So sorry our holiday spirit offends you!

[behindbj]

I TRIPLE-DOG-DARE you to place the most outlandish, garish display on your lawn, COMPLETE with pink flamingos in santa hats.   

  oooooooooooh!

Wait - pink flamingoes in Santa hats are outlandish?

Maybe where you are.  Here in fair City, you are given one with your keys when you purchase a rowhouse.  If your home has marble steps, you get two.  Or maybe it was just me.  But I do have them.

Oh, and lovely fair City is home to the Miracle on 34th Street.  Enjoy!  I know I do...

http://www.christmasstreet.com/

behindbj

[ladiedeathe]

evilLadie says this letter is a great inspiration for eccuminical holiday decorating. If I found out someone in my neighborhood had gotten such a goofy letter, I'd be the first one looking for a 12 ft. blow up menorah, 2000 white lights, pinwheeling neon 5 ft high stars of david and a tribe of large plastic santas and mrs. claus's redressed/repainted as Israelites holding oil lamps in a congregation on the front lawn- complete with Arc of the Covenant picked out in tasteful white and blue neon rope...

If I was really feeling like a snot, I'd add a complete manger scene on the other side of the yard, and put a huge plastic landscaping bridge between the two groups- with snowmen on either end holding peace symbols- 4 ft high. All well lit, of course...

...And drape the house in Kwanzaa colors, with a harvest table display on the roof.

Merry Hanachristmakwanzika to all, and to all a good night!

[Bibliophile]

evilLadie says this letter is a great inspiration for eccuminical holiday decorating. If I found out someone in my neighborhood had gotten such a goofy letter, I'd be the first one looking for a 12 ft. blow up menorah, 2000 white lights, pinwheeling neon 5 ft high stars of david and a tribe of large plastic santas and mrs. claus's redressed/repainted as Israelites holding oil lamps in a congregation on the front lawn- complete with Arc of the Covenant picked out in tasteful white and blue neon rope...

If I was really feeling like a snot, I'd add a complete manger scene on the other side of the yard, and put a huge plastic landscaping bridge between the two groups- with snowmen on either end holding peace symbols- 4 ft high. All well lit, of course...

...And drape the house in Kwanzaa colors, with a harvest table display on the roof.

Merry Hanachristmakwanzika to all, and to all a good night!

Well, I'd be offended with this display as you've conveniently left out Festivus.  Humpf! 

[Missyb]

I hope that the letter is a very bad joke because I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that someone could be so rude.

If it's for real, they would hate me.   Here are two pictures of my yard from last year and the pictures don't even show all of the decorations.   Not seen in the picture are three Christmas trees, a couple of snow globes, signs and another tall snowman on the other side of the drive.

[behindbj]

evilLadie says this letter is a great inspiration for eccuminical holiday decorating. If I found out someone in my neighborhood had gotten such a goofy letter, I'd be the first one looking for a 12 ft. blow up menorah, 2000 white lights, pinwheeling neon 5 ft high stars of david and a tribe of large plastic santas and mrs. claus's redressed/repainted as Israelites holding oil lamps in a congregation on the front lawn- complete with Arc of the Covenant picked out in tasteful white and blue neon rope...

If I was really feeling like a snot, I'd add a complete manger scene on the other side of the yard, and put a huge plastic landscaping bridge between the two groups- with snowmen on either end holding peace symbols- 4 ft high. All well lit, of course...

...And drape the house in Kwanzaa colors, with a harvest table display on the roof.

Merry Hanachristmakwanzika to all, and to all a good night!

http://home.nyc.rr.com/thechanukahhouse/home.html

Often called the Chanukah equivalent to the Miracle on 34th Street.  Most people visit both on the same night.

behindbj

[mlkind1789]

Here's somewhere you guys can go for a few ideas!

http://www.uglychristmaslights.com/

The OP just has to get the light up deer and position them like the "love in the daylight" picture on that site.  Perhaps there can be some cavorting nude snowmen and women to go with it.   

[Twik]

I wonder if it would be worth it to report this to the police and mail authorities, even if, on the surface, it seems ridiculous. Whether this is as it appears on its face, or an attempt to cause trouble between religious groups, I think the writer is at least a little unbalanced and potentially malicious. A record of this (plus, hey, get CSI to take fingerprints!) might not hurt in case things escalate.

[JocelynCS]

I wonder if it would be worth it to report this to the police and mail authorities, even if, on the surface, it seems ridiculous. Whether this is as it appears on its face, or an attempt to cause trouble between religious groups, I think the writer is at least a little unbalanced and potentially malicious. A record of this (plus, hey, get CSI to take fingerprints!) might not hurt in case things escalate.

This might be a good idea.  No matter what the motive, it was not written by a nice person.  (Any idea who might want to spread bad blood around the neighborhood?  "Nosy Neighbor" perhaps?  Sounds like she's getting a kick out of it--but you know better than we.)

You could just call the police non-emergency number (should be in the phone book) and tell them about the situation and ask if you can bring them a copy so they have it on the record how and when this began, if, heaven forbid, any escalation should occur.  And see if they recommend any steps against rising tension.

[mkkristen]

I would probably take the note down to the police station and have them dust for fingerprints and turn the person in for the mail stuff and also to cover myself in case I was vandalized. Then I would go home and make my house the most festive ever. I would buy as much as I could and put a Christmas tree in every window. My front yard would be full of the blow ups. Every tree would have lights on it and I would rig my speakers to play Christmas music from 8 am until 8 pm outside.

[Mr. Fed]

I think it's extremely unlikely that the police would do anything with it.

You could respond with a card to everyone on your street:

"Dear Neighbor,

Recently many of us received an anonymous letter asking people not to display holiday decorations.  Frankly, we think the letter is either a juvenile prank or an attempt to stir up trouble and hostility among neighbors.  If that's the case, it won't work.  Let's focus on enjoying the season and enjoying our freedoms, whatever holidays we recognize."

   

[Twik]

Oh, I doubt the police could do anything about this.

But perhaps I've read too many English murder mysteries, where the "poison pen" letters are not always what they seem, but lead to bloodshed somewhere around Chapter 5.

mkkristen has a point that the writer for whatever reason MIGHT turn to vandalism later on, and the letter could possibly hold clues.

[nliedel]

How kind of them to demand you show them religious tolerance, but expect to have no such feelings for you.

Actually, this sort of sounds like a prank. I have several friends of many faith systems and no one is offended by a tree, that I know of. Is there someone who is anti other religions who may be trying to stir up trouble? Does that make sense?

I just read a lot of the replies and people think as I do. Which is a nice change I would chalk this up to someong trying to reverse engineer trouble.

[Felica]

Oh, I doubt the police could do anything about this.

But perhaps I've read too many English murder mysteries, where the "poison pen" letters are not always what they seem, but lead to bloodshed somewhere around Chapter 5.

Bloodshed! Eek! *Picturing Santa with a butcher knife in his back*

No, really, I'm sure that someone will call the cops about this. We've got a few elderly neighbors who won't find it as funny as I do.

[Twik]

The slowly deflating Santa with a butcher knife in his back - that would make a GREAT book cover, wouldn't it?

[Felica]

How about Frosty, trussed up over a pit? Or an elf in an orange vest and camoflage cap pointing a rifle at Rudolph?

*Foxxy is now shoving sick and perverted Foxxy back into her pocket*