Christmas Lights Madness: anyone else with ring-a-ding-bling neighbours?

[Donkeymum]

Is anyone else suffering from neighbours / friends / relatives with Christmas Lights madness, or other excessive seasonal bling?

Our neighbours, who for 11 months of the year appear to be tasteful, sophisticated and urbane, have gone mad with the singing, dancing lights. We live across a shared farm yard in a small village, and last night it reached a zenith. Not only were there crazy blue flashing lights going, but at midnight a cartoon creature in the yard malfunctioned and starting playing non-stop carols one after the other.

We were exhausted after several difficult nights with a 13 week old baby, and there was no way we could sleep through this, so DH went out to investigate in his bathrobe and wellies. Here is what he found:

• The singing creature was a dog with a flashing nose which wagged its ears and played carols interspersed with mad woof woof noises.
• The neighbours were clearly fast asleep. (How did they sleep through that? Possible relationship to consumption of Christmas cheer while setting up the extravagant display earlier?)
• The blue flashing lights, though able to light up the night sky, were not sufficient to enable DH to find the off switch on the singing dog.

Here's the shame... he actually picked the thing up, carried it into our house, and after several false starts managed to turn it off and return it to its position. I am so embarrassed and don't dare show my face in case they realise what we did.

Are we alone in suffering this way?

I'm afraid that I can't top you there! Christmas Carol woofing dog? What is the world coming to?
it's quite boring and traditional around here, not even got a 6ft polar bear or such like within walking distance.
Can you suggest their dsiplay is gorgeous and tasteful but only before 10pm?!

Yes, it's otherwise all very tasteful around here, as we are squarely in "traditional country cottage" territory. DH teases that I keep the place looking like I am expecting Country Living magazine to pop round for an impromptu photo shoot (well, you never know! ) and I don't think we are the only ones taken aback by our neighbours' apparent seasonal-related insanity. We should have known something was up when the 15 ft tree was delivered...

I dont laugh about a lot on here but taking the dog inside to switch off made me laugh out loud. Priceless.

welll I'm gutted that

the lights that I spent 1/2hr putting carefully around the bay window didn't work when I put them up (I laid them out on the floor before to untangle and make sure they were working and they lit up beautifully)

I decided to try and get them going tomorrow.

Then as the DS's were decorating the tree that flash neon "Merry Christmas" came crashing off the window (narrowly missing DS1 )

and then about 10 minutes after that the large star (woven thing with light in it) slipped slowly down the window and plopped onto the floor

So I've had to abandon Christmas lights on the window this year and it looks really bare and horrible from outside

I'm sorry but the image of your dh sneaking an all singing or dancing dog back to your house has made me spray tea over the keyboard with laughter.

TBH with a newish baby and associated lack of sleep I am in admiration of your restraint.Would have been tempted to take a hammer to it personally,though not a very wise or neighbourly act.

Round here it is mixed.My own view is that our fuel bills would be astronomical if we went in for such lighting madness!!!!