I read this KUSA article about local hooligans that slashed some inflatable Christmas flair and beat some plastic reindeer senseless.

Hammering the crap out of reindeer?  That’s not cool.   But here’s the stumper:   Is it really considered Scrooge like vandalism when someone deflates these hideous Christmas inflatables that laze around the front yards of mcmansions and bungalows alike?  Or is it more of a “community service” in making your neighborhood look somewhat attractive and presentable.

I comment frequently on our strange desire to buy and consume cheap plastic crap.  These things are above and beyond crap.  They’re just garbage.  And eight feel tall?  Why, why, why?   Shorter, but equally as crass is Santa lounging at the beach.

Jesus Christ.  Literally.  These aren’t pretty.  They aren’t interesting.  Why would you want your yard to look like a radio station promotion at a used car lot?

Growing up in Michigan a nearby neighborhood featured a “Christmas Card Lane.”  Every house used plywood, paint, and some lights to make a REASONABLE sized card in their front yard with a Christmas message.  Every year we’d pick up hot chocolate and slowly drive around their blocks.  Why made that special but inflatables crass?  The families on that block who created these displays worked together and actually put in family time and labor to make their creations.   They didn’t haul a monstrosity home from Wal-Mart, plug in the air pump and go watch TV.

Here’s an article from Gather.com about how to decorate without being over the top obscene.

James Van Dellen