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Christmas humbug

Christmas lights are put up by the people who embrace the Christmas spirit, right? To help the rest of us become festive, right? But as I point out in my column in The Herald today, Christmas lights, like all the symbols we use to project ourselves, are more about your view of the householder than the householders' view of you.

Neighbours might not be so keen on having you think well of them, and I recall the exasperation of the neighbours of the Belmont North Gracelands house of Christmas lights after years of having thousands of people filling their street, trampling their lawn and keeping them awake.

Why shouldn't, I ask, the erection of Christmas lights require council approval as something that has an impact on the wide and immediate world? We're getting by with energy-efficient lights and our neighbours are putting up thousands of Christmas lights to show that they want you to think they're good people who love everyone for a few weeks of the year.

Approval for such lights could require them to be powered by solar panels, turned off at 8pm and dismantled on Boxing Day.

Those who are thrilled by Christmas lights will say that I have a jaundiced view of Christmas. But whose view is jaundiced? Mine or theirs?

Posted By: By Jeff Corbett on 4/12/2008 4:42:57 PM | Comments (16)

comments

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i'm all for the christmas lights, but they should be powered by a stationary bike with a dynamo driven by pedal power. This way we can have the Xmas feel good and attack the obesity epidemic at the same time.

Posted by mikey, 5/12/2008 9:23:57 AM

Great idea Mikey!

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 5/12/2008 10:20:07 AM

TOTALLY agree Jeff! i see it as nothing short of a yearly tradition similar to the p#ssing contest we held at the back of the toilet block as kids. appologies to the female readers. if you dont know what im talking about ask your husband/boyfriend etc.

Posted by lindsaymoogs, 5/12/2008 9:31:05 AM

Totally agree. If you happened to catch the tv advertisement for Hunter Valley Gardens recently apparently their lights can been seen from Space! & thats a good thing??

Posted by Sunshine, 5/12/2008 11:45:57 AM

Christmas is a religious condition exploited by retailers & perpetuated by consumers. Over rated & excessive on all levels. This throw away society needs to grow a conscience. Our planet can ill afford such consumerist excess. Many people are pushed to their limits by the quest to live up to the unrealistic standards forced upon us at this time of festy season.How many other religious faiths are subjected to lights,tinsel and other paraphanalia associated with Xmas against their will.Turn the lights off & give us all a break from these meaningless displays!

Posted by satan claws, 5/12/2008 12:15:27 PM

Those people who go way over the top with Chiristmas lights need to get a meaningful hobby, do some volunteer work or raise money for charity if they want people to think better of them. Some people actually DO raise money from their lighting extravaganzas but at the same time it is a bloody nuisance for everyone else in the street. There are more sensible ways of helping the world.

Posted by maitland, 5/12/2008 12:50:49 PM

Well Jeff i did say on the celeb blog that you would Boo Santa Claus and it appears you have! Who's next Jeff? The Easter Bunny, or maybe the Tooth Fairy, what about all the bikers next Sunday with their bikes done up riding toys into town. It's all abit of fun and the kids love it. Merry Christmas!

Posted by buell, 5/12/2008 2:02:35 PM

I don't touch a drop on Christmas Day, buell.

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 5/12/2008 2:34:14 PM

While Jeff is on the subject of christmas i thought it timely to review one of his blogs, in particular "A Caring Struggle" posted on the 14/5/08. it's worth reading again especially this time of year. Jeff the column that related to the blog had a support phone number could you post it again please.

Posted by chaff and oats, 5/12/2008 3:40:41 PM

Hello chaff and oats. I think the number you mean is 4967 2917. Cheers.

Posted by Jeff Corbett on 5/12/2008 4:16:53 PM

Well you are all wrong. Christmas is good because spending has now been declared the saviour of the country. Don't you know that 50% of retail turnover occurs at Christmas and New Year? Shame on all you Scrooges. Time to get with the program and indulge yourselves for Yuel.

Posted by Fruitfly, 5/12/2008 4:23:32 PM

I think it is lovely for these people celebrating Christmas this way.

Posted by happy, 5/12/2008 4:44:55 PM

well Happy i agree with Jeff 100% look look -my lights are bigger, brighter, better than yours! it is just a pissing contest. Even for those people who have their own generator so that they aren't drawing power from the grid they are still creating greenhouse gases that are totally unnecessary. I often hear of people who have put all their Christmas spending on a credit card and then have to spend months out of the following year trying to get it paid off. If someone had to do that to give me a gift i would prefer to go without. Or i could just be given some nice cheap pegs as in a previous blog. lol. that would do.

Posted by senior sergeant smith, 5/12/2008 10:33:35 PM

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