Neighbour asked us to stop our Christmas lights flashing

[SuddenlyISee]

Outside Christmas lights got put up on Sunday morning going around a couple of the windows at the front of the house (we live end terrace on a close).
We were out till late on Sunday evening so they were only on for probably an hour that day and then I switched them on when I got home from work at about 3:30 yesterday. Within an hour, my opposite neighbour knocked on my door and said that although he really likes the "Christmas cheer", could we not have them flashing all the time as they are disturbing him at night. They are turned off no later than 10pm as that is when we go to bed. There are multiple settings and I can't control that my children keep changing them when I'm not in the room where the plug is. I just feel like I'm going to spend the next few weeks worrying that our lights are offending him and wonder if I should just take them down. The neighbours either side of the neighbour that complained have both got the same lights as us so I have the same view as him, if not more so, and I can't see how it would affect anyone

YABU. Flashing lights are horrendous. Put them on a static setting and teach your dcs to leave them alone.

I have an neighbour with those blue flashing Christmas lights. Every time I see them, I freak out thinking there's some kind of emergency or the police are around.

I would be asking you the same. Have them fixed it turn them off altogether.

Same here, and also the same with my 3 children too.

It amuses me when people fret about the Christmas tree and how to make it toddler friendly - a firm no worked for mine 🤷‍♀️. I

You are being massively unreasonable

Yabu for both being an inconsiderate neighbour and an ineffectual parent.

I think YABU- flashing lights can be harder to ignore than a bright light that is on consistently, and, especially as people have generally learned to regard flashing lights as a signal of a problem that needs attention, can be quite disturbing.

I wouldn't blame you for having had them on, but, since your neighbour has asked you to have them off at night, I don't think it's such a hardship for you to co-operate.

i too wouldn’t want to spoil the Christmas cheer but am light sensitive! Never used to be when younger but over the last few weeks my monitor on my desk in the office was flickering I just jingled the cable then it was ok for a bit then it flashed went off and then i would jingle it again and it was it ok… it went on a few days for the last weeks lazy me didn’t report it and as we only work a few days in the office I didn’t think it was an issue. Today it’s given me a headache of note. By lunchtime I felt like being sick. I just moved to another desk for the afternoon and can just about feel stable on my feet. Never had an issue in the past maybe it is a real problem for some? Don’t take them down just explain to the kids why it needs to stay on xx setting!

TBH I would leave the lights up and flashing. 10pm is a reasonable time to switch them off. Neighbour can close their curtains.

This.

YABU. Flashing lights are hideous, and unfair on others who have to put up with them flashing into their houses.

For a month?

Sorry I can’t help laughing surely the answer is you tell you DC to stay away from the bloody socket; I don’t understand why they’d be allowed to play with it in the first place; the risks are glaringly obvious 🙈

I don't even see the point of having flashing lights on your house. You can't really get the effect from the inside - so why bother at all?
And they are - mostly - tacky anyway.

I wish someone would invent a child that can be switched off!

Them being tacky or not isn't the important thing - flashing or strobing lights are a real and present problem as a trigger for epileptic fits. Have you never heard a news reader or sports reporter say "We should warn viewers the following report contains flashing lights/images"? It's a common enough thing.

'I can't be arsed to set a boundary with my children so my neighbour will just have to put up with it.'

Some lights trigger migraines for me (looking at you.. person who lives back to back with my house with your pain in the Arse security light).

tell your kids to stop fannying about with the settings

Some people really seem to get their shorts in knots over Christmas lights your side of the pond! Does neighbour not have curtains or blinds? 🤔

@SuddenlyISee Is this your neighbour?

In fairness. I fucking hate Christmas

We have ours flashing most years! So do most houses I see

I actually wondered if you were my parent’s neighbour when I read this! They have put lights in a tree outside that are flashing wildly (think nightclub strobes). I think if you live in close proximity to others then flashing / bright lights need to be minimised and switched off early.

flashing lights are awful in any situation. Just buy some static ones and have them on for 6 hours on a timer.

If I was your neighbour, everyone in my house would know how much I hate your flashing lights, but I would be pulling down blinds and not complaining to you. If you had them on for a week over Christmas, fair enough, but day after day for weeks would be beyond annoying. Previous comments about people who are sensitive to flashing lights are valid too. My friend dresses her house up like, um, a Christmas tree, and I do think it's wasteful, bah humbug, but OK it's pretty. She doesn't have a neighbours across the road who have to put up with it though. If I lived across from you, I'd be very grateful if one of the neighbours took one for the team and asked you to stop it.

Awww, Lauren. 💐
FWIW I put my tree outside on the deck with lights and star only and a (ahem) tasteful string of white lights along the railing.
I'll try and remember to post a pic here of a house I drive by every year for their massive display. 🇨🇦