thank you {december 5, 2022}

To the people who own that house. We just discovered you this year. Come the day after Thanksgiving, you have enough Christmas lights to power a village. Your house draped in lights, larger-than-life mega tree, oversized candy canes and ornaments galore, the “dog park.” You are not the house in the neighborhood with sparing, intentionally-placed lights and baubles. No, you are the one that bounds chaotically past tasteful, into the realm of pure fun.

I read about you in a Dayton blog and saw photos from previous years. T and I made a point to drive by your Christmas house to marvel at the over-the-top decorations. At this point, they basically go hand in hand with the season. When the Christmas house is all decked out, that’s a local indicator that the holiday season has come at last.

We appreciate how you have created this holiday experience. Rejoicing in your home will become a tradition that we regard with nostalgia and warm regards despite chilly winter weather. Your festivities are delightful. You laugh in the face of minimalist decor, and we are happy you do so.

Thank you for your time and effort. It doesn’t go unnoticed. Creating this mega-display of Christmas spirit  cannot be easy. We take in the wonderful madness of your yard and ask ourselves, 'How in the world did they manage that!' and 'Where do they even keep all of this during the rest of the year?' Not to mention the cost to foot the electricity bill for all of those glorious, twinkling Christmas lights and automations.

We appreciate that you put up with the constant, pesky flow of traffic on your street, especially as cars slow down in front of your lawn and greedy eyes take in your home's exterior, which in any other context would be extremely concerning. You didn't have to share the holidays with so many onlookers but you chose to do so which brings joy to young and old alike. Thank you.