I went out for my nightly smoke, and noticed that some christmas decorations are going up around the block. An entire debate went through my head in a microsecond.
The utilitarian part of my head said, “feh. What a shameful waste.”
Then I thought, “well, it does look rather pretty.”
Then I reflected on my college days, and remember people using christmas lights year round as decorations and for mood lighting (wink wink nudge nudge)
Then I swung all the way over to, “why don’t we do this the year 'round?”
Then I started getting into electricity costs, utilizing LED technology, etc.
I still think wasting energy is bad. But I do appreciate things looking good.
But then, there is to consider, wouldn’t it get “old” if it was done year 'round?
Or, being utilitarian again, isn’t that horribly superficial?
Dunno. I’m throwing out the concept to the boards. I’m not sure what I think.
Well I guess you would say that all those lights in Vegas are wasteful, wouldn’t you! This is America by golly and if we choose to use up our resources on light spectaculars then it must good.
I did think of one idea, the all purpose led holiday light set. It would be a stiring of LEDs, all available colors repeated in spectrum order close enough that it would not look sparse with only a couple of colors on. Give it a control that you could program. Make it weather proof, possibly wirelessly networked so you could control the display from inside. You could put it up keep it up and turn it on when you feel festive. You could even possibly build it in to a new house. You could even use some tricolor LEDs for more versatility
Probably the most disappointing knowledge I ever gained was that there was no real, verifiable magic to be had in the world. With each passing year, I find that I have more of an appreciation for the fact that, in a world without magic, we take a little time every year to make it look magical.
Of course it probably helps that I have never had the knack for distinguishing tasteful from gaudy (my wife is in charge of keeping me reasonably attired). At Christmas time, gaudy is good. A holiday after my own heart.
I really do think this is a debatable topic, and one I’ve thought about a lot, especially after seeing a handful of houses that must be running on nuclear power they have so many lights. Overdone houses are a little like tasteless, odourless, edible gold used in expensive desserts- to paraphrase David Cross- the ultimate “fuck you” to poor people.
Well, the good news is that the lights aren’t all that expensive–and compared to appliances, really don’t use that much juice. I think the “fuck you” to poor people bit is interesting, because, in my part of the country, it is the houses in the “poorer” areas that are the most decorated. The well-to-do ordinarily don’t want to have the perfectly sculptured and manicured lawns/houses marred by any kind of attention-grabbing commoner display.
If you had asked me, I would have guessed that–if there is a “fuck you” involved-- it must be pointed in the other direction.
lee, seriously, find and investor and stop spreading great ideas like this over the internet before you have them protected by law. Really. And I want a catalog.
Except edible gold has no other purpose than to be silly and expensive.
Christmas lights, at least for me, are uplifting. (Smartass and I must be related.) I rarely do much extensive decorating, but I simply love that some people take the time, take the energy (both their own and the electric company’s), and celebrate. They are doing me a favor; they’re letting me share in their celebration.
One could argue that edible gold is used to be uplifting and make people smile and feel happy, to share in the celebration of whatever event calls for deserts made with heavy metals.
One could, but I won’t. I think it looks tacky, myself. But then again, many people think Christmas lights look tacky. It’s a wierd world.
You’re right, really. I don’t want to eat gold because I would take no pleasure in it. But if that gives a kick to someone? I ain’t buying, so I don’t care!
