Has the Christmas season always been so full of useless crap?
I'm fortunate enough to live in one of those competitive neighborhoods. You know the kind I'm talking about. Where the Yuppies mow and trim their hedges the same height every week and give you disgusted looks if you don't follow suit. Every holiday is a reason to put up decorations or some kind of wreath on the door. And again, if you don't do the same you might as well hang your head in shame and turn in your HOA badge. Christmas is no different. Only more extreme.
This is only our second Christmas in this house, but let me tell you last year was an eye opener. At the crack of dawn, on the day after Thanksgiving, the neighborhood is full of hired workers putting up Christmas lights and yard displays of epic proportions. We thought, "No big deal. We'll put up some Christmas lights. Piece of cake." We were so wrong. We lined our yard and house in lights, while secretly coveting the dancing Christmas trees and singing snowmen of our neighbors. We weren't about to go out and drop a bundle on decorations just to keep up. Wrong again.
Every day we'd drive down our street one of the neighbors would have added something new, each of them topping the other in grandness and size. Now I'm a pretty competitive person, so you can see how it would be simple to get caught in this mindless trap. But finally we had to stop. We'd never be able to outdo the neighbors, especially the guy across from us who always measures his grass with a ruler. So we're the house on the street with only simple Christmas lights lining the roof. And I'm okay with that. Mostly. I've learned to ignore the disgusted looks and shaking fists as we drive by.
Is there a lesson in all this? Probably somewhere. Enjoy the holidays!
2 comments:
Have you ever watched ants running around their little farm trying to please their Queen? Always keep in mind, some of the most famous fashion designers have said "Less is more and keep it simple" So perhaps the neighbors should take note. By the way, Is gauwdy a word and If it is how do you spell it?
So true. And gaudy is a word and an apt description.
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