People living on a Teesside estate have received poison pen-letters insulting their outdoor Christmas decorations. One letter, signed "The House Doctor", claims "I have never seen anything as tacky, common, cheap, pound shop in my whole life."
Earlier this week, a couple in the Cotswolds were sent a similar letter complaining about a single string of white Christmas lights on the front of their house.
Are outdoor Christmas decorations tacky or just a bit of festive fun? Do you have any quirky decorations around your house?
This debate is now closed. Thank you for your e-mails. The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received:
From the locations where I've seen the most tacky, OTT, gaudy lighting it appears that, yet again, people have their priorities wrong! Buy your children some clothes and nutritious food. They need your love and attention, not Christmas lights and 300 TV channels! These children will grow up to believe that Christmas is all about bling and how much money you spend in order to outdo the equally ignorant neighbours. Even if you are not religious you should realise that Christmas is about spending some quality time with the people that you love...
Binkston, Cardiff
How absurdly mean-spirited of people who seek to impose their notions of 'taste' on everyone else. The winter festival pre-dates Christianity in this country, and if our ancestors had enjoyed access to electricity, they might well have indulged in these colourful displays. I derive a degree of vicarious enjoyment from people's decorating efforts and, if anything, it reminds me that it is Christmas. Bling it on!
Jan, Hinckley, Leics
Christmas decorations have been becoming tackier year on year. It doesn't stop at lights any more. Now we are subjected to inflatable Homer Simpson Santas and other totally inane rubbish. From an environmental standpoint, does anyone stop and think how much some of these totally over-the-top lighting displays are actually costing in global warming, through frivolous use of electricity?
Andrew Taylor, Nottingham
 |  It's all a matter of taste  |
Are Christmas decorations too tacky? Not at all. It's all a matter of taste. I'm delighted to live in an area where the outside deccies on neighbour's houses and the local pub are very tastefully displayed. Our little girl is nearly two and she absolutely loves to see the lights. We are very fortunate to have such a stunning display almost on our doorstep, saving a drive to Gt Yarmouth or Blackpool.
Alan Mills, Hethersett, Norwich, England So that's why a lot of people sell their houses in summer. The unwitting new owners find out they have moved in next door to Blackpool illuminations when it's Christmas.
Paul, Stafford, UK
Oh dear. Christmas lights, garden fences, religious plays, ID cards, "Chelsea Tractors", hunting with dogs, smoking in pubs....What sad, small-minded, intolerant little people we all seem to be turning into in this country. My Christmas wish is that those among us who call stridently for the banning of anything they don't like to please, please take a good look at themselves and ask whether complaining about others is really the best use of their time and energy. Personally I think people who festoon the outside of their homes with lights are slightly loopy, but in a nice way. Long may they shine!
Richard, England
We put up lights on our house every Christmas. Not as many as some people but enough to bring pleasure to our 3 grandchildren and to all other children in the area whether they be 3 or 93 years old. People drive or walk down our street just to see the lights and we have received no complaints, only compliments. If we are bringing a bit pleasure to others at this time of year who has the right to criticise. Keep up the good work fellow lamplighters.
Judith, Fleet UK
Considering that the council's (or whoever's) displays in the centre of town are now awful, basically non-existent, not at all Christmassy and have been for some years I'm just glad someone else is taking over.
Tom, Bristol, England
Who are these people to call Christmas Lights tacky? Since when have us Brits been arbiters of good taste - we think putting a toothpick through a sausage turns it into a canap�.
Mike, Ipswich, UK
Whilst I respect everyone's rights and freedom to celebrate Christmas as they wish, many are missing the point of this Celebration. The only light you need for Christmas (or will ever need all year around ) is that of Jesus Christ. The sooner the western world stops over indulgence and consumerism to somehow fulfil their Christmas and truly considers their neighbour the better. Think what could be done with the cost of all these lights and the damage the extra energy needs is doing.
Daz, Basingstoke, England
Overreact much? I haven't seen any decorations in the UK that come even close to the amount of decoration I used to see every year on most houses in Arkansas. One local man had over a million lights: now that was a nuisance! And, in fact, he was taken to the Arkansas Supreme Court and forced to remove many of them - which he then donated to a display at Disneyworld. So do keep a sense of perspective. The lights shown in the picture at the top of this page are frankly wimpy in comparison.
Angel Johnson, UK (former US)
Tacky? Yes indeedy, but you know, it only lasts for a while and kids tend to enjoy them. Sadly, some people attempt to make this a 'class' issue, thereby keeping the tradition of class alive. Personally, I wouldn't do it and I think it's a waste of energy, but I'm not going to look down on people who do - I think that's called snobbery !
Ade, Dudley, UK
I'm afraid I do think they are tacky. Have people not heard the saying "less is more"? It's like an amusement arcade up where I live - rows and rows of flashing fruit machines and most have them have been like that since mid November - perhaps I'm just a snob!
Helen, Torbay Devon
| It's one of the great British traditions |
Yes, of course its tacky, but it's one of the great British traditions. I wouldn't have them myself but my 3 and 6 year old sons get immense pleasure from seeing 'over-the-top' decorations when we drive past. Its only for a month or so lighten up!
William, Leicester, UK I think people should be allowed to do what ever they want to their house during the Christmas season. If it makes a young person's day by going to see a house fully decorated then let them see it. To all those people who don't like the lights on houses then close your curtains and don't spoil other people's Christmas.
Jackie Reid, Tyne and Wear, UK
If someone wants to spend their money putting up Christmas lights outside their house then why shouldn't they? Personally I don't see the point, because the householder doesn't get the benefit of them unless s/he sits in their garden over Christmas.
Paul, Milon Keynes, England
| Who is supposed to benefit from the decorations? |
People who put up excessive amounts of outdoor decorations are inviting comment. The very fact that they're outside brings into question who is supposed to benefit from the decorations. Whether it be positive or negative, an overly decorated house is going to attract attention, and the occupiers should be well aware of this. I do personally think that some displays are tacky in the extreme, but am lucky not to have neighbours, so they don't bother me; but I may be tempted to write letters if I lived across the street from such a display. It's light and sight pollution, good job it's only for a month!
Jenny, Gloucester It's just a bit of fun for a few weeks of the year. Some people need to lighten up (pardon the pun).
Derek S, UK
A great deal of media attention has been given to the recent Madame Tussauds portrayal of the nativity scene using contemporary figures. As a Christian I find the increasing use of multi coloured lights adorning houses throughout the country more offensive. The wax works display at least brought to the attention the real meaning of Christmas, that of a saviour being born into this world. Tacky lights covering houses seem to be masking a lost understanding of the true Christmas message and more of the thinking that exterior image is more important than what lies inside.
Tim, Glasgow
No, I don't think they are tacky, I think they are lovely and brighten up dull winter evenings, I personally think they should stay up all winter to cheer us all up! I also think that people who send letters to the householders with the lights (usually anonymously) are either cowards, miserable gits, very unhappy people, or all three. I say to them, have you got nothing better to do with your time - get a life!
Viv Cowley, Warrington UK
I love Christmas and enjoy setting up the tree and decorations with my family but find decorations of this type tacky and offensive. It is perfectly acceptable to decorate the interior of your house to whatever level you choose but to go to these extremes on the exterior has nothing to do with celebrating Christmas but is simply a case of one upmanship with the tacky neighbours.
Paul McKean, Pickering, North Yorkshire I love when people decorate the outside of their houses in such a tacky way! It is some of the best entertainment of the year. We actually go out of our way to find the most spectacularly awful display in the area just for a laugh.
Clare, Scotland
The tradition was always 12 days before Christmas for putting them up and then taking them down 12 days afterwards. Now we have these prats putting them up from as early as the beginning of November. That's not Xmas - its autumn!
Mike Race, Bristol
Totally tacky and way over the top. They cause traffic problems as people slow down to look at them, stop in the middle of the road etc. Some claim it's for charity but it must raise far less than the electric bill! There's also the problems caused to neighbours as people come to look, park over driveways, the noise, light etc. However, I might loathe them but my little girls think they're great. Hopefully they'll develop a bit of taste as they get older!
Julie, Teesside
| The best 'lights' are the stars in our sky |
A small display of light is alright its the completely over the top displays which use far too much electricity should be banned! We should not throw away important resources on frivolous displays, they should all be turned off after 10pm. The best 'lights' are the stars in our sky, which are shrouded by urban glow - the greatest of natural displays!
Mellie, Scotland I live one street south of the most decorated street in Baltimore, which is affectionately known locally as "The Miracle on 34th Street". Is it tacky? Yes, and the folks who live on 34th Street will tell you the same. People like "The House Doctor" need to get off their high horses and get into the Christmas Spirit. Wasn't Jesus of common birth, wrapped in cheap swaddling cloths, placed in manger in cut-rate accommodations and illuminated by a bright star? So in my opinion, tacky, common, cheap and pound shop is just alright by me.
Eric, Baltimore, USA
Outdoor Christmas decorations are not just tacky, but add to light pollution as well. In my opinion planning permission should be required before they can be installed.
Mark Fairman, Matlock UK
| The streets are richer for their presence! |
Of course they are tacky, but isn't that the point? I wouldn't have them on my house (as I bet the cost of electricity is enormous), but I love laughing at everybody else's. The streets are richer for their presence!
Rob, Belfast, UK
No, I don't think they are tacky, I think they are lovely and brighten up dull winter evenings; I personally think they should stay up all winter to cheer us all up! I also think that people who send letters to the householders with the lights (usually anonymously) are either cowards, miserable gits, very unhappy people, or all three. I say to them, have you got nothing better to do with your time - get a life!
Viv Cowley, Warrington, UK
I think the Christmas decorations in my area bring a smile to most peoples faces during the darkest part of the year. I am sad to note that among the Santa's sleighs, elves and flashing trees I have not seen one nativity. It seems we have forgotten why we are being festive.
Gayle Smith, Manchester
This, I guess like a lot of subjects would benefit from the motto; less is more.
Mal Pearson, Hornsea
| It's harmless enough isn't it? |
Well, yes, the full-on cover every inch of the house and garden stuff is tacky. But it's harmless enough isn't it? And it gives us something to laugh at! I quite like just the simple stuff though. A nice string of white lights - can't see what's wrong with that.
Surely that's not much different than having your Christmas tree by a window so the lights are seen outside? And that's hardly tacky is it. I love that poison pen letter though! I love that people get that bothered about things that, at the end of the day, aren't really that significant in the grand scheme of things!
Veronique, London, UK
Outdoor decorations are just fun. They help to inject some much needed Christmas spirit. People that complain or find them tacky need to relax and take a step back!
Vicky, Surrey
I live in a rather "gritty" area of South London. It takes quite a lot to "transform" a block on the North Peckham estate (or any other estate) but the wonderful displays of Christmas lights outside some homes truly do lift the spirits and the environment. Whatever your beliefs, this is a dark time of year and a Festival of Lights is a wonderful way of helping us all through the winter. My thanks go out to the kind householders who put such a lot of effort and expense into brightening our evenings.
Franni, London, UK
This is all just getting a bit sad, commercial and Americanised. No wonder we don't get white Christmases - too much global warming from Christmas lights!
'The Grinch', Warrington
The person in the Cotswolds who complained about a single set of lights should see some of the local churches, their notice boards have many strings of coloured lights around them!
Caren, England
| Most things to do with Christmas fall off the taste barometer |
Of course they're tacky just as most things to do with Christmas fall off the taste barometer. If you don't like them, just comfort yourself with the thought that those who festoon the outside of their houses with illuminated reindeer and the like will face whopping great electricity bills in the New Year.
Jeremy B, London During the daytime these things look horrific, but at nighttimes they can be great - mainly because they are so hideous that they are funny again! I think people should mind their own business - if people want to spend their time and money decorating their house at Christmas then let them! Christmas is meant to be fun after all.
Flower, Hants, UK
Outdoor Christmas decorations are only a bit of fun, but the more extravagant displays can be dangerous when road users are distracted by them.
Beckie Hook, Leeds
I used to think decorations were very tacky - but, it's all about the kids. My daughter loves seeing a brightly decorated house - I'll buy some lights for next year!
Steve, Camberley, UK
Without wanting to sound like a kill-joy, I do think that some houses have really gone over the top this Christmas! Lights covering every inch of the house and huge inflatable snowmen are just an eye-sore! Having said that, I think that bringing a little bit of festive cheer outdoors is nice. A few simple lights in a tree though not the sort of trash we are seeing this season! Keep it simple Britain!
Matt, Bristol Yes Christmas Lights are tacky. They are also amazing and there is nothing better than walking the streets delivering Christmas cards and seeing all the displays! I for one love them
Amy, Teesside
I'm not one to set myself up as some kind of arbiter of good taste - I'm no fan of seeing the outside of people's houses covered in lights, but that's not my decision. What does annoy me is people who put these decorations up in November (and some as early as October). Can we not just celebrate Christmas around Christmas, and not in early Autumn?
Bill, Leicester, UK
Why people feel the need to adorn the front of their houses in brightly coloured, flashing rows of tacky lights is beyond me. They don't even get to see them, so why bother? Whatever happened to taste, eh!
James McHenry, Herts
In a nearby village, several houses (including a farmhouse) have completely covered their exteriors and gardens in illuminated Christmas decorations. They have collection tins for local charities, which they invite onlookers to contribute to. Local business have made free parking available so that the hundreds of people who come to see the lights don't cause congestion problems. The sight of dozens upon dozens of families coming together to enjoy a visual spectacle, contributing to charities, and the local community pulling together to enable an event like this, reminds me that there is such as thing as the Christmas spirit - it has not been completely demolished by the rampant commercialism that robs Christmas of its beauty everywhere else I look.
Tim, Thatcham, Berkshire, UK Personally I find these decorations hideous and tacky. What ever happened to the days when we used to just have lights on the tree? The true meaning of Christmas has been lost amongst commercialism and idiots trying to out-do each other with over the top decorations.
Emma, Feltham, England
Yes they are horribly tacky, but yes it is also just a bit of festive fun and I cannot imagine why anyone would object so strongly.
Andy, UK
I'm just glad there are people sad enough to pay for all this (and their electricity bill) for my entertainment.
Matt LG, Southampton, UK
| My 3 year old son absolutely loves them |
I cannot believe that some people take offence at these lights. Yes, admittedly some can look a little tacky but my 3 year old son absolutely loves them, and if nothing else they are cheerful and brighten up an otherwise dull, dreary evening. Have some people nothing better to do with their time than complain about them? They're only about for a few weeks of the year, so just enjoy them and get a life!
Sue, Nottingham, UK I have to admit to being horrified by some of the OTT outside decorations I have seen this year. However, this is my personal opinion and there is no way that I would judge the people that are putting them up let alone write insulting letters to them. Who do people think they are that they feel they have the right to behave in such an appallingly arrogant and hurtful way?
Karen, Southampton, England
Christmas is a time of magic to young children, and they love the lights. Its not as though they disturb people or animals, and they are normally only up for a month.
Carolyn, England
It's a sad time when people have to nitpick over the way others celebrate Christmas. Can they not appreciate some cannot afford extravagant lighting and celebrate in the best way they can?
Sean, Birmingham
A few lights is nice, but more and more houses are ending up totally covered in lights. Is there a risk of a power shortage?
Nathan Hobbs, Luton, UK
Here in France the local council has put up little Christmas trees outside all the houses in our village, tied to drainpipes and streetlights. There seems to be a general understanding that everyone puts some decorations on 'their' tree. The result is simple, pretty, individual and free of one-upmanship. Nobody is left out and nobody feels any need to go out and spend thousands on ridiculous lighting displays. Mind you, perhaps the price of electricity over here is a disincentive!
Andrew Rose, Dordogne, France I think we are in danger of becoming a nation of killjoys who actually enjoy spoiling other people's fun. Someone who is trying to brighten up the dreary weather with some lights and decorative cheer should be applauded not chastised. Stop moaning you lot!
Lawrence Chiari, Southampton UK
Anything that flashes too urgently is more Vegas than Xmas and just displays the owner's lack of taste.
Mark K, London, UK
Sure, some look dreadful but it's the thought that counts. These letters were obviously sent by people who have a very lonely Christmas to look forward to.
Santa Claus, North Pole
| They are environmental vandalism |
Tacky? They are environmental vandalism on the grossest scale. If people want garish decorations, put them where others don't have to see them.
Brian Beesley, UK As long as the lights aren't so bright at night that they're keeping the neighbours awake, you can make your house look like Santa's brothel. Personally, I think that the little strings of icicle lights look nice and it is exceedingly mean to send someone a letter at Christmas calling their decorations 'cheap and common'. If this is what this person does in their free time then perhaps they ought to get out more?
Vik, UK
Outdoor Christmas decorations are tacky. And, from what I have seen, poorly made and bad value for money. The flashing lights making some houses look like cheap strip clubs. Time to call a halt to this bit of Christmas tack.
Bumble, Dartford, Kent
Fair enough a few lights in a conifer, but plastic, illuminated Santas, reindeers, etc? Our Cotswold Village has sprouted a rash of bad taste lights this year. And as for the inter-house/street competitive element... Get a life!
Andy D, Oxford UK
| This all detracts from the true meaning of Christmas |
I must admit to having some sympathy with the view that a lot of decorations are tacky. It's possible to have a tasteful yet bright display, but too many are gaudy and nasty. The truth of the matter though is that this all detracts from the true meaning of Christmas, which is to celebrate the birth of a child who was God made man, for the forgiveness of our sins.
Tom Mason, Bristol, UK There's no excuse for sending cowardly letters. If people have a complaint to make they should follow the correct procedure. I would agree that there is some substance to the complaint about these decorations. Mine would be from an environmentalist point of view - what a waste of resources and electricity.
Jonathan, Cannock, Staffs
Of course they're tacky, that's half the fun. They provide my family and I with a good laugh, especially the ones that get more OTT as we head towards the 25th. Plus it brightens up the journey to the in-laws!
David, Grantham, Lincs
Round our way we call them "Chevy Chases" after National Lampoon's Xmas Vacation. As with all things there are good and bad examples, I just wonder about the electricity bills for some of these things. Does this all come under sponsorship from the electricity suppliers?
Justin Thomas, London, England
With all the hate and anger in the world today - why do people get so annoyed over something as insignificant as this that brings happiness to many?
Cathy, Southampton
| I'm not sure if I would want to illustrate my lack of taste to the whole neighbourhood |
I've always thought white lights can be tasteful, but some of these houses definitely are tacky - I'm not sure if I would want to illustrate my lack of taste to the whole neighbourhood. That said, little kids love looking at them, so maybe that's the point. The letter in the Cotswolds just goes to show some people should get a life.
Jay, Cardiff, South Wales I have considered fashioning rope lights with the word CHAV and a large arrow pointing at my neighbours house.
Shawn, York
The snob in me says they are tacky, but the kid in me says they are just a bit of fun. So long as it doesn't become every other house dressed up to the maximum I think they bring a bit of Christmas cheer and the fuddy duddies out there should lighten up.
lulu, London
Xmas decorations ARE tacky, that's the whole point! Xmas is not meant to be a toned down and dis-spirited affair. I'm just waiting to see the next stage - large helium filled balloons filling the skyline above people's houses with lit up Santa Claus and reindeers on the sides...
Joe, Sheffield
| What a bunch of Grinches! |
What a bunch of Grinches! Who is taking the energy to actually write these letters? It's Christmas for goodness sake. I personally find them uplifting, warming, unselfish and they get me in the Christmas spirit. Any outdoor lights in this miserable weather is a bonus. I am now going to buy a large string of lights for my house to try to brighten up the hearts of all the grinches out there. They obviously need it!.
Mark, London, UK, ex Canada Some people go a bit over-the-top, but on the whole I like to see festive lights at Christmas time. The real issue is that so many people think Christmas is all about Rudolf and Santa, but know little of Mary and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ben, Oxford
Well, yes, a lot of them do look tacky and cheap, but so what? It's nice to see a bit of colour and someone at least trying to brighten up their street, at a time when so many councils are providing either no decorations at all or a sorry set of bland white lights just in case they might inadvertently offend somebody who isn't a Christian.
Dave, London, UK
At the end of the day, Christmas isn't about the decorations. So as they are not really that important I believe the tackier the better! I personally have a blow-up Christmas tree which can be used year in, year out leaving me with more time and money to concentrate on the reason why we have Christmas in the first place - out Saviour was born
Natalie, Gibraltar
The beautiful Oxfordshire village of Tetsworth, famous for it's Antique Centre has a house displaying a huge lit-up Homer Simpson in the front garden. Was Homer one of the Wise Men perhaps?
R, UK
| How anyone sleeps with all these lights on is beyond me |
Hideous. They are completely and utterly revolting. How anyone sleeps with all these lights on (let alone pays the electricity bill!) is beyond me. All these dreadful decorations are killing the best part of December nights: the perfect, beautiful, natural light of the winter moon.
Jane, Wales I think simple white lights on a tree or window look nice, but large numbers of multi-coloured flashing lights look awful, and I think are designed to be an ostentatious display of wealth.
Toby, Bath, Somerset
I am in favour of the lights. When you drive in the dark mornings and evenings they brighten your journey and lift your spirits.
Christine Sharp, Sleaford Lincolnshire
Such decorations are not to my personal taste, but those who enjoy them might as well while they can. It won't be long before the politically-correct brigade ban all visible reminders of Christmas.
Kevin, Twickenham, England
I have being living and working now near Tottenham Court Road off Oxford St for the past few years. At last Oxford St has sorted itself out (even though they are sponsored by Harry Potter), but Tottenham Court Roads lights are abysmal! They remind me of the Xmas lights back home in Salford when I was 8!! Why bother - I have better decorations on my tree at home! If councils are gonna spend money on things like this make sure at least they are decent!
Phil, London
The problem is not so much that they are tacky, it's that often those who chose to display them go so over the top in their enthusiasm that what could have been a perfectly reasonable display becomes a sight best avoided. A few simple twinkling Christmas tree lights cannot surely offend, but I can see how 8 foot Santas are a step too far.
Chris, Newcastle
| People stop their cars to have a look |
They can be tacky, but there are several of these decorations near my home, and I think they're great. Every single one is being done for charity, and people stop their cars to have a look and make donations. Just so long as not everybody does it where's the problem?
Ed, London UK So, this person appears to think they have the right to have a go at people for TEMPORARY Xmas decorations, but doesn't have the nerve to reveal their own identity? What a complete coward.
Mark Maliik, Teesside, UK
How can anybody suggest bedecking your house in cheap lights and fluorescent reindeer is anything other than tacky! If it was classy, we would do it all the time!
Craig, Stirling
Maybe some people do go a bit over the score but children love it and for them it adds a little more to what is special about the time of year. I think that's all that matters.
M Tennant, Edinburgh, Scotland
Yes! Jump on a plane with a budget airline and fly to Germany to see a Christmas market. Tasteful, hand-crafted decorations on display and for sale. Outdoor decorations need not be tasteless. Why do so many Brits go over the top?
Vlad, Cardiff, Wales
I'm a Muslim having been born and bred here in England, and I must admit I enjoy the Xmas lights, it's just a bit of festive fun, in fact makes the streets look very warm and welcoming. Of course the issue of wasting energy resources is another matter...
Anon
| Some of the houses make the town decorations look pale in comparison |
I have outside decorations, not to a grand scale - but I think it as long as people do it taste fully then why not? After all it's all about getting into the Festive spirit.. I know of some houses locally that have lots more decorations than we have & they look great at night. So much so, I take my young children out some evenings just to show them the lights... I have to say also that some of the houses make the town decorations look pale in comparison. (Sorry)
Stu B, Andover, Hants I don't think that decorations are at all tacky. They brighten up any street at a time that is a dull and dreary time of the year anyway. What's the harm for a little while to brighten up everyone's lives? If people don't want to see them, they can always look away!
Mary, Biggleswade, Beds
On face value, many decorations are extremely tacky and I can see no point in dressing ones house to look like Blackpool illuminations. However, the people who do decorate their houses are gaining much pleasure from it and if that's how they get into the festive spirit, then why not?! To resort to poison pen letters really is a desperate act.
Dave G, Glos, UK
They used to be pretty if they were simple - a few lights in a tree, for example - and occasionally amusing. Now they are so ubiquitous it has become tedious. Also, they only look good in the dark - and because most places where people are now are flooded with the hideous orange glare of unnecessary street lighting, Christmas lights just look... a bit pathetic really.
Edwood, Malvern UK
Of course outdoor decorations are tacky, but so what. My Son (5) and Daughter (2) love to look out for the decorations as we drive around with shouts of 'lights, lights!' when they spot a new house festooned with gaudy lights, etc.
Linsey Simmons, Croydon, England
Yes, they are gloriously tacky and my kids love them. Gives Christmas the sparkly feel that I remember from my childhood. "Down with restraint and good taste", says I.
Mark Chisholm, Dereham, Norfolk
| A wasteful contribution to global warming |
A wasteful contribution to global warming, and a destruction of the darkness of the night sky. Bah! humbug.
Steve, Exeter Yes, they are of course truly vile, but it's not for long and the kids love them, and besides, there's something deliciously voyeuristically "car-crash" and horrified in driving past them! My children go to school in the Cotswold village you mention and it's bizarre - there's lots of (mainly tastefully) decorated houses there. Goodness knows why that couple were vilified.
CCC, England
Some of the depressing council estates that I visit are cheered up immensely by a few of these decorations, but I think there should be a narrow time limit on when they are allowed up, say December 18th to Jan 6th.
Tim Hughes, Telford
Oh just get a life .. with all the hype round Christmas how can this be offensive? Why be so intolerant?
Tony, Cardiff
I think it's funny that some local councils have become sensitive about Christmas decorations "because they may offend other religions". I imagine the religious people most likely to be offended by these House Blinger efforts would be Christians!
Dan Smith, Macclesfield, UK
When everyone has a power cut, you know who to blame when you have no lights, heating, TV, computers, cooker, etc. It is selfish that these people are not thinking of the amount of fossil fuel needed to sustain these ridiculous extravagances. The only winners are the electric companies.
Phill C, Sheffield, UK
People just like to have a little piece of Blackpool outside their front door. Where is the harm in that?
Derek Scougall, Falkirk, Scotland
I once made a sarcastic comment about the decorations outside a friend's neighbors house. He told be that their little girl had leukemia and they were trying to make Christmas as nice as possible for her. It certainly made me get things into perspective.
Phil Rogers, Godalming, Surrey
| Let people enjoy the holiday the way they want to! |
I don't really like the pre-formed iconesque shapes that get mass produced and sold in DIY stores, but that's just my taste and I wouldn't ask anyone else to decorate their homes according to my personal preferences. Let people enjoy the holiday the way they want to!
Fletcher, Poole, UK I don't really have time to decorate the exterior of my own home, but I absolutely love seeing houses all decorated up. OK, some people go very OTT but so what? It's Christmas, it's their property and it's their choice. Frankly, some people need to get a life. If they get this worked up about a few lights they obviously have very empty lives.
Laura, Thornton
I find them usually extremely tacky and overdone, especially flashing ones. They appear to be most common in the less well off neighbourhoods, and I hate to think of the added expense in electricity bills. Also, they strike me as very inconsiderate to neighbours and people living opposite when left on overnight.
Amanda K, Devon
| Donate the money you spend on the electric and light to charity |
Tacky and awful. What a waste of money. Donate the money you spend on the electric and light to charity. People who want to look at lights should spend time and effort decorating the inside of thier own homes.
Caroline, Chichester UK I am unfortunate enough to live near a road which is covered (and I mean covered) in these eyesores. If done right and in moderation then Chrsitmas lights are fine but the blow up Santa's and enough lights to make that road visable from space are just cheap looking and nasty.
Dan, Bristol, UK
They can be either tasteful or tacky - it depends on whether the owner knew when to stop! There's nothing wrong with showing festive spirit, but some of these houses are bordering on being an eyesore with overcrowded gardens and just too much going on. But there are many houses which are restrained enough to be beautiful and respectful to the underlying religious aspect of the occasion.
Jenni, Cambridge UK
Yes they look cheap. Yes they look tacky. Yes I hate them. But I am much more concerned about the mindset that is seemingly gaining hold in this country that things that elements of the population deem unacceptable should be banned - hunting, smoking, disciplining children and now fairy lights?
Ian Gill, Nottingham
Of course Christmas lights are tacky, but that's part of the fun of Christmas. Losing ones inhibitions and pride. Having a good time and displaying it to the world.
John Eddowes, Dundee, UK
Nothing as tacky, almost obscene, as Tony's and Cherie's Christmas card.
Dr Yousef Abdulla, Orpington, UK Yes, of course, isn't that the point?
ben challis, Folkestone, UK
Like everything else. It is a matter of taste. Some people just have naturally bad taste and plaster the outsides of their houses with all manner of garish lights and tacky Santas etc. They probably think that the people outside are admiring their efforts whereas in fact they are being laughed at! The odd thing is that the people inside the houses cant actually see their 'creativity': it's everyone else that suffers. People who do it for charity can be excused!
Richard Drewett, Dartford Kent
I am originally from America, where Christmas lights are common. Yes, they can be garrish and tacky, but they delight children and bring a bit of festive light during a dark time of year. So long as neighbours only display them during the holiday season, where is the harm?
K Briscoe, London, UK
Our neighbours across the road have set up their window in the style of a Christmas grotto. The kids living next door to us like it, we like it (although not to my taste - a Penguin, Santa, Chuckie from the Rugrats, fake snow, etc) and everyone that goes past it likes it. Most of the houses on our road have lights outside (including ours) and it just makes the area look more festive than anything else. If somebody wants to put these decorations out, what's the harm? The world is a dark enough place as it is, without people complaining about a few lights on a house, or a plastic reindeer on the lawn.
Alastair, Scotland
| People seem to add more and more each year to keep up with neighbours |
Sometimes you would not believe it was Christmas unless you go into the shops or inside houses, so yes some decorations are nice, but people do go over the top and the whole display becomes tacky and cluttered. People seem to add more and more each year to keep up with neighbours, but it just makes their homes look like some tacky fairground ride.
Sarah, Chester, UK It doesn't matter what you think of an abundance of Christmas lights on the outside of someone's house - sending a poison pen letter is a mean, nasty and small minded thing to do. Anyone who feels strongly enough to send one, really needs to get a life, and let the people, who are obviously very proud of celebrating Christmas, live theirs in their own way.
Elaine, Letchworth Garden City UK
We have a right to express an opinion, of course, and I personally can't stand the tacky, over-the-top rubbish some people plonk on/outside their homes. However, I would defend to the last their right to do it. Opinion is one thing, insulting behaviour is quite another.
Chas Knight, Duxford, UK
| Well done to those bringing a little festive joy |
I have one thing to say... Get a life scrooge. Well done to those bringing a little festive joy and especially well done to those doing it for charity.
Cath Dunne, Merseyside So many are utterly tasteless. I love walking home during December and seeing houses with trees in the window, or a string of lights around the house. But there's always someone who spoils it by putting so many lights on their houses that they need a dedicated power station to light them all, or the 20-foot inflatable Santa that plays canned music very loudly. Give us a break - we don't all want to look at your tat.
John B, UK
People in the Cotswolds can barely balance on their hind-legs, teetering about all cloven hoved. So for sure they are bound to feel threatened by anything thats later than the 19th century encroaching on their somewhat inward facing lives.
Eric, Bourton-On-the-Water
Of course the are tacky. They are used to get 'one up on the neighbours' by people who fail to realise that less is more. A bastion of the Nouveau Riche.
Neil, Glasgow
I think that Christmas decorations can be good, but they can also be very distracting for drivers. Some people can go over the top with the decorations, and it detracts from what the TRUE meaning of Christmas is about - oops sorry, forgot we are not allowed to celebrate the true meaning .
Jo, Canterbury, Kent
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