone with a "Xmas crazy" level of lights outside their home had had complaints so you can't be to only person who isn't keen.