Neighbours opposite with flashy blue Christmas lughts

[Mooey89]

Draping Icicles dangling from their roof, bright blue, and flashing. 24. Hours. A. Day.
I don’t care during the day, I don’t care too much in the evening... but when it’s the middle of the night and you think there is a constant police car outside it is starting to grate on me!!!!!!!

AIBAS (Am I being a Scrooge) to ask them to turn them off when they go to bed?!

I have CFS, and part of having CFS/ME is photosensitivity. I hate any form of flashing lights - its actually physically painful to me.

I love Xmas lights generally, but its so much better if they are static or the the slow changing ones. Flashing lights are irritating to many people. Most lights come with a setting you change so they don't do this though.

I have PTSD and flashing blue lights are really triggering to me. I already live in a constant state of anxiety but I'd be climbing the walls if they were visible to me.

Why would you not just ask them to turn them off at night because they are keeping you awake

We had this in our last house. They had lights all over their house, their back garden, the shed, trees every where. It was bloody ridiculous.

Fortunately we moved out, but not that far away and when we go out now in December we can see a green glow from the vicinity of that house. I feel sorry for the people who have to put up with it now.

You don’t happen to be my neighbour do you? Lol. My neighbour opposite too has flashing blue icicle lights. Luckily I have dark curtains so it does t bother me but can certainly understand where u are coming from

twofalls because then they couldnt come on here and start an anti-Christmas light thread probably.

As a first port of call just let your neighbours know that their lights keep you awake at night and ask them if they wouldn't mind switching them off when they go to bed. It's a perfectly reasonable request. If they are twats about it and refuse you can get blackout curtain linings which would attach to the curtains you alreaady have. Not expensive and pretty effective (I have some in my bedroom).

A few years ago I knew a Mum, whose toddler took a seizure every time she looks at flashing lights. Her neighbours, despite knowing this, lit up their house like a bloody flashing beacon, (the neighbours lived directly across from) apparently their right to display festive cheer is more important than a little girls right to go outside, or look out of her window. It's bad enough when out at this time of year anyway, (with flashing Christmas lights), so they were pretty much housebound. But to be unsafe in their own home is awful. Obviously there are things at home that the parents have to be careful with, for example tv and computer screens. But this poor family had to stay indoors with blackout blinds closed and blackout curtains closed for the whole of December and into January. The Mum posted that her little one had walked past the living room window, their cat had been on the windowsill and knocked the blinds/ curtains, that was enough for the flashing lights across the road to cause a tonic clonic seizure. All because of selfish asshole neighbours! There are Christmas lights and decorations that don't cause horrific seizures. I honestly wish they would ban flashing Christmas lights.

If anyone had watched their loved one go through a tonic clonic seizure, or any other type then they would know exactly why I feel that way. A friend of mine lost her beautiful little boy to epilepsy just over eighteen months ago. He was only two. Traffic lights and emergency service vehicles have valid and important reasons for their flashing lights. Flashing Christmas lights are pointless. I honestly don't care if banning flashing Christmas lights would spoil anyone's enjoyment of Christmas! I actually have no idea what flashing lights have to do with the birth of Jesus anyway! I couldn't sleep at night knowing that I was the cause of a little girl being locked indoors, with curtains and blinds shut, unable to even go out her front door without fear of seizure.

I'd ask them to turn them off at night OP. Even the Council turn our street lights off from midnight to 5.00 am here.

The flashing lights have started here today too. I closed our back bedroom curtains the other day as neighbour behind had obviously put the Christmas tree up with flashing lights on. I couldn't see the actual tree but could see the lights flashing. The neighbours down the street at the front have put up blue flashing lights on their house today. Hopefuly they will go off at night but I think we are far enough away not to be impacted at night, but I see them every time I walk through my hall and wonder which emergency service is down the street. NDNs have also installed outside lights today so Ihad to pull the blind down in our downstairs toilet to block them out. Neighbours opposite normally decorate the tree in their garden (although haven't done so yet). They did leave them on overnight once last year (think it was in error) and they flashed over the top of our curtains - bay window with curtain in bay , so there is a slight gap at the top of the curtains which is enough to let the flashing light shine on our ceiling.

I have photosensitive epilepsy so I would 100% say something!

I struggle at Christmas time as it's flashing lights that set me off.

Sensitivity to light or not, flashing lights in the street all night long is bloody inconsiderate. The hell with special blinds and eye masks. Get the council.

wasonthelist that was brilliant like the light bulb

I'd cut the wire if I was brave enough. But more likely I'd ask if they could turn it off at night.

YABU to complain about the lights without having actually made any attempt to actually do anything to fix the issue.

Unless there is a backstory to some bad blood/issue with your neighbour that would mean you wouldn't want to approach them, I don't understand why your first port of call wouldn't be to just pop over and either talk to them or at least post a note through the letter box saying that the lights are disturbing your sleep and could they possibly turn them off overnight?

Contact the council tomorrow OP.

www.gov.uk/guidance/artificial-light-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

YANBU.

Just knock and ask them if they could be switched off from 11pm , if they don’t do it then call the council .

Quickly flashing lights are just horrible. If one wants flashing lights the only acceptable ones are the ones that slowly fade on and off at random to create a glimmer effect rather than a flash. Your neighbours are just being antisocial.

Oops, we have blue flashing icicles lights and haven't a timer at the moment and last night we both fell asleep downstairs until 3AM when we woke and went to bed I realised the lights were still on.
Going to bed in moment so will be switching them off shortly and timer is ordered for delivery mid week.

They alternate too so this morning at 5am we had the most frenetic ‘Rave’ setting...

I will go over and ask them to turn them off at night. I just wanted to check first that other people thought that was reasonable otherwise I would probably have just put up with it!

Quickly flashing lights are just horrible. If one wants flashing lights the only acceptable ones are the ones that slowly fade on and off at random to create a glimmer effect rather than a flash. Your neighbours are just being antisocial.

^^.** This.

People who think flashing lights are ok (or any lights left on overnight) are no doubt the same people who think it's ok to have loud parties/noisy barbecues/leave their dogs outside to bark.

YANBU! One of our neighbours has just had blue lights permanently installed in their front wall. The effect is hideous - like having an ambulance parked outside your house. It’s irritating for us but much worse for the people in the houses directly opposite, whose front rooms are bathed in miserable cold, blue light.

caledonian - that is absolutely shocking. What utter cunts.

It is totally unreasonable to leave lights on overnight - it's not just anti-social, it's a complete waste of electricity at a time when we all know climate change is happening.

Blue lights are not Christmassy.

I know exactly what you mean. Our neighbours are very nice but seem to go a bit crazy on the Christmas lights. They have covered their entire house (front and back) and their large back garden with millions if white lights that flash non stop 24 hours a day. It's like a silent rave out there.
They have at our request turned the lights off from flashing (migraine inducing) strobe effect to a slower pace of flash but it's still pretty crazy.
At least it is just for 1 month and as our council turns off our streetlights at night now you could day our neighbours are kindly providing 24 hour security lighting for pretty much the whole road. No burglar is going to brave that level of illumination. It is a relief to draw the curtains though!

It is so naff and tacky. Luckily I live somewhere that you'd never see lights outside houses.

To be fair I’ve just seen the thread about the OP who’s neighbour has a festive sex doll nailed to the side of the house, so I feel like we’re bathed in a sea of tranquility by comparison 😂

I would definitely go and ask politely if the lights can go off overnight. Why don’t they just use a timer?!

Do we think midnight is acceptable to switch off?