Yard Art
Nov 30th 2007
Julia LondonMy Life As A Plebe
So the other day, I was driving to the grocery store on the back roads and I passed a house that had several large, flat, painted cows in their yard. They made no attempt for them to look real—they were one dimensional and smiling. I thought that was odd because I live in 
But some people are really into yard art. On the way to
Today, the people down the street erected an enormous snow globe in their yard, complete with falling snow. Santa and a reindeer are trapped inside in the frigid temps while the rest of us are in the 70s and shorts.
I am not a yard art person. I am not a decorations person. My friend has her house already decorated inside and out. I look at that and think that it’s a whole month for the dogs to tear it down, or Jack London’s grandbabies to eat green plastic stuff. 
If I had to guess, I would guess that Suzanne and Rachel are yard art people. Suzanne’s would be sort of sci-fi-ish with storm troopers, and Rachel’s would be innocent animals dressed inappropriately. If I had to guess, I would think that Nicole, me, and Karen Rose break out the holiday gear last, and that Sabrina and Karen H. are somewhere in between. And I would guess that Claudia’s are the most tastefully done. 
Goddesses, out yourselves! Are you a yard art person? A decorator? Are they up, or will you wait? And here is a little holiday gift for you: From everyone who posts a picture of their yard art or decorations under the announcement for this blog on the bulletin board, I will draw a name randomly to receive a signed copy of my backlist!
60 Comments »
60 Responses to “Yard Art”
Julia London on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:05 am #
Sorry I am late, gang — I did something wrong in the post :-(.
Karen Rose on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:25 am #
Around the holidays I LOVE yard art, but you’re right, Julia, I don’t have any myself. My reasons for not putting any up:
1) I am on deadline.
2) I am lazy about decorating even when I’m not on deadline.
3) I live in this community with really stuffy restrictions and don’t want to get busted by the home owner association people who have too much time on their hands. (I’m considering going on a black-ops night mission and leaving pink flamingos in random yards, just to piss them off.)
4) DH thinks my yard art ideas are tacky. This from the man who one year decorated our tree with fishing lures…
But it’s the holidays and it’s fun to dress up your yard. So YAY to yard art!
What I really want is the white wire sleigh being pulled by alligators. It’s FL, get it? Or flamingos or something. I’m going to get one in January this year when they go on sale. It’ll be my book-finished reward.
Kim on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:27 am #
Okay everybody! I’ve got the announcement thread up in the They Speak forum. Post those pictures!
Oh and Julia, I NEVER do yard art. Anywhere you drive in Indiana you see those cutouts of an old lady bending over or a little boy peeing. No thanks.
*groans* but you did remind me I promised to put the Xmas tree up this week.
Julia London on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:33 am #
Karen R, here we have — you guessed it — wire light up cows. Longhorns, tho. What’s Christmas without a Longhorn?
Thanks, Kim! Yard art or decorations — whatever you got, kids!
claudia dain on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:36 am #
Not a fan of yard art if we’re talking cardboard cutouts, painted. I don’t understand the appeal of that at all, but I’m willing to be educated. Can we include mailbox flags or mailbox camo in the yard art category? I don’t get those either.
If we’re talking pumpkins and mums tastefully arrayed on the front porch in October or a naturally tasteful cedar and holly berry wreath on the front door in December, then yeah, I decorate outside. But tastefully. Only tastefully.
Of course, DH is busy wrapping colored lights around every vertical object in the front yard every minute he’s home, but that’s another story.
cookeemama on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:37 am #
LOL, Kim! The old lady is the very first thing that popped into my head. I used to hang lights at Christmas but don’t do that anymore since all the kids are out on their own and I go to their houses for Christmas pudding. I do enjoy seeing other’s efforts on lights.
I loath yard art. People who do it can’t seem to stop with just one or 2 things. Noooo. The more the merrier, the tackier the better. There is a place near me that never has to mow because they have so much nautical yard art. May I say that we don’t have much ocean here in Lancaster, PA?
Are these same people who hang stuff from their rear view mirrors?
Margaret
Julia London on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:37 am #
Yard art! That’s yard art, Claudia! Lights wrapped around vertical objects outside is yard art!
cookeemama on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:42 am #
Claudia, I would strongly suggest that you don’t stand still anywhere near your DH while he is in this frenzy.
Please tell me he’s not one of those that hangs those iceling lights all about and then leaves them up for the whole year. One of my pet peeves, BTW.
claudia dain on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:50 am #
I can swear and attest that DH does NOT leave the lights up (yes, we have icicle lights, too) all year. The lights go up after Thanksgiving and are down on New Year’s Day. This is the Prime Law.
Outdoor lights are yard art? Huh. We do yard art. I am a Yard Artist, or at least I live with one.
But I don’t hang stuff off my mailbox or my rearview mirror. Does that count in my favor?
Karen Rose on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:50 am #
Mailbox flags I don’t know about, but I think unique mailboxes are fun. In Ohio, we had a cow mailbox made by a local woodworker. So cute! Now we can’t have anything like that because of neighborhood regs. Everybody has the same tasteful black enamel lacquered box-shaped mailbox. It’s like Stepfordville. B-O-R-I-N-G. I particularly enjoy the large mouth bass mailboxes where you open the hinged mouth to get your mail.
In Ohio, our neighbors had an armadillo mailbox that was cool.
But I don’t like the lady bending over or the kid peeing. Just for the record.
Claudia, when your DH finishes your yard, can you send him to mine? Nothin’ says Happy Holidays like lights wrapped around palm trees. Really! I love it!
SuzyQ on 30 Nov 2007 at 11:13 am #
Claudia, I’m with you. Tastefully done yard art. I love mums and pumpkins in the fall and right now we have white lights around our shrubs, a wreath on the door and white icicles lights on the roof. That’s it. No reindeer or snow globes on my front lawn. Now my neighbor across the street is a different story. There is not a spot on his lawn that does not have some blow up contraption. This year there is a new carousel. It even spins.
So I am done. The tree is up, the train is whistling around the tree (which my kids love) and my Christmas village is complete. I spent last weekend decorating the whole house. Now if only I could get my shopping done . . .
Caren Crane on 30 Nov 2007 at 11:26 am #
The problem I have with decorating outdoors is it takes time and effort, both to assemble and dismantle. Being naturally slothful, my dh and I enjoy neither. Actually, we both work very hard, but not on decorating. This weekend, I am forcing my family to decorate inside the house. Wreaths will go on the doors, but that may be it for us and outdoor decorating this year. We shall see…
Caren Crane on 30 Nov 2007 at 11:28 am #
Btw, Sabrina own more miniature Christmas trees than anyone I know. She decorates every square inch of the inside of her home. Outside her home, I have only seen colored lights on the bushes–no yard art. It’s all very lovely and tasteful.
I have also witnessed Claudia’s “yard art” and her dh adding more (to a yard that looked fully decorated already, btw). It was lovely and not tacky (like the house I saw in an adjacent neighborhood last night–ack!).
RachelG on 30 Nov 2007 at 11:41 am #
“Rachel’s would be innocent animals dressed inappropriately.”
What? My animals are always dressed appropriately. They would never dress for the wrong occasion. Their Halloween costumes are all packed away and this weekend we’ll bust out the antlers.
I love staring at people’s yard art. Although I don’t have any myself. However, during the summer months, my mother fills her backyard with hundreds of flamingos. A few summers ago, I was in Vegas and bought her a flamingo from The Flamingo.
Rachelg
Mia Rose on 30 Nov 2007 at 11:41 am #
This year I WANT to try the whole Christmas ‘yard art’ thing, it’s actually my goal… I’m an ASPIRING YARD DECORATOR.
I confess, I’m a virgin when it comes to yard decorating… before this year we’ve lived in rental’s and I just couldn’t bring myself to get excited enough to actually do it. Since this will be our first holiday in the new house, I’m determined to decorate and make it look pretty.
Now I’m not talking about year round yard art (i.e. the lady and little kid, EW)… in my world it’s only acceptable if it’s Holiday decorating. No matter how cheesy it is, it’s excusable for Holidays. As long as it’s not in my yard, it’s fun to see. I’m not *planning* on going crazy, but lights on the house and maybe some small lighted candy canes or something for the walk way and I’ll be happy.
cail on 30 Nov 2007 at 12:04 pm #
alas, i don’t have a yard.
if i had a house, i might do lights, and maybe a wreath. the thing i hate the most are those giant plastic snow globe decorations.
TACKY!
(p.s. i still haven’t taken down the cobwebs from my halloween party, obviously my xmas lights would be up past valentines day)
amy1242 on 30 Nov 2007 at 12:10 pm #
I wish I had a picture from last year when my dh put up his GIGANTIC blow up Bucky Badger! It’s not up yet but I know it’s coming. He lights up from the inside so at night his red and white striped shirt really stand out. He’s got to be 8 feet tall. People used to drive by our house just to see it. As soon as the kids came off the bus after school, they’d knock all the snow off him and start the blow up process. He WAS kind of cool looking in the snow.
Lisa H on 30 Nov 2007 at 12:54 pm #
Yes, we have Christmas Yard Art. I try to tastefully decorate for all the holidays and seasons, but alas I do not live alone.
I wanted the white isicle lights and white lights on the bushes and a manger scene in the front yard.
What I got is a giant inflatable santa, colored lights that as my husband quotes, “Do sixteen different things” to which I replied, “Do they do the dishes.” He just walked away. Anyway, we have those chasing, twinkling, strobing lights, garlands with bows and wreaths. We also have two white wire Christmas trees that were a gift.
Its not so tacky, but it’s not exactly the elegant decoration I envisioned.
I decorate for Christmas the weekend before Thanksgiving. I love Christmas time, everything about it. The inside of the house is a bit less tacky than the outside!
Being technically challanged, I will try to post a photo, or maybe I can email it to Kim and she will post it for me!
claudia dain on 30 Nov 2007 at 1:41 pm #
I feel I am really missing out on the Next Big Thing. I have never seen a snow globe on a lawn. I have seen Santas and candy canes and sleighs and lighted reindeer (very popular here), but no snow globe reenactments. I wonder if we’re just behind the times on the Yard Art movement?
Karen Hawkins on 30 Nov 2007 at 1:42 pm #
It was my fault Julia’s post went up late. She asked me if the ’save’ button would work and I said yes when I should have told her to hit the ‘publish’ button instead.
Sorry, gang!
I hang one string of blue lights, half of which work, on my porch railing somewhere between Dec. 21-25. Then take it down sometime in April.
Does that count as ‘yard art?’
I collect Christmas onaments and have over a thousand, but it doesn’t keep me from waiting until the VERY last minute to put the tree up. I love doing it, but the time always sneaks up on me. December is like that!
Karen Rose, if you need volunteers for your black-ops night mission, I’ll come. I have my own black outfit, complete with ski mask and I’m willing to plant a flamingo/little boy peeing/any other visual you wish in the yard of every Home Owners Association member you point out. Just let me know!!!!
Karen Rose on 30 Nov 2007 at 1:47 pm #
Karen H, done and done. I’ll be contacting you via super secret code with the details and coordinates of our mission.
KarenR, out.
Lisa H on 30 Nov 2007 at 1:49 pm #
I have some of Johnny Depp’s underwear I’d be willing to award to whoever takes a picture of Karen and Karen in their 007 garb and posts it on the Forum! LOL
Julia London on 30 Nov 2007 at 1:54 pm #
Suzy Q, you have a train??? take a picture!!
Rachel, my apologies. I should have said, Rachel will, inappropriately, dress some animals. But they will be appropriately dressed for hte season. Altho I have to say I sort of like those pink flamingos.
Amy, I have never seen a Bucky Badger, but I have seen a giant blow up reindeer.
Lisa H, post a picture of your Santa!!
Claudia, those snow globes are two stories tall. they are enormous! If I can find a pic, I will post it.
Karen H, it is not your fault! And I would kill to see you and Karen R on your mission, LOL.
Nicole Jordan on 30 Nov 2007 at 2:06 pm #
>>>If I had to guess, I would think that Nicole, me, and Karen Rose break out the holiday gear last,
Lol, Julia! I’d say you know me pretty well. Not only do I not do yard art, we don’t do much holiday decorating at all — a wreath and a few other things — since we always travel to my dh’s family’s home for Xmas. Why put it all up if you’re not here to enjoy it?
I generally don’t like looking at other people’s yard art, either, esp some Floridian’s pink flamingos! But I do remember seeing a darling family of ducks somewhere who got new costumes regularly depending on the season.
And I love what my horse’s trainer does at her farm at the end of the driveway to welcome visitors…. lots of different uses for tractors. For Xmas, her big tractor serves as Santa’s sleigh.
Kim on 30 Nov 2007 at 2:36 pm #
Is KarenR reminding anyone else of that recent episode of Desperate Housewives? Where they reinstate the neighborhood police to get rid of an ugly fountain. LOL
Georgie Lee on 30 Nov 2007 at 2:38 pm #
Fountains and maybe one tasteful St. Francis are great but otherwise I am not a fan of fake deer and pink flamingos. However, I have to admit that I have two trolls in my back yard. They were gifts from family members to remind me of the time in grad school when I rented a room from an old woman whose front lawn was covered in trolls.
Sabrina Jeffries on 30 Nov 2007 at 2:51 pm #
Okay, Julia is just plain scary. I think she pegged us all pretty well. Here’s the thing–I over-decorate for Christmas. I LOVE Christmas (am listening to Christmas music this very minute). BUT, like Caren, I am naturally slothful, so the whole yard art thing is just too hard. Climbing all those ladders, bringing the lights down from the attic … too much work! DH’s desire for tasteful decor and natural slothfulness wars with his love of the pretty lights, so while he might go for an elaborate scheme, he just can’t rouse himself to do it.
The end result is he and I do the tasteful lights in front (as soon as we can get to it, which will be this weekend), and I do the six trees. Yes, six. BUT only one of them is bigger than a couple of feet, so they’re miniature trees–one that is stored already decorated, one that I do for my son (he LOVES Christmas, too), one that I do for my office upstairs, a little one I do for the entry way and another little one I put on a table.
Suzanne Enoch on 30 Nov 2007 at 2:55 pm #
Okay, first of all, the Stormtroopers do not go outside. Someone might take them. And I’ll have you know that I just purchased a 7′ iron tree from which to hang all of my Star Wars, Star Trek, Buffy, and Lord of the Rings ornaments all year round. That will stay upstairs.
As for what does go outside, okay, yes, I put up lights and string them all along the metal railing on the front patio. And the adjoining tree. At Halloween I had one of those inflatable things — ghosts coming out of a skull. I wanted the coach of death with the headless horseman driving, but they were out.
Inside, Gerald the giraffe gets a Santa hat and a string of lights, and I position him so it looks like he’s grazing off the Christmas tree — which is decorated in a very tasteful Victorian style. That’s my idea of subtlety and tastefulness.
Sabrina Jeffries on 30 Nov 2007 at 2:58 pm #
I want to get a bigger one for my office, though, so I can make it all about romance (DH balks at that). I have a bunch of cool ornaments and nowhere to use them, because they’re disproportionately large for the small trees.
Right now, we’re in limbo with the decorations–boxes everywhere, pieces here and there. I’m just waiting for tomorrow. Why, I don’t know, since DH does very little of the decorating. He pretty much tolerates my obsession, but if I ditched everything but the big tree, he’d be fine.
If I were retired from writing, however, I’d have little villages and yard art, and every tacky Christmas thing I could find. Did I mention that I love Christmas?
Claudia, does it count as tacky if you leave it up until Epiphany (January 6th)? That’s a New Orleans tradition, and we always do it. That’s where the 12 days of Christmas comes from, btw–Dec. 26th to Jan. 6th.
Sabrina Jeffries on 30 Nov 2007 at 3:00 pm #
Oh, and Claudia, if you want to see the snow globe, there’s one in our neighborhood down the street. Come over and you can see it! Or I’ll take a pic. It’s NOT 2 stories (geez, Julia, exaggerate a little, will ya?), but they are pretty big. I want one.
Julia London on 30 Nov 2007 at 3:06 pm #
I am a writer. I exaggerate the human condition and their snow globes.
Someday, I am going to be in SoCal, and I am going to see Suzie’s storm trooper tree and her giraffe and I am going to blog about it. Its a dream of mine.
ct009ct on 30 Nov 2007 at 3:12 pm #
Yard Art - NO!
Holiday Yard Art - YES!
We consider ourselves tasteful - Really we are.
That being said - I should probably not mention that from the first weekend in December to January 6th, you can - read a book - at night - sitting on the bench in my front yard. (Hubby loooooves icicle lights)
Really - we are taseful.
Our house did make the Holiday Lights section of our local paper one year - wait, that doesn’t really prove tastefulness, does it?
Our neighbors like it, and they have taste?
Our family likes it and they definitely have taste - they got it from us.
ct009ct on 30 Nov 2007 at 3:17 pm #
Oh, Suzanne - we want that coach, toooooo!
One of the houses on my sons street had it up this year and we just loved it.
Hoping to find one for next year.
Julia London on 30 Nov 2007 at 3:23 pm #
Georgie, I could definitely get into some trolls! If I had yard art, I’d have troll yard art.
CT — take a picture and post it at the forum. Let us all be the judge
SuzyQ on 30 Nov 2007 at 3:27 pm #
Julia - I had just taken a couple pictures the other night. I posted the train in the forum even though you don’t actually see the train. Once you see it you’ll understand what I mean.
Sabrina - we leave our decorations up until the Epiphany too.
Suzie - can you please post a pic of the giraffe????
ct009ct on 30 Nov 2007 at 3:41 pm #
Sabrina, I don’t think its tacky to leave everything up until Epiphany.
Our family is multi-cultural. Our holidays season includes:
Dec. 2-9-16-23: Advent
Dec. 6: St Nickolaus Day
Dec. 24: Christmas Eve
Dec. 25: Christmas Day
Jan. 6: Three Kings Day
So, this year everything is up from Dec. 1-Jan.7
Dot C on 30 Nov 2007 at 4:35 pm #
I love you guys! You’ve just granted me an extension on holiday decorations!! It’s so awesome.
So here is my particular problem. I’m naturally competitive, but I do strive to be tasteful. But I have this neighbor…..
So, I put my stuff up as I have bits and pieces of days off, and hopefully before the ground freezes (It’s cold up here already!!), and my neighbor…someone who is supposed to be ailing and infirm, managed to..in less than 6 hours…cover every exposed piece of his house with some kind of decoration or light. The reality is that our lights flicker when his go on because his house is so bright that I’m quite concerned about traffic incidents in front of our houses. So traditionally we’ve never decorated outside except for a garland around the door with lights, and a wreath. In every window, we have the old fashioned candelabras with the large colored bulbs. I live in a 2story block, so no porch.
Dot C on 30 Nov 2007 at 4:39 pm #
Last year I let him get to me and I expanded the outdoor decorating to include green lights on our small shrubs, and candy cane lights to line the lawns. I do also have a 7 year old, and she liked that. However, nothing I do can be seen over the immensity of wattage pouring off of the neighbors house. I find it quite disheartening overall….
So my lights are up, the tree goes up next weekend (we only do fresh). And I have a wonderful extension on the timeframe for removal. I bow my hat to you ladies and take my defeated heart to draw the shades on that side of the house.
Dot
Ho (Ho) Ellen on 30 Nov 2007 at 5:03 pm #
In my neck of the woods, there was this BIG lawsuit about twenty years ago. The Public Library got sued for putting up a life sized nativity scene. The court upheld the suit and now NO decorations are permitted on public property.
What did the private property owners do to protest? You guessed it. Every square inch of every tree, bush, railings and in many cases, entire houses are covered in flashing lights. It has become a contest between certain neighborhoods. Parents actually bundle up the little ones and go from neighborhood to neighborhood to look at the spectacle.
It’s like Coney Island meets Las Vegas.
Don’t get me started on the deer made of sticks and lights that actually turn and bend their heads to graze. Too Funny
Ho (Ho) Ellen on 30 Nov 2007 at 5:06 pm #
PS. Sorry I have been missing. Jim’s Dad passed away Thanksgiving morning. He was 89 and lived a great life.
twolilhahas on 30 Nov 2007 at 5:16 pm #
I love yard art. I don’t have any, and if I did it would be so hideously tacky no one could stand it, but I love it. I have the worst taste in the world. lol But rainbow lights all over every inch of surface would suit me all year round. I love rainbow colors together. Thought about getting that rainbow bladed fan for kids’ rooms for the living room, but I got outvoted in favor of boring brown blades. I would decorate my world into a barbie fairytopia world, with rainbows and flowers and colors galore. Good thing I can’t afford all the trimmings. I’d have a snow globe…I’d have two. I’d have the carousel one for sure, and the other I’d have to pick out. I’d have a blow up Santa and a blow up Frosty and ten christmas trees all decked out in the yard, if I could.
Kay on 30 Nov 2007 at 5:37 pm #
Ellen, sorry about your loss. I hope that Jim is doing OK.
Kay on 30 Nov 2007 at 5:49 pm #
Christmas yard art has been inflicted on me by sweet relatives who like it, so they think I must, too. I have to put the stuff out every year, or the kids will rat on me (they LOVE the yard stuff) and I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.
My sister started it when she gave me a snowman (4 ft tall) decorated with lights & red mittens with all of our names on it. It went up today and the kids are thrilled.
Because my sister gave it to me, and I put it up every year, I get all sorts of “crafty” Christmas decorations from friends and family. I really don’t mind the stuff in the yard in December, it’s the storage issue the other 11 months of the year. Some of the stuff is HUGE. the kids like the really big stuff.
Karen, I have an alligator with a scarf ornament from when we lived in FL.
We have two trees in our house, one that has all of my pretty, collectible ornaments, and one that has all of the “souvenir ornaments” we get on our trips.
Ho (Ho) Ellen on 30 Nov 2007 at 5:59 pm #
Thanks Kay. We’ll all be fine.
Karen Rose on 30 Nov 2007 at 6:35 pm #
You guys miss the point of SUPER SECRET black ops mission. If I take along a photographer while we plant pink flamingos under the cover of darkness, it’s no longer secret. Geeze. Karen H and I will snap pics with our cell phones.
I want a two-story snow globe!!!
Ellen, I’m thinking of you.
KariE on 30 Nov 2007 at 7:46 pm #
Karen and Karen-I have some neighbors in SWF who’s flamigos you can take!!
We haven’t done Christmas yard art since 2001. It took my dh till March to take everything down. The ONLY reason he took them down then was because we had our weeding at our house at the end of March.
I think I enjoy decorating the inside more. I’m not outside enough to enjoy it there. Although I am trying to figure out a way to make a homemade snowman. No one has a snowman on my block. I think I need to hit up JoAnn’s for some crafty stuff.
DebMarlowe on 30 Nov 2007 at 7:54 pm #
No yard art! I have real deer walking up my sidewalk and helping themselves to my posies, I have no need for the animatronic kind!
I only do the fresh garland and wreaths on our porch, which looks lovely with our cedar siding. My mother feels that I am depriving my children, however, because I will not buy lighted elves and santas.
I have a funny story about icicle lights though! My cousin’s wife told him, as he set out to put them up on their house, to be sure and hang them straight. “Not like last year,” she says.
Hours later, she went in search of him. He was painstakingly attaching fishing line to each hanging strand of icicle lights and anchoring the line to the ground, so that all the lights hung down perfectly straight!
He’s a doofus, but we love him!
DebMarlowe on 30 Nov 2007 at 7:57 pm #
Suzanne,
I have to say that my dh does have his own small tree strictly for his Star Wars and Star Trek ornaments! I can’t wait to see a pic of your year-round tree!
Lisa H on 30 Nov 2007 at 8:35 pm #
Ellen,
I am so sorry to hear about your father-in-law. I have missed you. My thoughts and prayers will be with your family.
darkshire007 on 30 Nov 2007 at 8:36 pm #
Nope. No decorations here. Don’t have time this year even if I wanted to put them up (which I don’t). I go to midnight mass and call it good. I may not even wrap the gifts this year. I think I’m going to stuff them in a closet and just bring them out Christmas morning.
KariE on 30 Nov 2007 at 8:46 pm #
darkshire007-I think I’m going to stuff them in a closet and just bring them out Christmas morning.
Oh, how I wish I could do that!!! oh oh Or put them under the tree and cover them with a sheet and tell my 4 year old not to touch them. That would be the best!
Wouldn’t happen in my lifetime but I like the though.
KariE on 30 Nov 2007 at 8:46 pm #
forgot the “t”
Julia London on 30 Nov 2007 at 9:01 pm #
Ellen, sorry to hear about your father-in-law.
Twolil, you go girl! A woman who proudly admits she has no taste and is proud of it, LOL
FreshEChelle on 30 Nov 2007 at 9:10 pm #
Yard Art? No way (and not just because I don’t have a yard). No way because I spend summer weekends at my parents pool and I too have a mother with a Flamingo Fetish. Plastic pink flamingos, neon flamingos (like those aforementioned deer that graze), flamingo tiki torches, flamingo flags, flamingo outdoor table wear, it’s flamingo hell. Karen R, Rachel - know of any support groups for those of us surrounded by these flamingo heads?
Christmas decorations will probably be Grammy’s crocheted (sp?) wreath ‘coz I’ll never get around to actually buying a real one that would actually smell nice. Sometimes I get a little potted evergreen that I then take to my parents after Christmas to plant it, where it may take root and hid some of the flamingo crap.
twolilhahas on 30 Nov 2007 at 9:58 pm #
Hey everyone, go elf yourselves!
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9570720806
I thought this was really fun.
Santa on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:09 pm #
I am not a yard art person. My father used to go to town. Lights everywhere. We put up lights for Christmas but that’s about it. Our neighbor is a big yard art person. Big blow up Easter bunny in the Spring. Haystacks, blow up gobblins in the Fall.
And a big ol’ Christmas display in the winter. He has, at last count, four blowups, a Nativity scene nestled between Frosty the Snowman and a Carosel encased in plastic.
Oh and all his lights blink on and off to Christmas music….all night long. It’s like having a camera flash in your face.
But we love him and when my kids asked me why don’t we decorate that way I told them that the neighborhood had a vote as to who would represent us all for the season and we elected them.
doglady on 30 Nov 2007 at 10:13 pm #
Am I the only person who is NOT surprised that Karen H has her own black ops outfit??? Girls, if you need someone to drive the getaway hearse, I mean car, I am in!! Of course I will be videotaping it for posterity. I live in the middle of nowhere so a lot of Christmas lights would be a waste. I do have blue and white lights on the fir tree over my Great Dane’s grave. She loved to sit and watch the Christmas tree lights. This will be my first Christmas without her. I do decorate in the house and I do have seasonal wreaths on my doors that I make myself. My Mom’s neighborhood has a decorating vendetta going on at this time of year. Going to her house on Christmas Eve is like driving thru Vegas!! My niece and two nephews and my brothers make sure her house and yard make the cut. She has every inflatable blow up musical moving Christmas thing Wal-mart sells.
Julia London on 01 Dec 2007 at 10:11 am #
Congratulations, SuzyQ — you win the copy of my backlist for your lovely train!
Ho (Ho) Ellen on 01 Dec 2007 at 3:25 pm #
Thank you all for your kind thoughts and words. I missed you all, too!
SuzyQ on 03 Dec 2007 at 10:13 am #
WooHoo!!!! Thank you, Julia!