Christmas Lights Etiquette - Is there such a thing?

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

Since this is our first year in our new home, we are curious if there is a Christmas light etiquette among RV'ers? Nothwithstanding that we are paying for our own electricity with our monthly fees, and given that not everyone celebrates Christmas, is lighting your home a source of pride with many, or has it become obnoxious to others?

 

[PancakeBill]

Probably yes and yes.  We have our mini tree up in the dash and a string of white lights around our 'patio' area, nothing overboard, and the outside lights stay up.  On a dusk + 4 hr timer, nice when we get back after dark.  And is it DARK here.  No street lights, in the pines at the edge of Grand Canyon.  Great for stars, tough on walking from car to coach. 

Lights help add some Christmas away normalcy.

The RV park we were in back in FL would have a competition.  Definitely a pride thing, and most folks are fine with all of it.  The same small group of people that didn't like it in stick house days.

 

[geodrake]

And is it DARK here.  No street lights, in the pines at the edge of Grand Canyon.  Great for stars, tough on walking from car to coach. 

Geeze Bill, I hope you don't fall in.

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    \ Bill/

 

[PancakeBill]

Falling in.  Always walk away from the rim. 

 

[BernieD]

We are among those who don't celebrate Christmas but always enjoy looking at nicely lit homes and praise our neighbors for jobs well done.

 

[Marsha/CA]

Skyking4r2,

Are you still in Beaux Bridge, LA?  If so, that is one of my favorite places.  We love Zydeco music and cajun food.  Have you been to the famous Zydeco Cafe?  I can't remember the name at the moment.

To keep with the thread, we decorate the house and our neighborhood has a great contest.  When we lived in the coach while the house was being built, like Bill, we had a mini tree set up and things hanging on the front of the coach.  We didn't do the lights on the awnings because we are in a area that gets lots of wind and needed to be able to put the awning up quickly.

Marsha~

 

[Wendy]

I like to decorate the RV during all holidays. I had Halloween stuff up, took that down and put up Thanksgiving decorations and after we move tomorrow I'll put up Christmas decorations. Along with towels and comforter, I have a small tree that goes on the dash and a string or 2 of outdoor lights. The only etiquette I can think of is to not leave the outdoor lights on all night, especially if you're in a more rustic, secluded area where your lights could interfere with the natural dark.

Wendy

 

[Kim (skyking4ar2) Bertram]

Marsha,

We left Breaux Bridge (now in Livingston at Lakeside RV Park) before we could explore it well to get in closer to Baton Rouge where our daughter and new granddaughter are. We will be going back out to Breaux Bridge since we will be here until just before Christmas. Our son-in-law (LeBouef) is very Cajun and we love the music, the food, and the great places to visit.

It may not be the traditional wintering place, but will work well for us in December.

Right now, the fever is to get the just right decoration for the front of the coach and laissez les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll)!

Kim

 

[Orick]

We enjoy decorating the coach at Christmas with Santa hats on the mirrors and a couple of other small things.  We have rope lights hard mounted on both patio slide toppers and on the underside of the patio slide.  Those stay up all year and on all night.  It provides us with some light around the coach and by lighting the undercarraige it discourages coyotes from hanging out there and snatching our little dogs when we take them out at night.  I've never received a complaint about the lights being on all night but we don't usually go to really secluded places so don't interfere with star gazing I guess.

Most places we've been encourage decorating.  Outdoor Resorts in Indio, Ca and Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville, Tx come to mind as being especially fun places during the holidays.

rick

 

[DougZ]

We always try to decorate our trailer as a way of letting people know we enjoy ourselves. We have several different sets of lights for different occasions. We are going to a get together next weekend and already have all our Christmas decorations ready.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Nancy decorates the coach for any and every holiday & season. Heck, we even have some deco lights for the days in between holidays too. At a minimum there is a lighted palm tree hanging in the windshield to denote our Florida home and an amber rope light on the dash

 

[Tony_Alberta]

We always try to decorate our trailer as a way of letting people know we enjoy ourselves.

Excellent point.  I wonder if you can find a bottle of red wine neon sign on ebay? 

A few minutes later.  Well by gosh, so you can.  Not quite what I had in mind but close enough!  http://cgi.ebay.ca/j324-r-CHIANTI-Red-Wine-Bar-Beer-Pub-Neon-Light-Sign-/150514563259?

 

[carl63_99]

We took our old class C to downtown Austin and parked near Zilker park for the Trail of Lights a few times.  I would take a bunch of lights and run them all over the RV and had a small fake tree that we put up on the dash.  The park didn't say anything, and being ten feet from the sidewalk where thousands of people walked by all night long, how could I resist?

I think Christmas lights on an RV are just like at home, if they're done tastefully and turned off at a reasonable time, there shouldn't be any problem.

 

[Bob Maxwell]

Kim, don't you already have a blue light on the peak, the satelite dish?

Put a tastefull ring all the way aroung the top and bottom and didn't you get at least one set of chili ristra lites for one window?  :

 

[go6car]

I would LOVE to do Christmas in the TT!! But, alas, since we're warm weather seasonal campers, the TT gets all decked out instead for July 4th. Red/White/Blue string lights across the awning, awning arms and pop-up-canopy perimeter; blow up 4 foot Uncle Sam on the trailer tongue (which for some odd reason looks like Santa, but in patriotic garb. This was pointed out by some very astute 6 year olds who were walking by our site during the last July 4th camping outing). Matching patriotic tablecloth for the picnic table, and also for the food table under the awning. Matching July 4th plates, napkins, citronella torches.....ok, you get the picture! 

Can you just imagine what I could do for Christmas!?!!? Ah, the thought!!!!

And don't worry, everything is turned off as soon as the resort campground's quiet hours begin.  ;D

I am concerned, however, that if Santa at some point brings me a 2011 Winnebago Sightseer 33c, or Adventurer 37f, what will I do with all my current TT's awning lights?!? Perhaps I will join the light up palm tree club and put a strand or two over top of them instead. Decisions, dilemmas, decisions!

 

[maverickbbd]

At our club's Christmas Outing we have a contest for the "Best" decorated coach.  Most does not always equal best.  Gets it out of our system after the four day outing.  Many coaches head south directly from there.

 

[Freedom First]

I think Christmas lights on an RV are just like at home, if they're done tastefully and turned off at a reasonable time, there shouldn't be any problem.

Well, all hope is lost, then.  "Tastefully" is a matter of, well, taste.  What's "cheery" to one person is garish to another.  "Reasonable time" is dusk to dawn for some folks because they think strung up lights look so pretty at night, never mind they're shining into someone's home, whereas others are mindful of their neighbors.

I love seeing a decorated tree with soft twinkly lights through the window of someone's home, much more than those dangly "icicle" lights that are so commonplace now.  Less is more.