Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To tell neighbour the lights look crap so take them off my hedge please?

111 replies

honeypie10 · 27/11/2014 19:49

Basically I've lived here for 15 years and share a hedge with my neighbour which she has always gone overboard decorating at Christmas time.

There was an issue 2 years ago with the back wall separating our gardens, it was found out that side of the house was our responsibility, fair enough we had the wall knocked down and replaced, they didn't offer anything. They then a few months later were asking us to go halves to have the hedge in the front taken out and replaced with a wall - this led to lots of laughing at how bleeding cheeky they were between me and dp (especially as they hadn't offered anything towards the cost of having the back wall done!) but we pointed out to them that it was our side of the house and our hedge so not their choice to make, they were ok with this.

So every year she decorates her house with anything available that's tacky (Some are ok but its the sheer volume I struggle with, I'm sure you could see her garden from space. I'm not just talking about nice little lights, she has them up the garden path, draped on anything that sits still in her garden for long enough

She says its for the "kids" - her youngest is 21 Hmm. So last year she gets out the stupid hedge lights, they didn't work. I saw her struggling with them so we got chatting, I said oh maybe just leave them this year, be nice to maybe do something for ourselves in our side of garden anyway, as we had a ds who was getting into the lights and Christmas thing, so in the end we had our side decorated in our lights and she had none, I knew she was absolutely Fuming that she realised the hedge wasnt hers to decorate as she didnt talk to us for around 2 months - yes she is very, very petty, shes the type to put her wheely bin in her space if she goes out for 5 mins to stop anyone else parking there!

You can set your clock by her usually, 1st December she will be out putting up her works of art, but not this year, nooooo, she must of been seething all year round waiting for the day to claim back "her" hedge. Tonight i've come home to a multitude of colours of twinkling fairy lights draped haphazardly, glow in the dark sunflower heads and a light up reindeer on the top. The reindeer has since gone not sure where but why it didnt take the rest i dont know. The rest of the garden has been done too but i know she'll have more, its not even half of what she does usually, almost as if she wanted to get the hedge done first Smile

So what do I do, leave them, say nothing but put mine up next year in the summer to beat her.

Take them off my side and tell her they look a mess and i've hated this type of crap for the past 15 years, now I know its our hedge i dont want your crap on it.

Or just stick my stuff on top, I wouldnt mind if she just did her own side but the fact she seems to think i need glow in the dark sunflowers in my life gets me wound up.

I realise this is not a first wrld problem but the first year were having lots of new people over at christmas for dinner, I dont want there impressions of us to be a light up meerkat wearing a tie and holding a pipe Grin

OP posts:
PoppadomPreach · 29/11/2014 09:54

Please do this if she puts up more lights Grin

To tell neighbour the lights look crap so take them off my hedge please?
HellKitty · 29/11/2014 10:03

Damn, she's taken the meerkats down? I was going to suggest buying your OH a Tincan Alley for Christmas and practise his sharp shooting.

GingerbreadBaubles · 29/11/2014 10:08

Haha I think it's time for head to head combat and take her on similar to the Robson Green film 'Christmas Lights'

Please take photos and share!

Damnautocorrect · 29/11/2014 10:10

Maybe she's getting a celeb for the big switch on?

Damnautocorrect · 29/11/2014 10:12

www.etsy.com/listing/205570370/christmas-lights-bingo-scavenger-hunt
I will be doing this, this year.

honeypie10 · 29/11/2014 14:24

Oh I do hope she's getting a celeb, we'd never hear the end of it though.

I think maybe she is waiting for the 1st December, she's realised she's done it too early and rushed into it all, she needs more time to plan and is probably waiting for a poundland delivery of more fake daffodils for her winter arrangement in the fountain.

Taking ds for a walk in a bit when he wakes up so i'll try and casually take a picture of the fountain and snowman thing, without capturing her husband who sits right in the window. fingers crossed!

OP posts:
honeypie10 · 29/11/2014 14:24

Those bingo cards are amazing!

OP posts:
CatLady25 · 29/11/2014 17:13

Lol this reminds me of that xmas movie with danny devito i forgot the name but they are fighting over xmas lights but to answer your issue its your hedge so yes you should say something

Buttercupsanddaisys · 29/11/2014 18:17

Wishing my life away here..bet it's going to be 1st December, can't come too soon to get the pics ...

I've been in the city this morning. Sally Ann out in force with their fab oomp-a music.

Suddenly it feels a LOT like Christmas.

Just need Lights Music Action.....

KnackeredMuchly · 29/11/2014 19:33

Christmas lights bingo sounds like so much fun!!!! What a great idea

Pixel · 29/11/2014 20:22

I think I'd be cross too. I like lights but not when people just chuck everything at the house with no rhyme or reason as long as they cover every spare inch. It just looks a mess. Have a bit of a colour scheme at least!

Where do people store all this stuff for the rest of the year? Last year I saw an enormous wicker reindeer (must have been about 10ft high) in someone's front garden all covered in lights, it was beautiful. If it's there again this year I can only think he must have rented a barn or something to keep it in as it sure as hell wasn't inside his rather small bungalow Grin.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page