What's with the christmas light obsession and competition?

[Julia1996]

Hi everyone. Yesterday my brother took all the Christmas stuff out of the attic. It's ridiculous how much we have.  So then my dad and Tyler come home last night with even more Christmas stuff. I asked my dad why he would buy more when we have so much already. He said he wanted to change up the outside decorations from last year. It's really weird but my dad has this thing going on with the guy 4 houses down from us. They try to outdo each other with the Christmas  lights every year. That's just infantile.   Then he and my brother start discussing where to put what and what kind of lights to use where. Tristan was here and we were watching tv. He gets up to get a drink and never comes back.  I find him at the kitchen table with my dad and Tyler. He's joined the Christmas light discussion. And I couldn't believe it when I noticed my brother was actually drawing an outline of our house and talking about where everything should go. OMG! A diagram? Really??? When they actually start putting lights up it takes like ALL day to get them up and they both get totally anal about it and bicker with each other all day. I suggested maybe they could use one of those things from TV that you put in front of the house and it projects light and Christmas shapes across the house. They looked at me like I had stomped on a puppy.

I really don't get the obsession with outside lights. What makes people so serious about it? My idea of outside decorating is slapping a wreath on the door. This whole competition seems like a definite guy thing though.

[Angela Drakken]

Griswolds Christmas Vacation anyone? Lol
There are a few bored housewives near us who get pretty full on every year but its more a charity thing where they take donations ect.

I decorate indoors for christmas. Outdoors is for halloween. >.>

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[Julia1996]

Griswolds Christmas Vacation anyone? Lol
There are a few bored housewives near us who get pretty full on every year but its more a charity thing where they take donations ect.

I decorate indoors for christmas. Outdoors is for halloween. >.>

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What's a Griswold? ?

[Laurie]

  All I can say is the outside decorations are put out there to be admired and it is one of the very few things I like about Christmas. I really dislike this time of the year.
   That said I can wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, or whatever your holiday is. Just please leave me out of it.

Grinch Laurie

[Laurie]

What's a Griswold? ?

   It's part of the movie's title... Griswolds Christmas Vacation

[Paige]

What's a Griswold? ?

[Angela Drakken]

   It's part of the movie's title... Griswolds Christmas Vacation

She may have been fooling with us Laurie. XP

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[RobynTx]

There will always be something that makes people competitive against others.  It can be cars, games, guns, make up skills, Christmas lights, cooking and pretty much anything you can think of.  It's not exclusive to a particular gender.  I've seen females just as competitive as males. 

As for me I despise Christmas.  I can only handle it enough to make the kids happy.  Same for decorations.  My wife knows that the only thing I will do is put up a string of lights on the roof and that's it.  Every now and then I put hang a manikin up that is wrapped in lights from the roof.  Pretty created a traffic jam on my street because of it.  My mom even drove off into a ditch thinking it was me.  I'm surprised the Sheriff's Office never stopped and talked to us about it.

[Julia1996]

Actually I wasn't.  I've never seen that movie. I looked it up and it was released like nine years before I was born. I haven't seen a lot of movies from way back. I did watch  it's a wonderful life with my grandma once. I didn't like it. The guys whiney ass voice drove me up a wall! But the Griswold one looks funny and now I want to watch it.

[Angela Drakken]

Actually I wasn't.  I've never seen that movie. I looked it up and it was released like nine years before I was born. I haven't seen a lot of movies from way back. I did watch  it's a wonderful life with my grandma once. I didn't like it. The guys whiney ass voice drove me up a wall! But the Griswold one looks funny and now I want to watch it.

Thats so odd its literally on repeat here on Canadian channels for 3 weeks leading up to christmas alongside a christmas story and various renditions of a christmas carol. (My personal fave being Scrooged with Bill Murray..)

Netflix that! Do it now!! You wont regret it.

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[Kylo]

There used to be a whole street that overdid it on the outdoor lights in one city I lived. It started as one guy doing it, then some neighbours, and eventually the whole street started to take pride in doing it I guess. Then it became this local 'tradition' in this street to do it.

[MaryT]

Actually I wasn't.  I've never seen that movie. I looked it up and it was released like nine years before I was born. I haven't seen a lot of movies from way back. I did watch  it's a wonderful life with my grandma once. I didn't like it. The guys whiney ass voice drove me up a wall! But the Griswold one looks funny and now I want to watch it.

You'll also probably like National Lampoon's Vacation, European Vacation and Vegas Vacation.

Your family Christmas feud with the neighbours reminds me more of Deck the Halls, starring Danny Devito and Matthew Broderick.  I preferred the National Lampoon movie, though.

[Jessica]

Christmas lights bring joy and happiness to the young at heart.  I like to have a thoughtful display of color and white.  The older school unanimated penguins on an antique sled in a Christmas tree forest fits in nicely.
Smiles, Jess 🤶

[Julia1996]

Christmas lights bring joy and happiness to the young at heart.  I like to have a thoughtful display of color and white.  The older school unanimated penguins on an antique sled in a Christmas tree forest fits in nicely.
Smiles, Jess 🤶

I like driving around looking at lights. I just would never bother putting them up myself. From what I've seen putting up outside lights is tedious. And can be dangerous. Last year my brother managed to staple his hand with the staple gun. Some of the LED Christmas lights are really pretty though. There's this one house at the end of our street where an older couple live. They put up those antique lights where the little bulbs actually screw in like a regular lightbulb. They are pretty though.

[Julia1996]

You'll also probably like National Lampoon's Vacation, European Vacation and Vegas Vacation.

Your family Christmas feud with the neighbours reminds me more of Deck the Halls, starring Danny Devito and Matthew Broderick.  I preferred the National Lampoon movie, though.

I will check out those movies too. It's not like a feud really. My dad and the guy are friendly with each other. They just try to outdo each other with the lights.

[TonyaW]

I looked it up and it was released like nine years before I was born. I haven't seen a lot of movies from way back.

Well,  now I feel old. 

Definitely see the movie.



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[DawnOday]

Here is where we used to go. Talk about obsessed. It is even on the California's historic register. 
https://www.google.com/search?q=christmas+tree+lane+altadena&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjO-diIzufXAhXiw1QKHS7AD-0Q_AUICygC&biw=1292&bih=677

[Lady Sarah]

We happen to have neighbors that are super competitive. They hate us. We spend about $20 per year on additional Christmas stuff. 2 years ago, we got a second place award for our display (it's a small town where I live). This year, our lights are synchronized by a light show timer I got from a thrift store for fifty cents this past summer.
We don't do it for competition. We do it to make others feel better (except the jealous neighbors).

[Julia1996]

We happen to have neighbors that are super competitive. They hate us. We spend about $20 per year on additional Christmas stuff. 2 years ago, we got a second place award for our display (it's a small town where I live). This year, our lights are synchronized by a light show timer I got from a thrift store for fifty cents this past summer.
We don't do it for competition. We do it to make others feel better (except the jealous neighbors).

That's really cool that you got an award. I think II'll tell my dad they are having a decorating contest in our subdivision. There is no such contest but I could have some fun messing with him. Lol

[sarah1972]

Ha... my special topic. I am one of the crazy Christmas light ladies. Been doing it for 8 yeas.

Our reward is smiling faces from hundreds of visitors coming to see the lights we put up.

2 Years ago I spent over 800 hours building our Christmas display. All fully computerized, with a radio transmitter so you can sit in your car and listen to the music with 50,000 lights blinking, Miles of cables and over 30 handmade controllers...

Initially it started as fun. The technology behind it is pretty interesting and it just kept growing.

The past years it was something we just did for the community. At good days, we have 1,200 people come by watching the show. For many it has become a tradition to come by. Parents bring their kids before putting them in bed.

This year we are actually take a break for the first time in 8 Years. Work just does not give me the time. And we did get a lot of understanding but disappointed messages...