London Christmas Lights

[Peridot]

Glad you enjoyed it pheasantchick. I think, as you found, that sometimes the best Christmas lights are in the least obvious places!

[southbucks3]

You are very right, you can be pleasantly and magically surprised, in the most mundane areas. Wycombe has hung some giant illuminated snowflakes in some normal streetside deciduous trees...they look absolutely lovely, but very simple really. Not that I don't love all the big colourful stuff too, love it all! There is also a local barber's that has a man sized fibreglass Santa, reindeer and tree flanking it's entrance...all 50's fun style, it really matches its red swirly thing, and looks so welcoming,like the entrance to a grotto.

I love the lights...never have much of our own outside, just love everyone else's...oh except the blue or red strobey style, that just annoys me, hanging in an ineffectual way ftom someone's front hedge. (No innuendo intended )
My bessie friend made me laugh once during a long chat about Christmas lights with another friend and I, they concluded that white icicle lights round your roof were tasteful. Thankfully they understood when I just burst out giggling, and told them to get a grip, it is all total tat...that is why we only do it for two weeks...release our inner kiddie.

So go on, fess up, who has got a set of reindeer on their lawn...I will go first, we have a 10 foot inflatable snowman!

[pheasantchick]

Sorry, no inflatable snowman here.

I have discovered though that the area I liked in London is the Seven Dials area of London. Definitely worth a visit.

[Amber]

One of our neighbours has decorated every inch of his house with the most vulgar, gaudy, tasteless and violently flashing lights ever seen beyond Blackpool. Dancing puddings, snowmen, santas, robins, a pitchfork (very seasonal) - the lot. They show up all the better as there are no street lights in the village, and no one else has anything beyond a small string of lights on a tree. The bill for the electricity must be almost as dazzling as the lights themselves, and the elderly of the village have been hospitalised in their droves having suffered spontaneous apoplexy when walking past. Dogs are howling into the small hours, horses have bolted and the wolves are restlessly roaming. Regulars on here will know that I am not a fan Christmas at the best of times, but this is pushing me to the limit. I am offering large nut bribes to the abundant local squirrels, who have seen off the telephone and broadband cables several times, so I can't see why they would be defeated by a few low voltage mangers.

Who needs to go to London?

[doodles]

Our little close is very festive, if a little tacky but I don't care 'cos its Christmas!!

[southbucks3]

[quote="Amber"]One of our neighbours has decorated every inch of his house with the most vulgar, gaudy, tasteless and violently flashing lights ever seen beyond Blackpool. Dancing puddings, snowmen, santas, robins, a pitchfork (very seasonal) - the lot. They show up all the better as there are no street lights in the village, and no one else has anything beyond a small string of lights on a tree. The bill for the electricity must be almost as dazzling as the lights themselves, and the elderly of the village have been hospitalised in their droves having suffered spontaneous apoplexy when walking past. Dogs are howling into the small hours, horses have bolted and the wolves are restlessly roaming. Regulars on here will know that I am not a fan Christmas at the best of times, but this is pushing me to the limit. I am offering large nut bribes to the abundant local squirrels, who have seen off the telephone and broadband cables several times, so I can't see why they would be defeated by a few low voltage mangers. ]

Oh bah humbug!
I think the squirrels are too busy plumping their pillows, and tucking into winter nut roast dinners in their little nest dining rooms, to be bothered chewing low voltage cables at this time of year?
I shall hunt down your disco, put Rudolph antlers on its bonnet, a string of battery fairy lights round the spare wheel and stencil artificial snowflakes onto your windscreen.

[Amber]

Oh bah humbug!
I think the squirrels are too busy plumping their pillows, and tucking into winter nut roast dinners in their little nest dining rooms, to be bothered chewing low voltage cables at this time of year?
I shall hunt down your disco, put Rudolph antlers on its bonnet, a string of battery fairy lights round the spare wheel and stencil artificial snowflakes onto your windscreen.

That is the thanks I get for supporting you on iPads on another thread. Where's the Christmas spirit there SB3?

DD did buy some red lights in the shape of reindeer for the disco and OH actually put them in it on the drive. But we thought it looked as if we were taking the **** out of the illuminated neighbours so we took them out. And DS has put some very tasteful warm white lights over the garage so we are not entirely bah humbug.

iPads in schools? What a silly idea! Bring back chalk and slate I say, and the cane to boot. In fact why send the blighters to school at all while there are still chimneys to be swept? Waste of public money, I say.

[southbucks3]

I sincerely apologise Amber.
However as I have forced your hand into admitting that you are actively embracing the joy of Christmas tat, with your warm, tasteful, white lights I feel somewhat triumphant.

Put the Rudolph lights back in...You misunderstand the neighbours, I am sure they would probably rejoice in the fact that their cheer is spreading around the village. Besides which it would be fun to see if they decorate their car in response.

[Amber]

SB3; I embrace tasteful embellishment of house and grounds a la Sweden and Germany where pretty much all my stuff comes from. Once we are into anything which flashes, jingles or otherwise jolts the senses, I part company with the desire to celebrate. And I should say that we have candles at breakfast and dinner once the clocks go back and my love of gentle white (or even coloured) lights and certain wooden decorations coincides with, but is unrelated to, Christmas, which I would dearly love to escape. Signs saying 'Santa please stop here', tinsel around what might otherwise be reasonably decent pictures in people's hallways, cover versions by squeaky females of traditional carols blasting out in every shop, 3 for 2 offers on plastic tat labelled 'stocking fillers'- no good will ever come of these things. Don't mind a bit of mistletoe in the right context, but as one gets older that context sadly doesn't crop up so much.

In fact I read in the paper yesterday that a third of Britons agree with me.

[kenyancowgirl]

I must confess to being a vehement hater of all things tinsel. We have a tree - must be real - decorated with simple white lights and all red decorations. I am also a lover of candles everywhere (again white...) but, obviously nowhere near the tree! Mainly because, at the end of the Christmas period, this is put in the wood shed and used as a natural fire lighter for our wood burning stove, for the following year.

I love the spirit of Christmas but hate the commercialism of it all. And also the racing around, pressure to "see" everyone - why can't we spread this out through the year - I'm always up for a meal, I just don't understand why I have to try and shoehorn in a year's worth in a fortnightly period!!