23 December, 2005
Holiday Cheers & Jeers
The good, the bad and the plain strange this holiday season:
Ugly Christmas lights. This house wants to out-toy Babes in Toyland. I admire the gung ho holiday spirit but staring at this over the top display gives me holiday headache, not cheer.
The fright before Christmas. If A Christmas Story was a horror movie, this is what it would look like. Looks like Ralphie is in for something bigger than a BB gun.
Meanwhile, gorier displays in Manhattan (a Santa holding a bloodied knife and a severed bloody doll’s head), Orlando (a gutted Rudolph hanging from a tree) and Miami ( a hanging Santa) caused outrage with the locals who objected to the unsettling displays.
Santas run amok. A bunch of drunk, disorderly Santas caused mayhem in New Zealand, robbing stores, yelling and swearing at security guards and passersby. There were also reports of “Santas” committing armed robbery in Germany and exposing themselves in Southern England. Now we know who’s getting coal in their stockings this year, not to mention holidays in the slammer.
Ten most dangerous toys. Baby doll bottles that choke, water bombs that cause eye injuries, blaster canisters that burst; these are just some of the toys that should be crossed off anyone’s Christmas list.
Parking ticket Santa. A good Samaritan is spreading holiday cheer in London by leaving enough money under windshields to pay for parking tickets. Good to know that Santa is still his old merry and cheer-spreading self.
A NOLA Holiday. When a designer included Katrina-inspired decorations in a Christmas display for a Louisiana mall, most shoppers loved it. Management however, wasn’t amused; the display of miniature hurricane debris and houses with blue tarps were removed when some people complained. Yet all’s well that ends well, as a bigger public outcry forced management to bring the display back.
Oh rented Christmas Tree. At $90 a pop, they’re not cheap, but certainly better than cutting down a living tree and buying an artificial one with petroleum materials. Not only is waste avoided but the trees are replanted after the holidays to spread more cheer all year round.
Ugly Christmas lights. This house wants to out-toy Babes in Toyland. I admire the gung ho holiday spirit but staring at this over the top display gives me holiday headache, not cheer.
The fright before Christmas. If A Christmas Story was a horror movie, this is what it would look like. Looks like Ralphie is in for something bigger than a BB gun.
Meanwhile, gorier displays in Manhattan (a Santa holding a bloodied knife and a severed bloody doll’s head), Orlando (a gutted Rudolph hanging from a tree) and Miami ( a hanging Santa) caused outrage with the locals who objected to the unsettling displays.
Santas run amok. A bunch of drunk, disorderly Santas caused mayhem in New Zealand, robbing stores, yelling and swearing at security guards and passersby. There were also reports of “Santas” committing armed robbery in Germany and exposing themselves in Southern England. Now we know who’s getting coal in their stockings this year, not to mention holidays in the slammer.
Ten most dangerous toys. Baby doll bottles that choke, water bombs that cause eye injuries, blaster canisters that burst; these are just some of the toys that should be crossed off anyone’s Christmas list.
Parking ticket Santa. A good Samaritan is spreading holiday cheer in London by leaving enough money under windshields to pay for parking tickets. Good to know that Santa is still his old merry and cheer-spreading self.
A NOLA Holiday. When a designer included Katrina-inspired decorations in a Christmas display for a Louisiana mall, most shoppers loved it. Management however, wasn’t amused; the display of miniature hurricane debris and houses with blue tarps were removed when some people complained. Yet all’s well that ends well, as a bigger public outcry forced management to bring the display back.
Oh rented Christmas Tree. At $90 a pop, they’re not cheap, but certainly better than cutting down a living tree and buying an artificial one with petroleum materials. Not only is waste avoided but the trees are replanted after the holidays to spread more cheer all year round.
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I'm a curious dilettante
from Los Angeles, California.
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