Trip Over the Lights Fantastic

After a solid week of carb-loading in preparation for the marathon that I haven't yet scheduled, I'm back home again.

Since there are still some cookies left, I decided to take a long walk to work off some calories and also to make it physically impossible to eat every waking hour. This being Woodland, the holiday decorations are still up.

All I can really say is that there are a lot of people with more electricity than taste. A lot more electricity. Perhaps, just perhaps, when you buy a new set of lights/plastic soldiers/neon candy canes/blow up Santas/moving reindeer you should consider retiring just one of the previous years' contributions.

But no, it's like a bazaar of kitsch, all on one lawn. One tree is covered in orange and green lights, one tree is covered in multiple strands of white lights (which includes only one strand that goes on and off on a ten second cycle), two thirds of the house has white icicle lights and the remaining third of the house has blue blinking lights, the plastic drummer boy has shorted out near the mailbox (possibly aided by the neighbors), and the Mickey Mouse Santa is inflating and deflating in time to the power surges. Sadly, this isn't confined to one house, either.

One house had cords strung at eye level (for me) across the path to the front door, from which I deduce that everyone who lives there is shorter than I am. And they don't want any tall visitors.

The fire station down the street has only one string of lights, and their sign currently reads "Woodland Fire Department: making house calls since 1870".

I can see why.