Or do you decorate in a tasteful manner?
Or don’t decorate at all?
By “crazy” I mean … when you start putting them up after Halloween. And the neighbors get mad because of the line of slow moving cars down the street. And you have to get a loan to pay for the next months electric bill.
This is the 1st year I’ve done anything, so I’m not entirely sure it’s tasteful.
In fact just today, I posted some piccies on the net for my work friends to make their judgement call on my deccis.
http://www.geocities.com/burnsidechristmaslights
(Sorry about the Geo link).
I’m in Australia, so it’s a hot as blazes during our summer down here, so I’ll understand if you tell me the penguins are a little out of place.
What do you think? Tasteful or not?
OTOH, the dude across the street has gone a bit beserk. He had over 50,000 lights (and still going up).
We are very restrained (read: lazy) in Christmas lights. Usually just one string in the windows.
If you want to see insane, you must come to West Saugus, MA, near where I live. The entire section is crazy in going overboard in decorating. There is one house in particular that is simply covered with lights – not just around the edges and windows, but all over the front. And the roofline. And the roof, which has several “snowballs” rolling down illuminated tracks. And a lawn filled with animated figures and trees completely swathed in lights and artificial trees placed in the ground and a nativity scene and santa and reindeer and carolers and trains and snowmen and… God knows what else. The entire overblown presentation has started spilling over into his neighbor’s yard. The electric meter must be spinning like a tyop. People rent limos to come out and drive by. There are traffic jams outside his house every night after dusk.
I know other people go nuts with the lights, but I’ve lived in several places in the country, and I’ve never seen anything like this.
My vote for overall best and most mind-blowing light display is Temple Square in Salt Lake City.
I use to go crazy, a few years ago I have over 40 strings of lights outside the house and many more inside. But my job decided I need to work a lot more overtime so I haven’t had the time. I put up some new swag lights this year and that is going to be it.
I used to live near Kenner, Louisiana, and the big treat for me was going to see the lights of Kenner. Not to insult the good, hard-working people of Kenner, but they had some of the most godawful tacky overdone light displays I’ve ever seen. An perennial favorite was the display based on the biblical passage where three wise men from the east and E.T. came bearing gifts to the manger, where Jesus was attended by no fewer than three Santa Clauses. It was always a delight to drive around and look at the excess, each more gaudy than the next. Entire streets would have competitions with themes, and “more” always meant “better”.
Sadly, I’m no longer in that area and I haven’t found anything to compare. New Orleans dopers, I don’t know if things are still as they used to be, but if you’re a fan of overdone Christmas lights, you owe it to yourself to drive over to Kenner.
I love lights, I have swag lights on my house, and only one spiral tree in the yard, but I’ve just started with the outside lights this year so I’ll add every year. The tackier the better.
Welbywife and I started off with 6 strings of Christmas lights between us. Every year we add three more strings. So while we’re not garish and horrifying right now, in a few years the neighbors will be bitching to high heaven.
I can’t wait 
My son does.
We have them on the tree, in our room, in the hallway.
My SO and I both go crazy We also like the kind that has just the white bulbs. They look very nice, esp. against a snowy background.
We would go crazy, but it’s just too damn cold outside. We have tons of them up in the living room.
Last year was the first year that I have ever put up lights outside. I did the icicle lights on the eves - nice but not too much.
Last summer I landscaped and added a courtyard in the front of the house. I have two trees now, and the courtyard increased the total length of the eves. I need to buy another 50’ of lights for the eves and lights for the trees. So that is this weekend’s project.
I used to go WAY overboard outside. I live on a country road, and you could see the traffic slowing down to look. Not quite Griswoldian, but close. I’m too lazy these days, so we just decorate the inside.