Christmas Crap

[Trekker4747]

Ok. Christmas is overly commercialized that's been well and good established for eons now, though I'd argue it' has gotten worse over my lifetime more so than any other period, but what's some of the worst crap you can think of made/sold or presented this time of year?

We all accept garland, Christmas trees, wreaths, mistletoe, poinsettas lights and simple and even extravagant Christmas decorations on homes and buildings.

But what about some of the crap made? Like those giant blow-up "snowglobes" or singing/dancing Christmas tree/snowman,etc. "toys."

What some of the worst crap that you can think of made for Christmas "decoratiing"?

 

[ALF]

I agree about the blow up stuff. Those inflatable lawn "decorations" are gaudy and tacky as fcuk.
But I really love the colored lights.

 

[Rÿcher]

those G.D. animatronic (sp?) santas and other creatures singing christmas and pseudo-christmas songs.

Santa on a Harley wearing chaps and shades singing Bad to the Bone and my wife thinks her father would LOVE that. Next year and $30 later, it's nowhere to be found.

This year and none the wiser, she decides to get our daughter a chicken wearing a top hat and a scarf that sings the chicken dance to a nice polka tune. Yeah, we want to heave it out the window every time she presses its wing to make it sing and dance.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Yeah, those blow-up snowglobes are pretty bad. I saw the other day and thought, "oh that looks cool" and then immediately thought "oh wait, no, it really doesn't." Especially when the person's yard is so small that the globe takes up the whole thing. I saw one on someone's porch and it was partially blocking the front door.

 

[Searider Falcon]

And I'll echo the emotion about the inflatable nonsense. I refer to them as pop-ables because I have this urge to drive something sharp into them...especially when people have nearly their entire yard peppered with those things.

The weirdest things I've seen this year thankfully I haven't actually seen in anyone's lawn this year but were being sold by Meijer. Pray tell, where does a light-up Christmas dinosaur or pig fit into any holiday traditions?

The weirdest thing I actually have seen in someone's yard this year has been a plywood cactus outlined with lights.

Or the Rudolph who has not only a red nose but two red eyes to match that this one couple in my hometown displays proudly every single year. It looks hilariously satanic and my family even made up some slightly altered lyrics that we sing every time we pass by it.

 

[freak]

Yeah, those blow-up snowglobes are pretty bad. I saw the other day and thought, "oh that looks cool" and then immediately thought "oh wait, no, it really doesn't." Especially when the person's yard is so small that the globe takes up the whole thing. I saw one on someone's porch and it was partially blocking the front door.

!!! Oh this got me laughing! I totally agree with those blowups. I'll bet those SOBs cost $100 a pop and most of the time those things are deflated more than they are up! How do people expect those things to stay up??? But more and more people have them.
And also those damned light up Christmas trees that play Christmas music. One of those houses on my block has his WHOLE house and I mean WHOLE house decorated with SO MANY LIGHTS!!!! And there are two Christmas trees that play music all night long. It's neat, but at the same time, it looks like he's having a redneck christmas cause as if you have more trees for Christmas in your yard and lights than law should allow, you might be a redneck! ! I mean if you guys saw this house, you'd literally FLIP OUT! Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is decorated in this front yard! It's freaking insane!
Also have an issue with the lights: if you are gonna use lights, stick to ONE color hue, such as all white or all colored..don't use those god awful blue, pink, and purple lights. Those things look fugly on the lawn and don't amount to a hill of beans! That's just my philosophy on the matter.

 

[Finn]

The only thing worse than those globes are the ones made for Thanksgiving.

 

[Spot's Meow]

And what is up with those "net" lights. It's hard to explain so here is a picture: http://www.christmaslightsetc.com/images/CategoryIcons/Net_lights.jpg

If used appropriately they can be a convenient way to hang lights without actually hanging lights. But some people, like my dad, lay them out on a bush so perfectly symmetrical that it just looks like a piece of graph paper. It's...unnatural.

 

[Searider Falcon]

!!! Oh this got me laughing! I totally agree with those blowups. I'll bet those SOBs cost $100 a pop

Eh, some might run that high (especially the bigger ones more elaborate ones), but I usually see them for around $50ish, which still isn't all that cheap. What kills me is when not only do you see people putting up 5 or more in their yard at Christmas, but then you see the same people buying everything that's available for each holiday after. By the time these people have every thing they can get, they've spent hundreds of dollars and all they can show for it is how tacky they are!

Also have an issue with the lights: if you are gonna use lights, stick to ONE color hue, such as all white or all colored..don't use those god awful blue, pink, and purple lights. Those things look fugly on the lawn and don't amount to a hill of beans! That's just my philosophy on the matter.

YES! Or at least don't change lights halfway through a job! I'm really amazed at how many people string up lights on their homes but end up with three or four different shades...or only some of them blink...or they all blink but at different rates! "Bonus points" if they're not fastened very well to house, lol.

I also am a bit bemused at the people who take one string of lights out to one lone bush or tree in their yard, throw it in as sloppily as possible, and that's all they do for the entire season. Seriously, why bother?

 

[Finn]

How about thse yards FULL of decorations. I mean everything from the navitity set to several plastic snowmen and santas to candy canes allll over the yard, And the house is covered with lights that clashes with each other.

 

[RoJoHen]

The Manger Scene.

 

[Trekker4747]

Hilarious.

An item on tonight's news:

LINK

Apparently, when sunlight hits the snow globe, it can become a magnifying glass and "ignite nearby combustible materials," the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a news release.

 

[Finn]

^Surely the same thing might happen when the sunlight hits a Christmas light bulb at the right angle and heats the dry bush below somewhere in the LA area?

 

[Rÿcher]

What about those chistmas trees that are some unnatural color like dark blue or all white? I mean if you're a goth and want an all red tree with black ornaments, that's one thing but a dark blue tree?

 

[Kira's Mom]

I like the big snowglobes. My parents have one. They have a big yard, so it looks pretty cool.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I've never even heard of them until this Thread.

 

[Trippy]

You see them everywhere around here!

 

[Locutus of Bored]

The only reason I'd buy one of those "Rappin' Santas" or other singing holiday toys is to give them to people who have wronged me in some way, and then I'd call them and ask them to play it for me (because I find it high-larious!) so I know they still have it up as a decoration, torturing them daily.

 

[Gepard]

The only reason I'd buy one of those "Rappin' Santas" or other singing holiday toys is to give them to people who have wronged me in some way, and then I'd call them and ask them to play it for me (because I find it high-larious!) so I know they still have it up as a decoration, torturing them daily.

I heard that's how they finally stopped Hitler.

 

[JonathonWally]

As much I may find certain types of Christmas decoration tacky, I still love em all. Anything that gets kids into the spirit and makes them feel good. Afterall, most of decorating for the holidays when you go that far is for the kids anyway.