To ask my neighbour to take down Christmas decorations from my garden?

[MotherofGrinches]

I came home and saw that my neighbours had decorated their house ready for Christmas.

They had put one of their Christmas decorations on my garden without checking with me first. They seemed annoyed when I (very politely) asked them to put it on their own driveway instead.

So, was I being unreasonable? It was very close to the boundary, so I thought about letting it go, but it's a long time until Christmas!

First world problems.
Not only that got annoyed about something petty like this but had the time to come and rant about it on a public forum.
Consider yourself very privileged.
You are welcome.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Meh. For the sake of one stick in your flowerbed I can't see that it's worth buggering up good relations with your neighbours.

Thin end of the wedge - might just be a stake now, it will be a herd of grazing reindeer on your lawn later

Advent starts on the 27th of November!

FFS it's 10th November. I'd have asked them to take the whole lot down.

“Lots of people decorate in November,”

Not lots. Because it’s bonkers.

Do you have a dog you could train to pee up against it?

I wonder what's going on in the lives of those who decorate in November, they must be incredibly bored

@Blinky21

I wonder what's going on in the lives of those who decorate in November, they must be incredibly bored

I always think that about people who send Christmas cards that arrive on the 1st December

Seems a little petty. Sure you are within your rights to insist that it is moved but personally I'd prioritize my relationship w my neighbours.

Op
Unreasonable of them to put their decoration so close to the boundary. Out of order etc etc

Reasonable. It’s been a shite three years, Xmas decorations make people happy. Do they have kids as it’ll be lovely for them as well. It may be twee but it’s a dopamine boost.

keep your dopamine boost to yourself though neighbour please.

This. Also a bit of tat at times is fucking fantastic !

YANBU. I’d consider that to be fly tipping tat in my garden and it would be removed accordingly.

It is also not advent yet so decorations are irritatingly premature!

It's unreasonable to put up Christmas decorations before 1st December!!

Even that's too early for me.

Xmas decorations up in November should be banned. I would have got a flame-thrower and incinerated said-decoration. That'll teach 'em!

Well yes, you are right, it is November, but Advent starts on the 27th November...... not at the beginning!!

That applies to the neighbours too.

Oh for goodness sake. It is not being a grinch to wish Christmas could once more become a magical few weeks in December instead of a long drawn out season starting the minute Halloween is over.

Also there are people who dread Christmas because they are lonely, bereaved or poor. Not only do they have it shoved in their faces for weeks and weeks in advance nowadays but they have people calling them a Grinch if the dare voice a concern.

I know it's not the subject of this thread, but it's annoying and lacks empathy.

Yes I know what and when Advent is... thats exactly why I said it was November, you 'correcting' me to tell me 'its 23rd of November' only PROVED my point lol.

Always baffled when someone tries to correct people by just explaining in more detail the exact same thing they just said. It's basically 'mansplaining' (do we have a word for when people who may not be men do that) like assuming i'm too dumb to understand the exact thing I just said so you have to tell me the SAME thing I already clearly know in more detail.

I assume most people know what Advent is, its hardly a hidden secret when the majority of the UK leans Christian, your not proving yourself smarter for explaining common knowledge that is taught to primary schoolers.

If you give an inch with private property people take a mile. Simplest thing might just be to pull it out and push into their own land and they may not even notice so no row with them.

They are assuming you celebrate Christmas! The Jehovah's witnesses who came to my door last week don't. I expect some of my hindu neighbours do but not all by any means. We have one of the largest numbers of Jewish people near us too for London and they are not all celebrating Christmas so I think it could be potentially offensive to foist this on you and makes assumptions about your religious beliefs, never mind is trespass on to your property.

Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before Christmas-I didn't know that; I'd assumed it was always just December.

Romans celebrated Saturnalia, from 17th of December. It evolved from a one-day holiday to a week-long festival, ending on the 23rd.It influenced current religions such as Christianity. Pagans celebrated the winter solstice, on 21 December.

I don't know when the tradition for Christmas decorations outside started. I agree it seems to get earlier every year, and I suspect it's to do with consumerism and parts of the media.

To the posters who are saying the OP and those who agree with her are grinches, or making a fuss about nothing - do you put ornaments in your neighbours' gardens, without asking permission?

Don't you think it is up to each individual to decide how they want to decorate their house, and when they want to do it? As I said in my earlier post - if the neighbours want to decorate early, that is their choice, and I wouldn't judge - but that doesn't mean I would be happy about them decorating my house/garden.

There’s no photo (or diagram!) so it’s difficult to be sure, but it doesn’t sound like the decorations will look they’ve decorated OP’s house, they’ll look like the neighbour’s have lined their drive. I think that’s partly why people think it sounds like a fuss over nothing - because it sounds like it won’t look like it’s really to do with OP’s house at all.

Be careful, any fool who puts up Christmas decorations in November needs medical help. Tread carefully.