AIBU to keep our lights up despite neighbour complaining?

I was just thinking this! Some stuffed cats look very realistic. @AutumnLighting should buy a few and let them sit in her yard wherever the neighbors will notice. If she can figure out a way to get their eyes to light up, she could "let them out" in the night.

Good grief. Ignore. Entitled and odd behaviour, perhaps they pander to each other but absolutely not acceptable to even bother others with their preferences, perhaps they need a higher hedge or otherwise to move to a more rural area away from other humans. There’s a lot of it about these days. If they’d ever had a real nuisance neighbour they’d change their tune! (I’d love to pop the couple of mine in the post them. Shame I don’t have a big enough crate…! 😂)

After that out outburst, Your husband needs to report them to the local police station, even if he doesn't want to take action at the moment, having it on record will be beneficial if they behave like that again. I also wouldnt be surprised if they cut the lights just to be nasty , if your husband has already made a report of racism, the police will atleast have a record of past behavior to make a case.

Sadly, the main thing I’ve learnt from reading MN is how many stupid people there are who are totally lacking in comprehension and powers of reasoning.
I never would have known what goes on in other people’s minds and I think I preferred not knowing.

This was aimed at the person who said OP is a neighbour from hell. I very much disagree!

Report to police 100 percent.

Might it be that the lights are timed to come on at dusk? So a little while before people come home but hardly unreasonable, I live in a village with no street lights, a few fairy lights in September are fine. No one here would complain, Neighbours sound unhinged.

Haha. Totally agree.

As a fellow mother of a mixed race child, please do encourage him to report it. Not for him but for your children, and my child, and all the other children of colour in the UK. Until we start calling out these people each and every time they do something like this, it will perpetuate.

We all know that children are not born racist, its a learned prejudice, absorbed from the people around them. Making life as hard as possible for these people is the only way to try and stop the rot. Of course it will never stop completely, but please, for our children, ask him to report it. You could request that they receive a "talking to" rather than the full works, just to make the point to them that you will not be bullied.

If nothing else, I can't help feeling that having a police car outside their house for a bit will shame them enough to get them to wind their necks in if they are anything like the people I imagine the to be.

Some people consider being a racist abuser to be a bit chav(v)y. But I guess for you that pales in comparison to some warm white, non-flashing lights?

calling everyone stupid and lacking in reasoning skills right after arguing that racists deserve "basic" consideration is hilarious.
Nobody missed your point. People understood it fine and disagreed with it, which is a different thing. The argument being made is pretty straightforward, a man was called a slur and told to go home in his own country and people feel the racists dont deserve courtesy and decency . You don't have to agree with it but it's not exactly a logical leap.
If you want to actually engage with why people think the way they do on this rather than just writing everyone off as thick, look up everyday resistance, James Scott wrote a lot on it, basically the idea that small acts of non compliance are a legitimate response to mistreatment especially when formal consequences are unlikely. Or bell hooks on respectability politics and how demanding that people who've been targeted by racism stay gracious and measured actually protects the people doing the harm more than anyone else.
Nobody is saying be awful to everyone you disagree with. People are saying a racist screamed a slur at someone on their own doorstep and probably faces zero real consequences for it, and if that person wants more fairy lights up at Christmas then honestly who cares. That conclusion doesn't require stupidity to reach. It just requires not prioritising the comfort of the racist over everyone else, which apparently is the bit you're stuck on.

Honestly, unbelievable how that escalated. Also, can’t believe how many people on here sided with them over the lights, bonkers the lot of you! Personally I think they sound lovely, we have wall lights outside our house permanently back and front and have neighbours who have lights on trees etc all year round. It makes the small estate we live in look warm and loved. Definitely keep them up anyway you wish and definitely report the incident to the police.

What makes you presume the op returns home at dusk?

I have a brain injury and I was on the unreasonable side as bright lights shine in my windows and I feel dizzy and sick but now I want you to buy more and turn them all the way up and add flashing and noise and klaxons. They are the worst and don’t deserve any bloody peace. Happy autumn and Christmas to you all. You sound like you have been incredibly patient you deserve tea and medals.

I was going with YANBU to have lights up anyway, but having heeded the "Cancel the cheque" klaxon - JFC! Absolutely you are not being unreasonable and they're racist fuckers who need reporting to the police along with the footage you have of this interaction. Draw the line now, make it clear you will not tolerate bullying and racism. Give them an inch and they will take a mile! I'd then be tempted to make my house look like this for the entirety of December.

Just seemed likely. Many people do.

they might work night shifts or be a vampire

Please don't ignore them as if you do, they will be back with more demands. You need to report this to the police before they escalate it further. If you do nothing they will make more complaints if they haven't reported you to police/council already. They are obviously willing to bend the truth to suit their argument so don't be surprised if you get contact from police/council on their behalf. I dealt with people like thia for many years and they only know what they want. Please report it, before they do or you'll regret it in the long run. It's your right to live peacefully, let those with the correct powers sort this out for you, people like these never stop on their own and obviously they feel entitled to escalate the problem given what they said to your husband.

it's a pity we don't have more time here because I would love to have a discussion with you.
Just very quickly, I have worked for many years in an international company with some black colleagues. And to be honest, some of these ladies have been he very best in their departments - polite, reliable, conscientious and a credit to the company. So I see no need to make any allowances, they are perfectly capable of holding their heads high . But I still get the impression rightly or wrongly that sometimes people
make excuses for them to show solidarity. I think they deserve more than this.

Wow- just read the last update

I fucking hate bullies.

fuck them! Document everything and report them to whoever and wherever you can!

Ignore her. Its very normal to put a few twinkling lights up. If she doesnt like it, tough. She's a cheeky cow.

OP I think it's worth keeping a copy of today's recording if your husband doesn't want to report it now, in case things escalate or he wants to report it in the future.

nope

Nasty bullies. Don’t let them ruin your time in your lovely new home. If it carries on, report.

Good points both.