Mr. bot started putting up Christmas lights before Thanksgiving. I raised an eyebrow at the time, but let it slide. Then he began his shopping forays at Costco. He came home with a herd of lighted, animated deer for the front lawn. And an artifical tree with 2500 lights. I raised my eyebrow until it formed a unibrow with my natural hairline.
But it’s our first Christmas in our new home together, so let him have his fun. Right? Mr. bot continued to add lights and lighted sculptures. He climbed on the roof and festooned strings of lights over the entire house. I came home from work last night, saw the lighted display that was my home, and distinctly heard the theme from “It’s a Small World” running through my back-lit brain.
Then, mercifully; the garish display went dark (There is a Gawd!) Not only did the Christmas lights go out, but there was no power to the kitchen or hot tub. It would seem that 20,000+ Christmas lights will burn out the wiring in a 1999 circuit box. That was the verdict of the electrician we called. Sad to say, he re-wired the box so it could handle the load of Christmas lights.
I have always wanted to live in a house that could be detected by satellite from Mars. If I click my heels together three times, can I be teleported to a house with taste?
The lack of taste is the most fun part! Maybe you don’t have my sense of fun, but I love living in garish places that are great just because they’re ugly. There’s a point where it goes from “Oh… uh… interesting” to “AWESOME!”
Example: That Mario thing. If it had been 20 minutes, it would have seemed lame, and people would have said he had too much time on his hands. But since it was so over the top and… well… “artistic,” people (incl. me) praised him.
I’d hate to see next month’s electric bill.
The electric bill will make the Baby Jesus, the Three Wise Men and The Holy Ghost cry.
Verily, I shall not weep alone. Nor in darkness.
There’s a street in my town that traditionally goes all out for Christmas lights. They’re incredibly creative.
One house has so many lights every year – and adds more each time – that he’s started to take donations for his electric bill. He’s decorated his meter. You can see the numbers scrolling like mad.
Oh, have fun with it! My mom always wanted Subdued and Tasteful, but then we’d go driving around town looing for the most outrageous lights we could find. It was like a family time for us.
Bring families together. Have tacky decorations.
Near my aunt & uncle’s house is a street where you just know the whole decorate-your-house-with-Xmas-lights started out at “friendly competition” and degenerated from there. Ninety percent of houses have at least multiple light strings, and over half have elaborate garden tableau ranging from skiing penguins to a Ferris Wheel with plush cartoon animals (Snoopy, Tashmanian Devil, SpongeBob, etc.) to large Nativity scenes surrounded by snow (snow in the Middle East? The mind boggles.) to dancing Santas. By December 20, you practically have to have an appointment to get into the cul-de-sac.
You have to wonder if any prospective buyers on this block are warned that they are going to be eventual participants in the War of the Gargantuan Christmas Decorations.