Single families and people buy hundreds to thousands of dollars worth of decorations, lights, and aesthetics every year in time for the Christmas season.
When driving down suburban areas of Bettendorf, one might be advised to take a look on the lawns of several homeowners and see the massive behemoths of snowmen and Santa inflatables, the rows upon rows of fluorescent rainbow lights, and the forests of false Christmas trees littering the lawn.
At a glance, it might seem like a fun way to get in the holiday spirit and embrace the culture of Christmas, but these decorations send these people back hundreds to thousands of dollars for these seasonal treats, so the question must be asked on how far they are willing to go?
Some might settle for Christmas lights above the house, while others spend hours to days building these fortifications of decorations on their property “Oh we love our little Santa helicopter, it is fully inflated to about 5 feet and has this cute little motor which spins it round and round each year, really goes along great with our 5 other inflatables” states Christmas enthusiast Lisa Hegland about her decorations.
It is obvious people are genuinely willing to go the extra mile for these elaborate decorations, but what drives them to spend the money and take the time?
Most consider it valuable time with family and friends that they only get to experience once a year, to fully embrace the season of joy and whimsical wonder through Christmas. “We started doing it when Bryson and Addie were 2 and 6, getting my husband out there with the kids to try and hang our funny little guys out there was always a challenge, but once he caved in it was a treat to see them out there working so hard as a family, and I would always be ecstatic to bring them their refreshments of hot coco whenever they took a break” adds Hegland on why she chooses to decorate every year.
These decorations can bring joy to the families involved, but what about those who choose not to indulge in the Christmas spirit and even those who see these decorations as a target to wreak havoc on and destroy?
There have been several cases of holiday decorations either being purposefully damaged and deflated in the process, multiple crushed bushes, and covering which rack up in expenses that not all can afford. “Some hooligan thought it would be funny to sneak out and midnight and stab all of our inflatable Santa toys out on my yard, each was about seventy dollars and count that for four of them, and now I’m down nearly three hundred dollars in decorations” solemnly puts victim of vandalization Susan Burda on her destroyed decorations.
With the risks these people are taking for such extreme decorations, the question finally remains: is this all worth the possible damages and thousands of dollars spent for just a few weeks worth of decorations? Or do the culture and traditions passed down by families make this all worth it?
