Take down your damned Christmas decorations (Day 3)
A couple of days ago, I pointed out that a neigbor of ours is still firing up his Christmas lights every night as though it were December.
They're still up. The countdown continues.
There were some negative reactions to my original post (which, by the way, was meant to be facetious). However, lest you think that I'm an incorrigible curmudgeon, my wife pointed out that I should inform you about some other things this neighbor did that makes his keeping tacky Christmas decorations up so long of a piece with his other "contributions" to the neighborhood. I'll dribble these out as the series progresses. If his record last year is any indication, this could be an intermittent series until March. So, without further ado...
Sin #1: He moved into a very well-maintained house and immediately ripped up some rather attractive shrubbery to plant some unknown (and ugly) manner of flowers and plants. He then strung up CDs (supposedly to keep the birds away) and left them up far longer than one would deem necessary to protect any seeds (assuming that hanging CDs up even works for such a purpose).
They're still up. The countdown continues.
There were some negative reactions to my original post (which, by the way, was meant to be facetious). However, lest you think that I'm an incorrigible curmudgeon, my wife pointed out that I should inform you about some other things this neighbor did that makes his keeping tacky Christmas decorations up so long of a piece with his other "contributions" to the neighborhood. I'll dribble these out as the series progresses. If his record last year is any indication, this could be an intermittent series until March. So, without further ado...
Sin #1: He moved into a very well-maintained house and immediately ripped up some rather attractive shrubbery to plant some unknown (and ugly) manner of flowers and plants. He then strung up CDs (supposedly to keep the birds away) and left them up far longer than one would deem necessary to protect any seeds (assuming that hanging CDs up even works for such a purpose).
I was going to say lighten up, it's still winter, so the winter lights should stay for as long as it's cold and dark (I never understood taking them down in January just when it gets seriosuly wretched outside), but then I clicked back and saw the picture.
ReplyDeleteThose are a distraction to airline pilots and they have to go.
Day #3 and still no actual pictures. C'mon, I know for a fact that you own a digital camera. You're slacking, bro.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I too am guilty of festivus extendicus. On Christmas Day, we celebrate Hanukkah, my good friend and neighbor knocked on my door and kindly urged me to dispose of my half eaten, half rotten pumpkins from Halloween that were still gracing my front porch.
ReplyDeleteThey were gone within minutes, oops.
The way I unerstand it, one is supposed to decorate the house, turn on the lights, bring in the tree and decorate it on Christmass Eve. The whole shebang is then supposed to remain like that for the next 15 days, through New Years, until the Christmas (according to the Gregorian calendar) is also over. Then it all goes down - that's about January 9th.
ReplyDeleteI am annoyed when I see decorations and lights days, even weeks in advance of Christmas, and equally annoyed when I see old trees piling up at the dumpster the day after Christmas. Am I getting something wrong here?
Coturnix, I'd love to hear the extra lines you must know to the carol I've always thought of as 'The 12 Days of Christmas'... not to mention that great lost Shakespeare play, 'Fifteenth Night'.
ReplyDeleteThe 'decorations' should come down on Twelfth Night (5th Jan), I think (maybe on Epiphany, ie the 6th). The tree should be burned, the lights used to garotte the tasteless bastard who strung 'em up in the first place, and good cheer declared well and truly over till the manufacturers launch the beginning of the next Christmas season a few days into Lent.
Hanging CDs to repel birds? What's next?
ReplyDeleteHanging bags of water to keep flies away?
Jiggling your keychain to avoid police radar/lidar?
Building a generator that works at > 100% efficiency?
I certainly hope humankind isn't that far gone to believe in nonsense like that.
Why are you looking at me like that?
I am guilty of hanging CDs out to repel birds. I tried, but it does not work against urban robins who will not only steal my blueberries when I standing next to it, but ALSO try to build a nest in the climbing rose that I am actively pruning!
ReplyDeleteI am also the one who rips out lawn to put in fruit trees, roses, vegies and herbs in my FRONT yard.
That is one reason I will never live where there is a homeowner's association.
That said... at least I'm not like the guy near my daughter's music teacher. Each time we walk by there is something different. The planting strip may include a half buried motorcycle, a sink, and adding machine... and just recently a dead laptop on an old table.
Oops... I forgot to sign..
ReplyDeleteThe CD hanging gardener... my front fence is espaliered apple trees is me.