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Xmas lights outside people's houses


steve1

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They've started here in my village with a vengance. Those appalling, tacky santas, snowmen and all the other cr*p wasting the earth's resources on their pointless and vulgar displays.

 

I can take a few twinkly lights, even those "icicle" ones but not this tasteless tat. There must be some bye-law that can get them banned surely.

 

steve :angry:

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I don't know about bye-laws but I agree with the sentiment Steve .... and that's coming from someone who is probably the most sentimental and slushy old fool when it comes to Xmas itself.

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Speaking as someone whos street is prevalent with them,mine included,its a bit of harmless fun to cheer everyone up whos had a s**t year with the recession etc.The only downside is 'er indoors has nicked my extension lead,so theres no trains moving till twelth night !

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I gave in and bought a set of flashing LED lights, .......??1.00 per set at Poundland... that's it for the decorations!!!.....we have a neighbour who permanently has Xmas lights hanging from his gutters and in the trees in his front garden!

 

Stephen.

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I have two strings of white lights. Each with 120 low voltage bulbs. One around the house, and one around the garage, and along the garden fence.

 

I don't think they look tacky and they are timeswitch controlled to be on for a couple of hours in the morning and the evening.

 

I guess it probably is a bit of a waste of resources - but I think it looks rather nice and it is possible to go over the top with the eco-rubbish. The neighbours have their displays too, but nothing over the top.

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Speaking as someone whos street is prevalent with them,mine included,its a bit of harmless fun to cheer everyone up whos had a s**t year with the recession etc.The only downside is 'er indoors has nicked my extension lead,so theres no trains moving till twelth night !

 

Rock on its been a right miserable year with very little to celebrate and cheer us all up so why shouldnt we have some nice displays out, damn the expense and eco friendliness, its Christmas, a time for celebration, being with your familys, a time for getting that new loco you want, and bringing some shine and happiness into this cold, damp and miserable time of year

 

They are plentiful in my area and the bulk of them are done very tastefully and are only on for a few hours at night

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I don't mind a few tasteful coloured lights, that certainly adds to the festive cheer. Some dangling blue/silvery lights from guttering can also look nice.

 

Where I draw the line, though, is a posse of inflated fat Santas illuminating the front lawn plus a huge over-weight one climbing up the outside wall of the house, together with all the supporting cast of garish and very bright illumination.....

 

My favourite spectacle for many years, before this illumination habit became commonplace in the UK, was to drive through the village of Othery on the Somerset Levels, where quite a few houses had cheerful and nicely-done outside lights. It was virtually the only place I knew of at the time (although I admit - I didn't get out much... :P :P :lol: )

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Oddly, I had a walk round the other night, and illuminated steam trains seemed to outnumber any other kind of decoration. Not sure what this means. A neighbourhood of closet train fans? Don't know where the steam train fits into the Christmas story.

Waes Hael.

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Good luck to 'em if they can afford the lecky bill.

People looking at Christmas lights should beware though. If they decide to take photos of them they might find themselves questioned under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, as one bloke was recently when he was photographing the festive displays in his town.

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Don't know where the steam train fits into the Christmas story.

 

Maybe this is the source of this new "tradition": The Polar Express (see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338348/ -- sorry, tried to make the film title clickable but for some reason couldn't make it work).

 

Not my cup of tea, but I can't see any qualitative difference between that commercialisation and the conversion by the Coca-Cola company of the traditional green Santa Claus into [Coca-Cola] red, a "tradition" which is now near-universal.

 

Paul

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Maybe this is the source of this new "tradition": The Polar Express (see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338348/ -- sorry, tried to make the film title clickable but for some reason couldn't make it work).

 

Not my cup of tea, but I can't see any qualitative difference between that commercialisation and the conversion by the Coca-Cola company of the traditional green Santa Claus into [Coca-Cola] red, a "tradition" which is now near-universal.

 

Paul

 

Aha. Thanks.

 

So can anyone date steam train decorations to before the film came out (2004)?

 

And I suppose the green man (Father Christmas) fits in with the pre-Christian winter traditions of evergreen trees etc.

There's an interesting distinction between Father Christmas and Santa Claus (details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Christmas on Wikipedia et al.)

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It is not the light displays that annoy me but the endless stream of Christmas carols being played in supermarkets and shopping centres. It usually starts on the 1st of November so we have to put up with it for almost two whole months.

 

I feel sorry for the poor staff working in these places who have to listen to that drivel over and over again, all day long. Should the unions step in and do something ?

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Speaking as someone whos street is prevalent with them,mine included,its a bit of harmless fun to cheer everyone up whos had a s**t year with the recession etc.The only downside is 'er indoors has nicked my extension lead,so theres no trains moving till twelth night !

 

Although I don't indulge personally I agree, a bit of harmless fun. In terms of wasting the Earth's resources it doesn't make my list of top 1000 things to change when I become president ;-)

 

I did fancy the idea of a couple of bonking reindeer jigsawed out of plywood on the front lawn, tastefully lit of course, but SWMBO wasn't keen.

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Although I don't indulge personally I agree, a bit of harmless fun. In terms of wasting the Earth's resources it doesn't make my list of top 1000 things to change when I become president ;-)

 

I did fancy the idea of a couple of bonking reindeer jigsawed out of plywood on the front lawn, tastefully lit of course, but SWMBO wasn't keen.

 

where do you live because i would travel along way to see that lol

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