Sunday, November 28, 2010

Community Christmas

This is the weekend where we put up our Christmas decorations.

You know how I know that?

Because no less than 6 different neighbors told me at my garage sale last weekend that this is the weekend that we ALL put up our Christmas decorations and they made it pretty clear that participation was not optional and delays would not be tolerated.

I apparently moved into Dr. Seuss' Whoville. People take city trolley tours through my neighborhood to see the lights and buses full of nursing home patients are brought over to gawk. I mentioned having a Christmas party and a neighbor told me to forget about it and to forget about leaving my house after dark for most of December since the traffic is terrible. Good times!

On Christmas Eve, everyone gets paper bags and candles and goes down to the community park to fill the bags with sand they truck in and then we all line our driveways with the luminaries. Isn't that nice? I had 3 different neighbors mention the Jewish guy 4 blocks away who refuses to participate since he doesn't celebrate the light of Christ. Not a popular fellow. I'm going to guess that being too lazy to bother would make us social pariahs.

So, Mr. Ashley will be out there putting up Christmas lights with everyone else. I also have to call Neighborhood Mom today because she is intent on our children playing together--which is nice and all but it's a bit of a problem that I can't ignore her calls because she knows I'm here because she can see my car from her front window.

I don't think I'm neighborly enough for this Leave it to Beaverland. I might even be the grinch of our Whoville.

12 comments:

nova said...

Wow, that sounds...annoying. And really? They're hating on the Jewish person because he doesn't celebrate Christmas? That's awful!

Jennifer said...

As much as David loves Christmas lights if we lived in that type of neighborhood he would go out of his way to ensure that our house was never lit. He's an ass like that.

Unknown said...

They all brought up the Jewish guy in a "Almost every house in the community does this...except one," and then went on to list his Jewishness as an excuse but I can tell it makes everyone nuts since he's the talk of the neighborhood. There are hundreds of houses, he can't be the only one who doesn't do it.

Being terrified of fire, I wouldn't be able to relax with paper bags full of fire lining my driveway so I guess I need to look into those little candle lights? I don't want people talking about me at garage sales, so we will have the luminaries.

Southern Mom said...

That is so funny you unknowingly moved into the neighborhood where everyone comes to see the lights. What pressure! Don't mean to scare you, but my neighbor's yard was set on fire by luminaries last Christmas while they were at church. It was raining so the fire did not spread far.

AnastasiaBeaverhousen said...

how dare he not celebrate the birth of baby Jesus! as if being Jewish was a good excuse.....;)

enjoy the decorating and neighborly festivities :)

Jennifer said...

Wow.. yeah.. too much pressure. Poor Jewish guy... what would be funny if he were an ass and put a giant Griswold-esque bright menorah on his lawn and lit it while the rest of the neighborhood had their Christmas lights burning.

Tara said...

Dollar Tree sells those flameless tealight sized candles!! We've had a few for 2 years and they STILL work!

The neighborhood where I grew up did luminaries except we used empty milk jugs (people saved them all year). And they lined the neighborhood streets, not the driveways. It was actually very pretty, but I'm sure they were a pain. I have fond memories of my dad trying to light them one year when it was realllllly windy...he used a blow torch.

Unknown said...

There actually IS a gigantic light up Jewish star in one of the lawns. I think as long as you decorate with something that lights up, they don't care what it is. Maybe I should do a Spaghetti Monster or Festivus Spectacular next year to test this theory out?

Thanks for the tip on the Dollar Tree candles--I was lying in bed last night wondering how late the paper bags full of fire had to be out there...

mom said...

I think you need to have us over xmass eve!! if we can get in that is! we should even go to church! if we can get out!

Unknown said...

You guys can definitely come over for Christmas Eve but I'm not going to church. Or anywhere else. We can walk around and look at the crazy neighbor houses and maybe play Bingo though.

mmunford2000 said...

Ashley, why not get the christmas lights that look like rope lights and line the drive with that? That is sort of like luminaries...they light up!

Anonymous said...

Ha! Your neighborhood reminds me of the movie Christmas with the Cranks, free frosty free frosty, lol. They sound like the kind to come over with a bullhorn and do that sort of thing:)
~Kristy~