Ok, so maybe I have watched too many episodes of criminal minds and law and order. I see cpossible foul play everywhere. A few weeks a go my neighbors porch light was flickering off and on in what I could've sworn was a repeating pattern.. My 1st thought was - distress signal. Nope! But I'm the kind of girl you want on your neighborhood watch! I got your back.
SO, my new one is a few streets over, there is a house that still has it's Christmas lights on everynight. I didn't have my lights everynight even before Christmas. I would forget or be out and turn them on late. Everynight at 5:30 when I drive by, the lights are on. I keep meaning to go by in the daytime to see if they are on around the clock. But I dont have cause to be over there until after dark.
Maybe they can't let go of Christmas? Does anyone else still have lights on?
Maybe they're out of town? If you were going out of otwn and not coming back until weeks after Christmas, would you leave your lights on?
Surely thier neighbors have checked on them or know the reason. If your neighbors lights were still on, would you be worried about them? I don't know these people and think it would be crazy if I knocked on thier door and asked - hey are yall ok? But then again - could they be victims of foul play and neighbors feel wierd knocking on the door too?
Am I a suspicious freak or would you be concerned too? Or heck - are YOUR lights still on?
Maybe It's a Texas thing. Christmas starts the day after Thanksgvivng and is gone by New Years. A little background as to why I am a wingnut. A couple of months ago the elderly man across the street died. I should've know and might have been able to help him. I got in my car to go to work in the morning and his truck was parked crooked and his garage door was open. 2 things out of character, but I shook it off and went to work. That evening the police and coroner showed up. His son had found him. I feel terrible. Maybe that's why I see shadows around every corner now. That and the Criminal Minds thing!
Many religious people keep their lights on for 12 days after Christmas. Someone with more knowledge than I, may be able to explain why. I just remember that those 12 days have some type of meaning.
LOL! (sorry..) It's 99.99% probable that they are guilty of laziness - or maybe having too many things to think about when leaving for a trip.
Do you know any neighbors that know the family with their xmas lights still on that you could ask? It'd be less weird than knocking on the door.
This makes me chuckle. The lights are probably on a timer...ours were. And like some of our neighbors, they probably just haven't gotten to taking them down. In all honesty, I wouldn't think you were crazy. I would probably think you were sick of seeing my lights and trying to find a clever way to convince me to take them down.
Could they possibly be on a timer and the people have forgotten about them? Are they on all day too? I probably wouldn't have noticed something like that in my neighborhood or if I did I wouldn't start thinking the worst case scenario had happened to the family - I'm not faulting you at all because I can get carried away with worry at times too!
And to anwer your question - yes, I'm thinking you might be watching too many of those crime shows =)
Ha I still have not taken down all of my clients Christmas stuff. One of them still has the entrance to her street all lit up. But tomorrow it is all coming down.
Of course we live in Austin and there are always houses with their lights up and on all through the year. People just like the festive glow at night.
Artist, students.. etc..
The porch light with a solid Red or Green light bulb on the house porch light can be an indication of drug sells or sex selling.. Also shoes thrown over and hanging from electrical lines can indicate and area that drugs are being sold. Speak with your neighborhood police officers about this.
The flickering can be because the squirrels or the rats have been nibbling at the cords. (why do I even have to know this stuff??? )
Does your neighborhood or city have a rule about when Christmas lights have to be taken down? Some gated communities do, but city wide no rules here.
Oh god, we have people around the area that still have HALLOWEEN lights on!
I appreciate your vigilance in keeping the neighborhood safe, but maybe try to focus on something else? You sound a bit overparanoid to me, and if you knocked on my door to ask about why my lights are still on, I would probably read you the riot act. At the very least, I'd think you were a nosy neighbor. The best intentions don't always come off so well.
(My lights went down on 1/2, for the record! :) )
We only just took our tree(fake) down 2 days ago. We still have solar powered stake lights in our yard because we don't feel like taking them down yet. The kids really like them. They may go in the backyard year round at this point. My parents never take their lights off their house and will turn them on in February for my son's birthday because he loves them.I have heard of families leaving Christmas stuff up until their military family member comes home so they can celebrate. It does sound like they are on a timer.
I'm betting it's OK.
You are so cute! You can be my neighbor anytime!
Instead of knocking on their door, ask the police to check on them. Then you don't have to worry anymore.
Dawn
I believe they SHOULD stay on until Epiphany. We took most of ours down on Sunday (had them on every night until then) but my 6 yr old begs for us to keep the candles on in the upstairs windows because "they're so beautiful" and I cant say no. Some cultures celebrate the Christmas season until Feb 6th(Candlemas)
Several of my neighbors still have their Christmas lights on. In the past they've left them on for most if not all of January. They are pretty and I do enjoy seeing them.
A flickering porch light means either the bulb is going out or....as in the case of my porch light which is turned on by a monitor it's still twilight.
Chuckle yes you're overly suspicious. Perhaps you're looking for some excitement?
After your SWH. A change in usual practice, such as the car parked crooked and the garage door open, is a good thing to notice. But lights that stay on isn't a sign of trouble. They stay on. There is no change in the way the people are being. Think thru the reasons for what you're seeing. This will help you know when to intervene and when not to.
Don't beat yourself up about the neighbor. There are plausible reasons for what you saw that would have nothing to do with his death. Yes, if you'd thought it thru you might've checked on him. It's unlikely that you could've made a difference.
This is one good reason to get to know one's neighbors. Then you not only have a better idea about what is usual and unusual for them but you also feel more confident in talking with them when you notice something.
haha T. you made me laugh!! Maybe you should keep driving by for a few more days and check out to see if the lights are on. I am being serious!! And no, we do not have any Christmas stuff up at all anymore, but I have seen several houses around here, that are still lit up. I think it is nice. Hope the neighbor is OK.
my husband hasn't taken ours down yet (he does outside, i do inside - inside has been down since the monday after christmas, i had the day off and i had to get rid of it to get my treadmill back into the livingroom!) he said it would be done a week ago or so, but i'm not concerned.
maybe theirs are on a timer?
Quite a few of my neighbors still have their lights on. Mine were on a dusk plus 6 timer so they would be on around five until 11 at night. I unplugged mine on New Years but some people keep the system going for some time.
My neighbor still has a tree up that I can see through their glass door and they light it up every night. I just figured maybe they are waiting for Epiphany (odd because the dad is a self-expressed Satanist...).
in my town, christmas lights are on thanksgiving weekend too :), and people go big with their decorations! my stuff goes out the door and gets taken down on new years day, but a lot of my neighbors still have their stuff up...don't know if they haven't had a chance to take down decorations, but they still turn them on every night! i'm always ready to be out with the old and in with the new (year).
Hubby took ours down this past weekend. I love that you care about the neighbors. Sorry, i dont have better advice.
Some people are just lazy...or don't want to let go. And, our lights were on a sensor and would be on in the middle of the day when it was cloudy/gloomy and even if they weren't on durning the day they were on at about 4:15 because of where the sensor was. Ours are down, or mostly down, now but I have seen people around who still have theirs up and on every night.
Btw-to explain the mostly down. We have those tiny LED lights on the house and we leave them up--but NOT on--all year.
Orthodox Christmas was only 2 days ago. Perhaps they're Eastern European?
Funny Story:
I usually hang white lights for "parties" (meaning even just having 1 evening guest). I put them in bushes, or along the beam of a porch (I've spent most of my life moving, so it depends... wherever the outside dining or outside social area is). Lights the area without being obnoxious about it / is pretty.
We moved into an apartment complex in Feb. I hung my "party" light. Not a word. January 2 (11 months later) I get notified that all christmas lights are to be taken down as of Jan FIRST (or to quote the manager "Christmas is OVER, guys!"). Ironically, we'd already taken down our christmas lights (colorful), which I NEVER do sooner than the 8th (because of orthodox christmas), but they were shorting out. I explained they weren't christmas lights, but my party lights, and was told that NO LIGHTS WERE ALLOWED in January as per the housing contract. In Febuary, however, I was welcome to put them back up.
<rolls eyes>
Your funny~ You missed your calling to be a detective, lol...
We took ours down the weekend after New Years~
Ours were on a sensor that turned on when it hit dusk out - could just be something like that.
