Christmas decor for outdoors...

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

Anyone who can put all kinds of wonderful decor outside without it being destroyed or stolen is very lucky!

One year...back about 2009-2010 we had neighborhood kids steal some of our decorations.

Well, to say the least, I cried...it literally broke my heart, but at the time I was determined not to let those punk kids take away my joy of decorating.

So the next day I went back to WM where I got a lot of those light up candy canes and replaced them and an extention cord. Unfortunately, I was unable to replace the snowman I got from QVC because it was sold out.

Would you believe, the VERY next night those same kids came back!!! I was livid!!!

DH happened to be watching the security cameras at the time and told me to run out the front door. At least I scared them off and they weren't able to steal anything this time, but several of the candy canes were pulled out of the ground and I had to reset them up again...NUTS!

The delinquents also wore hoods so even after we called the police, there was nothing they could do.

Hence, we have not decorated outdoors since. Those kids destroyed my happy happy joy joy decorating outside.

Considering those kids were so bold as brass to be destructive and steal (not just once, but twice two days in a row!), it's only a matter of time they will get caught doing something else and serve some time either as a juvenile or as an adult! That is the only thing that gives me peace about it...sad but true.

We have those Bliss lights, however, we only use them within our gated backyard/patio area.

I mention all this while I was watching the presentation and looking at the cost for H208600.

Here I got upset over relatively cheap candy canes and a small lit snowman...maybe about $50-75 to replace with the extension cord.

That single ornament cost much more than that...

homedecor1 · ‎03-09-2010

sorry to hear this. I live now in a gated community and you can only have 3 ornaments/items in yard and no bigger than 36" high.

when I lived in my old house I decorated big time -- no problems.

here I don't do much no one but me to enjoy it & hardly anyone decorates who are here for holidays.

nana59 · ‎05-12-2012

Your post took me back to 1976. It was the first Christmas in our new home. Every bulb from the lights we strung outside on our bushes was stolen. They were stolen by a boy whose family lived behind us. His parents made him replace every bulb!!

Buck-i-Nana · ‎09-28-2010

Back in 1997 I had bought my first house. I was so excited to decorate it for Christmas. For summer I had bought 6 large planter pots that I placed along the front property line. For Christmas, I bought 6 small stake trees and decorated them with lights and bows.

One morning I went out and 2 of the trees were gone. Like you I was upset and cried. It bothered me all day at work, and I couldn't decide what to do, whether to remove all the remaining tree or replace the 2 that were stolen. I slept on it and a thought came to me. I put a tomato cage out in one of the now empty pots with a note sealed in a ziplock bag. I wrote "to whoever took these little Christmas trees. I hope you took these trees because you or someone you know couldn't afford a tree. Consider them my Christmas gift to you. If you just took them to be mean, please reconsider and give those little trees to someone who needs a little Christmas cheer."

No more of my decorations ever disappeared that Christmas or in the 5 years that I lived there.

I've not had anything stolen where I live now. I do have a street light right in front of my house and my neighbors here are very observant. I still wouldn't put a bliss lights or anything like that out front though.

colliegirls · ‎05-13-2012

Did you see those huge $99 ornaments they were selling today?? I cannot imagine where I would put or want those.

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

@colliegirls wrote:
Did you see those huge $99 ornaments they were selling today?? I cannot imagine where I would put or want those.

@colliegirls Yes, that was the ornament I was talking about in my OP. I personally don't care for it, but it was the cost I was thinking about

AuntG · ‎03-09-2010

Sad commentary. I like those parents who hold their kids accountable for the damage they do.

colliegirls · ‎05-13-2012

@Susan Louise wrote:
@colliegirls wrote:
Did you see those huge $99 ornaments they were selling today?? I cannot imagine where I would put or want those.
@colliegirls Yes, that was the ornament I was talking about in my OP. I personally don't care for it, but it was the cost I was thinking about

I can't imagine them out in the elements. Looks like they would not last long and too much $$$$!!

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

I don't decorate outside for Christmas. Mainly because it's either too cold or there's snow. I put lights on the windows, but put them on the inside. One neighbor puts up big blowup figures. They've been doing it for years. I wouldn't be happy if someone came and stole something.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

I don't think anyone is immune from this type of crime anymore, and that is a sad commentary on just where we are as a society.

Not someone stealing food because they are hungry, or someone stealing clothing because they don't have anything decent to wear, but stealing something like decorations from someone's yard, just because they can.

The only way they get any lower is when they steal the planters off the graves of veterans on Memorial Day weekend like happened to my father's grave last year. I'd say there is a special place in the afterlife for people who commit such senseless acts. Many in society today have no understanding that what isn't yours, just isn't yours, and leave your hands off of it.

I only place a few things on our front porch for Christmas outdoor decorating, and we live out in the country, so I don't suppose most people driving by even see them. Or it could be the fact that you can here the guys here target shooting on a regular basis, and figure it might not be wise to even consider doing something like that.