So sorry our holiday spirit offends you!

[KarenK]

I think it's either a prank, or someone looking to stir up trouble (War on Christmas folks). Do not feed the beast! Do as you normally would. Assure the non-decorator people that you know it's not them.

BTW, if it were up to me alone, my house would indeed look as if Clark Griswold had decorated it. There cannot be too many lights for me. Luckily, SO has some taste and decorum (even if it is a little boring! ).

[magiccat26]

While you have every right to practice your religion, we would like to remind all of you that not everyone practices a religion that participates in such holidays as Christmas.

Fascinating.  You cannot scream "Freedom of Religion" for yourself while trying to take away that freedom from someone else.  That's just plain hypocritical.  Many Christmas decorations are no longer all about Christianity.  Santa, reindeer, snowmen, polar bears, etc. are not religious symbols.

Christmas has become so commercialized that, to many, it's "just a holiday" with little or no religious undertone whatsoever.  If you don't celebrate it, more power to you, but DON'T go around trying to tell others that you are offended that they do.

What a bunch of entitled idjidts!

[housewife2k]

Ok, though offended by the request to not have exterior decorations, I could maybe see it being valid.
I totally agree with th other posters who want to know what the heck Santa has to do with christianity, and the snowmen,,,we all remember the tales of the three wise snowmen bringing gifts to the baby Jesus...
What really gets me, is the request to not put the tree in an area visible from the street. C'mon! Almost everyone I know who does a tree pits it in their livingroom window, or somewhere visible from the window, as that's just where it fits best!
I have a few Jewish riends who put up trees, because it's fun. The decorate with blue and white lights, and some pretty tinsle, because that just like the way a tree looks. I have plenty of Pagan and atheirst friends and family, self included, who decorate to all get out for Christmas. My aunt and I regularly see who can outdo the other (I have yet to top the year she suspended ornaments from her cieling!)

[waterwren]

(The neighbor I feel sorriest for is the one who wouldn't normally decorate, but now feels compelled to so people won't think they sent the stupid note.  )

This neighbour  who doesn't celebrate Christamas and doesn't decorate would go out  and decorate the stand of pines in the side yard and then put Spot lights on them *just* to make sure they are seen.  ( evilwren is out - watch out)


 Don't force your religion on me in my home or yard...and don't tell me what to do in mine. If your so blooming offended by what someone does in their own home...don't look! Especially if you're going to tell them where to place things in their homes - easy way to solve that - don't play peeping tom and LOOK in windows!  Geesh!
 

[Mr. Fed]

I'm sorry, but couldn't this attitude be considered a hate crime if you really wanted to press the issue?  It seems that if a Jewish person put a symbol of one of their holidays in the yard or in a window visible from the street and received an anonymous letter saying these decorations were offensive, it would be considered a hate crime.

No.  It would not be a hate crime.  No jurisdiction in the United States has a law purporting to make it a hate crime.

Of course, if one listens to propaganda about "oh noes they're trying to criminalize Christianity," you would think it could be a hate crime.  But it's not.  Not even close.

Now, if someone reacted to a religious display by going to their house and attacking them, or (in some jurisdictions) vandalizing their house, and their motivation was religious animosity, THAT would be a hate crime.  You might even get hit with a hate crime charge if you left a threatening note.  ("Take it down or we will kill you.")  But regular speech cannot be prosecuted as a hate crime, whatever the propagandists tell us.

[Twik]

I just had a nasty thought. You say you've had a lot of turnover.... If the religious makeup/ethnicity has changed a lot during that turnover.... and maybe you have a cranky neighbor who isn't happy about that - they could have faked the note trying to cause trouble for all the new 'different' neighbors???

Ok, probably not, but it just popped into my head as an icky possibility.

Yes, I was wondering about that.

(1) It could be real.
(2) It could be someone who just likes to poke anthills and watch the ants scurrying while they laugh.
(3) It could be someone who wants to cause a backlash against the new people moving into the neighborhood.

For any option, the best bet is to ignore it.

[Aeris]

Ok, though offended by the request to not have exterior decorations, I could maybe see it being valid.
I totally agree with th other posters who want to know what the heck Santa has to do with christianity, and the snowmen,,,we all remember the tales of the three wise snowmen bringing gifts to the baby Jesus...
What really gets me, is the request to not put the tree in an area visible from the street. C'mon! Almost everyone I know who does a tree pits it in their livingroom window, or somewhere visible from the window, as that's just where it fits best!

And let's flip it to another religion - if this were about Menorahs, I think that you are SUPPOSED to put a menorah where it can be seen from the street, arent' you?

I say do anything on your property that isn't obscene.

I do wonder though, if everyone would feel the same way if it were a less popular, or less well recognized, or less well accepted religion that was being targeted.

[Aeris]

I'm sorry, but couldn't this attitude be considered a hate crime if you really wanted to press the issue?  It seems that if a Jewish person put a symbol of one of their holidays in the yard or in a window visible from the street and received an anonymous letter saying these decorations were offensive, it would be considered a hate crime.

No.  It would not be a hate crime.  No jurisdiction in the United States has a law purporting to make it a hate crime.

Of course, if one listens to propaganda about "oh noes they're trying to criminalize Christianity," you would think it could be a hate crime.  But it's not.  Not even close.

Now, if someone reacted to a religious display by going to their house and attacking them, or (in some jurisdictions) vandalizing their house, and their motivation was religious animosity, THAT would be a hate crime.  You might even get hit with a hate crime charge if you left a threatening note.  ("Take it down or we will kill you.")  But regular speech cannot be prosecuted as a hate crime, whatever the propagandists tell us.

Here here.

For it to be a hate crime, I believe that an actual crime must have occured. "Hate crime" is just a subset of crimes, those with a particular motivation. (Yes, I realize that they may have committed mail tampering, but that's not really the idea they're going for - usually 'hate crime' laws attach to murder, assault, rape, etc.)

[JustaGroom]

See Evil me would do thiis:

Big sign that says "Do to complaints about the offensive nature of our previous displays, this year we have decided to not have ANY traditional decorations, thank you" And then make snow people in various "extracuricular activities" and a giant snow scupture of a certain body part.  And any other "nontraditional" thing I could think of. 

After one year of that, they will be happy to have the normal reindeer, santa, and nativity scene decorations back.  And that is also why evil me requires constant supervision.

Normal me says ignoring it is the best plan of action.

[Cz. Burrito]

Neighbor not only wants to dictate what is in your lawn, but where you place your interior decorations?!  

No.  I refuse to believe it.  I'm going to go hang out in my dark corner of delusion now, where I can pretend that you made this up.  

[Sharnita]

I don't know if it is a hate crime but isn't it a crime to but something into a mailbox that hasn't gone throught the US mail?  I would think that if these letters hadn't gone through the mail they neighbor might be technically guilty of mail tampering.

[Jenzilla]

It does occur to me that if I wanted to make people put up MORE decorations, this would be the ideal way to achieve that. 

I think I'd go with the assumption that it's a prank.

[JanetCinNC]

I'm sorry, but couldn't this attitude be considered a hate crime if you really wanted to press the issue?  It seems that if a Jewish person put a symbol of one of their holidays in the yard or in a window visible from the street and received an anonymous letter saying these decorations were offensive, it would be considered a hate crime.

No.  It would not be a hate crime.  No jurisdiction in the United States has a law purporting to make it a hate crime.

Of course, if one listens to propaganda about "oh noes they're trying to criminalize Christianity," you would think it could be a hate crime.  But it's not.  Not even close.

Now, if someone reacted to a religious display by going to their house and attacking them, or (in some jurisdictions) vandalizing their house, and their motivation was religious animosity, THAT would be a hate crime.  You might even get hit with a hate crime charge if you left a threatening note.  ("Take it down or we will kill you.")  But regular speech cannot be prosecuted as a hate crime, whatever the propagandists tell us.

Here here.

For it to be a hate crime, I believe that an actual crime must have occured. "Hate crime" is just a subset of crimes, those with a particular motivation. (Yes, I realize that they may have committed mail fraud, but that's not really the idea they're going for - usually 'hate crime' laws attach to murder, assault, rape, etc.)

OOPS!  Sorry, I didn't mean to use such a wrong term to describe what I was trying to say.  I've seen a lot of things on the local news lately about "hate crimes" where offensive words were the only "crime".  I guess I would have been more accurate to describe it as an attitude of intolerance and forget the media hype.  Sorry.

[artk2002]

"Dear Neighbor,

The Constitution does not guarantee you freedom from being offended.  Get over yourself."

[LadyMisha]

Oh my stars!  My co workers think I am NUTS!  I read the first post and let a WHAT!?! slip out before I caught it.  Oh, its nothing I tell them.  I am about to hit the reply key and remember, no, read the rest of the board first, before you reply.  So then I continue on...

and now I'm wiping away tears from choking on my own laughter for the past 5 minutes!  LOLOL  I am SO thankful that most of you had the same reaction as my initial one - don't like my decor?  Fine, lemme turn it up a few notches for you!

Like one of the PP's, it is often a parallel of Roseanne at my house, so a "White Trash Christmas" would definitely be in order!  

And whomever suggested the live nativity scene... you're eeeeeeevil!  <Diet Dr. Pepper snorted through the nose HURTS!>

Seriously?  I would probably put a sign up, along with the letter received from the neighbor on a small post in my front yard.  His letter up on top, and my reply on the bottom

Dear Neighbor,

I understand that my Holiday display offends you.  Please accept my apologies in advance and my invitation to simply ignore my decorations.  I promise, my feelings will not be hurt.

Wishing you all of the Holiday best!

Sincerely,

me


And by the way, it is a federal offense to put mail into a mailbox, punishable by up to 10K per mailbox per unmailed letter.