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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Flashing Christmas lights

92 replies

Galiano · 18/12/2021 17:26

What is it with flashing Christmas lights? Does anyone actually find them attractive? I've just been for a walk around my village and was bombarded with migraine inducing, manically flashing lights on every block. None of them were in sync and they were unbearable to look at for more than a few seconds, there was nothing peaceful or magical about it. I get the idea of gently twinkling lights but what is the point of strobe lights? Just because they can flash, doesn't mean they should. AIBU?

OP posts:
Tinkletwat · 18/12/2021 19:28

Fecking awful. And also a big clue that no one is home as I bet lots of people that have them on rave mode aren't actually looking at them.

mogsrus · 18/12/2021 19:35

Absolutely hate them. But for me it’s a white flashing light or two on front of a bike WHY?...

AutumnAlmanack · 18/12/2021 19:42

Yes, they are just awful. Still, only another 2 weeks to have to put up with them!

AMerryNickelChristmas · 18/12/2021 19:46

I've just got home wwith dd and said the same.
lots of lights appear to be on random, too, so they start all gentle shimmering and then suddenly start aggresively flashing.

CoffeeMuggins · 18/12/2021 19:46

@whatatool

Let's move this to AIBAS (Am I being a snob?)

It's Christmas, cheer up!

Yes, cheer up, OP! If you stop being such a grump, you won't get a headache or have an epileptic fit!
Powerpotpie · 18/12/2021 19:49

Yanbu! We also took a walk tonight around the local neighbourhood and said exactly the same to all the flashing, pulsating lights. So garish and I feel sorry for the wildlife who must think it’s permanently day time.

Windywuss · 18/12/2021 19:53

My next door neighbour has blue and green manically flashing lights around his porch bit. Trouble is, we're attached to them and the whole hallway is like a rave.

I guess I could just get in the spirit of things and find my glowsticks Hmm

Lacedwithgrace · 18/12/2021 19:58

@colourfulpuddles

I suffer with weekly chronic migraines. We have lots of flashing lights and we love them!

It’s part of the joy of Christmas. Don’t like them? Don’t look 😉

Pick me. Choose me.
Badgerstmary · 18/12/2021 20:06

I suffer from PPPD, which has aspects similar to visual vertigo. I am unable to drive atm when it is dark as flashing lights are one of my triggers. As much as I love Christmas I find it very tricky.

buckleten · 18/12/2021 20:11

I love the look of still lights, or maybe gently twinkling, but I really hate the flashing Vegas style lights, not very Christmassy at all to me, just tacky!

Alwayswonderedwhy · 18/12/2021 20:11

Yanbu. I don't understand why they even make Christmas lights that have a strobe setting. As someone that gets migranes I've had to embarrassingly ask a relative to change the settings on their tree lights as I couldn't sit in the room.

bananaandoears · 18/12/2021 20:12

@Watto1

My neighbour has flashing blue lights. I keep thinking the emergency services are outside.

My neighbour has these and keeps them on all night. Angry

Babdoc · 18/12/2021 20:17

Absolutely agree, OP. My neighbour from hell has his entire garden and house covered in tacky lurid lights that flash in random chaser sequences.
I'm autistic, and the sensory overload enrages me to the point of meltdown. I can't even enjoy my own indoor tree with tasteful small static lights, as his hideous crap is flashing through the windows behind it. It is 6 weeks of torment, from the start of December to mid January.
By all means celebrate Christmas in your own style, (even if that happens to be vulgar Vegas chav) - but don't inflict it on your damn neighbours!

Honeyroar · 18/12/2021 20:18

I can’t think that anyone actually wants the maniac mode. But the more “normal” settings are after all the manic settings and I reckon a lot of people don’t bother scrolling through to that.

I don’t know why the make them like that. I’d pay more for a set of “normal” lights that just do twinkle or still!

DuchessSilver · 18/12/2021 20:21

Lots of lights, when you first switch them on, go into a "demo" mode that goes through all the flashing settings. So if people just turn them on and don't look, or if they've set them on a timer, they'll be on that annoying mode - but they may not have noticed or not know how to change it

Ileflottante · 18/12/2021 20:26

The ultimate class signifier…

LadyEloise1 · 18/12/2021 20:30

I like warm white twinkling lights.
Does anyone have them and what brand are they / from where ?

The battery ones i have, have 8 different sequences but none just twinkle Sad

ImARegularHere · 18/12/2021 20:56

I like gently twinkling or fully static warm white lights. Static multicoloured ones look alright sometimes. Everything else looks tacky and exceptionally cheap

StoneofDestiny · 18/12/2021 21:14

Don't mind gentle twinkling - but the fast highly agitated ones are pretty annoying. Worse is all the blow up stuff that looks sad and deflated after a few days 😂😂.
Biggest crime of all - and there should be laws against it- is people leaving outdoor Christmas decs up all year round. Used to drive to work looking at a snowman, Santa and giant parcels on a porch roof all year round and a front wall full of wiring leading to huge metal snowflakes. 12 months of Christmas instead of 12 days.
(Only half joking about the laws.........maybe)

DdraigGoch · 18/12/2021 21:18

@Sideswiped

Neither of my grown up DCs like them, so for years now, I've had them just 'on'. I quite like 'fade' effect on lights, but most of them don't do it. just as well my hot tub lights do..
Modern LED lights don't dim as well as incandescent bulbs.
LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow · 18/12/2021 21:23

I don't like the flashing ones tbh, I set all mine to slo-glo. And I imagine the batteries last better since all the lights are never all on together and it's not so frenzied :o :o .

DdraigGoch · 18/12/2021 21:26

@mogsrus

Absolutely hate them. But for me it’s a white flashing light or two on front of a bike WHY?...
Only time I use the flashing mode on my bike is when the battery is running low and I'm trying to conserve power to get home. On an unlit country lane it makes it very difficult to see ahead as you never acclimatise.
Babdoc · 18/12/2021 21:32

I passed one house in the village yesterday where their large inflatable Santa had fallen flat on his face in the garden. Probably having a fit from the flashing lights...Grin

OneMoreForExtra · 18/12/2021 21:42

As PP have said, a lot of the trouble is that lights are set to flash when they first come on. If they're on a timer as ours are we have to scroll through to a steady shine, which I do instantly when home as I hate the flashing, but if we're out past 4pm I come home to a disco. Why make them like that? Surely the default should be a plain glow!

Okbye · 18/12/2021 21:50

Annoyingly I bought some really nice (or so I thought!) lights for the front window however they have no ‘still’ or ‘gentle twinkle’ setting they just flash like mad non stop and can’t be adjusted!

I purposefully haven’t put them up so as not to annoy the neighbours across from me.
The people who lived there before had crazy flashing Christmas lights and they drove me nuts!