OTT outdoor Xmas lights

[Vanilla]

Personally love these OTT outdoor christmas lights and think they should be highly encouraged possibly in the form of a government grant or a subsidy on the electric bill. These people havent lost that childlike wonder or innocence that many of us have. They are celebrating all that is honest and good and happy and hopeful about this time of year.

 

[sherib]

Originally Posted by Vanilla
These people havent lost that childlike wonder or innocence that many of us have.

Couldn't agree more. We're in danger of becoming too too proper and losing the charm and enthusiasm we once had. And the people who do that kind of lighting probably can't afford it. Maybe they know better how to celebrate than some of us who need to appear restrained and not risk a little bit of OTT-ness. Anything that brings wonder into a child's eyes, even once a year, should be valued and children's faces were the happiest I saw in recent days. The parents looked exhausted. Hope they and everyone here have a very Happy Christmas.

 

[rmelly]

[broken link removed]

 

[ClubMan]

I have always wondered why you see so many of these massive light shows in social housing estates, yet relatively few in what would be considered the more 'well to do' areas.

Not sure what you mean by "social housing estates" but I have certainly seen plenty of these displays on privately owned houses.

Vanilla's comment above is interesting - I would have paid little heed to these displays alone but having a two year old in tow for whom everything is new and exciting brings a different perspective to it! Free (to me anyway) Xmas entertainment for young kids - what's not to like about that?

Going back to the original post and echoing some earlier comments...

Am I a scrooge for hating OTT outdoor Christmas lights? I think they are garish, tacky, antisocial, environmentally unfriendly and harmful to birds.

I think they are representative of the worst excesses of the celtic tiger. Perhaps I am taking it too seriously, and should chuck some money in the inevitable charity bucket outside the worst culprits, but I really think the offenders should be shamed rather than lauded.

Whether or not they are garish or tacky is presumably a subjective value judgement? Whether or not they are antisocial depends on the situation? I guess one must accept that unnecessary electricity usage is environmentally unfriendly although aren't at least some of the newer LED based setups pretty efficient and use marginal amounts of electricity? I guess the larger displays are harmful to birds/wildlife?