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

I hope, for their sake you could control your children if they were sticking things into plug sockets, or jumping out of windows.
Grow a spine, tell them no and stop with the irritating flashing lights.

"I can't control that my children keep changing them when I'm not in the room"

Why can't you?

Huh? Those are very different to flashing lights.

YABVU.

As someone with epilepsy, flashing lights are a real risk to me.

Keep them on static as you never know the circumstances of the people who your lights are bothering.

And as for not being able to control your children? Of course you can. You just tell them to stop changing the setting.

My sympathies are with your neighbour. I don't see why flashing lights are necessary at all.

How do you stop your DC turning the oven on, gas on, taps on and leaving them etc when your back is turned…you teach them not to do it. Same applies with the Christmas lights.

Or if you really can’t, take the lights down.

Yabu because of not telling your children to stop. Flashing is seriously annoying

Flashing outside lights are massively antisocial. If you want to look at flashing lights, get them for inside. All you‘re achieving with external flashing lights is pissing off your neighbours unnecessarily - who might take the opportunity to piss you off back in the future. Just teach your kids to behave and keep them static, and switched off altogether at 10pm.

Flashing lights (especially blue) just why? It's like having an emergency service vehicle parked outside for hours.

Your kids should not be fiddling with them either.

explain to your children why they need to be left on static. if you give them a good reason they are more likely to cooperate.

For me the feel from constant flashing lights is less ‘twinkly festive cheer’ and more ‘emergency services alert’.

Flashing lights are horrid. Steady on, or they need to go off.

I'm epileptic and they genuinely make me ill, so my neighbours are considerate.

He wouldn’t have approached you if it wasn’t a genuine problem for him. Just because your bedtime is 10pm doesn’t mean he goes to bed at that time too. Maybe he works shifts and goes to bed at 6pm? Blackout curtains don’t solve flashing lights either, they still flash round the edges. Sorry but I think you need to have them on static or turn them off. If you can’t control your kids then tuning them off is the only solution. Otherwise you are likely to find the cable gets mysteriously cut.

Your children really shouldn't be playing with wires and switches.

This trumps the neighbours annoyance but even so they do have a point. I'd hate it if my neighbours were so inconsiderate.

YABU flashing light are anti-social. Your kids need to stop pissing if your neighbours.

My friend is epileptic and I always think of her every time I see flashing lights. It's such an unnecessary setting!

Flashing lights are a migraine trigger for me, especially rapid flashing or frequently changing patterns. I'm thinking he means that when it's dark, even with his curtains drawn, he can see the flashing and it's uncomfortable for him. If you turn them off at 10pm, it's probably not keeping him awake at night. Although if he has a migraine triggered he might take himself off to bed early.

Maybe just set them to static and tell the kids off for changing the setting.

My neighbours across the road have flashing lights around their windows/porch area and it doesn’t get through my black out blinds.

I’d know all about it if they did as DH is super sensitive to light when trying to sleep - he needs complete darkness!

Sod that, just say a big hard no.

How wet are you, OP? You can control what your children do, you just don’t want to.

YABU. We have outside lights and I would never set them to strobe/flash. I don't know it's an option on light settings, it's horrible! You barely see anyone use it.
Tell the kids to stop mucking about with the box or the lights get permanently unplugged.

You prob need to start a new thread about how you can’t control your own kids. Unless of course you just don’t want to.

Ok, I'll admit that I've never realised that the flashing would cause anyone any stress. I get if they were really bright and there were loads of them but I thought I would be ok with these ones. I will make sure they're kept on static and that the children don't touch them. And I will enjoy looking at the neighbours ones twinkle instead.

Our whole street is lit up, it’s lovely and festive but flashing lights are annoying.

Tell your DC to leave it alone.

Yes but it's Christmas and there's a lot of Christmas lights about, I'm sorry but you can't expect anyone who's bought flashing Christmas lights to keep them off because it may annoy one neighbour. He'd have a bloody field day where we live, nearly every other house has flashing lights