To think outdoor Christmas lights shouldn't come with flash mode?

[EmotionalSupportPotato]

My neighbours have put their lights up and put them on some sort of strobe mode or something. It won't go off until about 12 if we're lucky based on last year. Aibu to say outdoor lights shouldn't be made with a flash mode?

You haven’t got curtains?

Can you not just shut the curtains if it bothers you?

Though, I do partly agree with you because it must be distracting for drivers.

I do have curtains. I upgraded to blackout curtains specifically to block out the christmas lights. The light comes through the edges.

I don’t think any should be made with that insane flashing mode. Does anyone actually want that. Inside or out?!

Yes. My neighbours. Some other neighbours have some quite tasteful ones that sort of fade gently on and off. They are OK.

YANBU they are awful, tasteless, and a migraine trigger, not to mention distracting for drivers.

I agree. Awful for people that get migraines and just annoying in general. I don't mind a gentle twinkle but the strobing is awful.

I have curtains. And? I don't close them at night because it makes waking up in the morning difficult. Why should I not be able to sleep with my curtains open? We have laws for noise pollution we should have the same laws for light pollution. There should really not be flashing lights past 11pm (my personal preference would be 10)

YANBU

That would fuck me right off

Our neighbours have these all over the garden all year. I have curtains, double layered, black out. The light comes through the top where the curtain pole is and at the sides, I have to put books on the window sill to sort of tie down the curtain to seal the edge as much as possible, it doesnt solve the problem, the room flashes with these awful things and because the top, frames, sill, ceiling are all white it magnifies the lights.

Selfish, inconsiderate and anti social.

I hadn't even thought about migraines. I'm so sorry to those that suffer.

Couldn't you tell a little white lie and use migraines as an excuse to ask them to stop using the flashing mode.

Yes ban these bloody things. They trigger migraines and epilepsy in several people I know, and even for those without medical issues they are just extremely unpleasant. Who in their right mind would want them?

One does not simply ask these neighbours anything unfortunately

My -thoughtless- neighbour has these on all year round too. It's extremely thoughtless & selfish.

It infiltrates my bedroom around the edge of my blackout blind & triggers my Neurological issues. I have told him this too. He has reduced the time they're on.

It's a super quiet street near to woods & abundant with wildlife too.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/garden-lighting-effects-on-wildlife 'light pollution is a driver of insect decline'.

Edited the excessive amount of angry faces

OMG this! Steady on lights is always the last option of the huge number of choices you have to cycle through as well. I only want normal lights and they are so hard to find now.

Not me - I loathe all flashing lights!

I agree completely. The house across the road from us has these ridiculous lights that flash so fast it genuinely gives me a headache.

Curtains don't help because when my room is dark I can still see them through the edges of the curtains.

You have my sympathy.

Me too, it’s a massive pain. You can get ones that have a memory function so once you’ve set it, they come back on to the same setting until you actively change it- so you don’t have to cycle through the whole lot each time.

ALL YEAR? I'm so so sorry

YANBU. I can't understand why anyone was choose any flashing never ming that frantic flashing.

Yeah i loathe the flashing ones too. I don't mind the ones that sort of twinkle or gently fade in and out though.

The neighbours have set up flashing blue and white ones. It looks like some sort of police incident 🙄

Yanbu.

Ooh maybe you could ask the police non emergancy helpline if everything is OK as there have been police there for 4 hours with lights on

I have had the same, beautiful, outside lights for the last 10 years. Every year I spend hours trying to get them on the setting for 'gentle twinkle'. Every year they constantly default to search and rescue flashing. Luckily, the don't shine into anyone else's house. And they are on a timer to go off at 11 pm.