Might take a break this year

[ebrown1972]

I have done a show for the last 7 years. I started preparing for this year but my mind and heart just isn't quite there. Physically I have everything built for this year that I had planned on adding. I have not sequenced anything for this year. I am seriously considering taking this year off. It might feel nice not having people parked outside my house and blocking my driveway lol. For those of you who have taken time off from your shows, were you glad you did? Did you regret it? I am trying to decide what to do and am having a hard time figuring out which way to go. Thanks,

Eric

[MichRX7]

I took a year off a couple of years ago because we were taking a very large friends and family trip to WDW to see the last showings of the Osborne lights at Hollywood Studios (2015). When we got home I was already unhappy that I hadn't set it up before we left and run it for at least the last part of December, plus I had many people ask me what happened to the house display. I even heard people asking at the small party store down the street from our house what happened to the Christmas house down the street. They didn't know it was my house they were asking about, it made me smile, but also made me sad. I was surprised as we are on a not very traversed street and didn't realize how many people enjoyed them (I always wonder why I don't have street congestion like others, lol). I have not taken a year off since and will keep doing it no matter what as long as I'm physically able. This past year my youngest sons saw me slowing up a bit dragging extension cords in the cold and came out to help for the first time ever, what a wonderful surprise that was. This season we are adding my daughter's house (she is the oldest child) in the town next door. I bought her husband their first light box for Christmas last year and now he has the bug, We purchased two more boxes for them, so hopefully this continues for a long time. They are running 48 channels, but when I sequenced their songs two boxes run basically the same sequence for their trees (8 strands of red/8 strands of white on each tree). This year on my house we are going from 80 channels of LED's to adding two more boxes (32 channels) and 18 channels of dumb RGB strip lights. I have 8 of the 18 rgb props built and ready to plug in, I'm just debating the best way to do letters with the last 10 rgb channels to spell Merry C-h-r-I-s-t-m-a-s. (Feel free to message me if you've done this, lol). Adding elements always puts a little spring into my step to get it done. I've sequenced all the songs, just have to get those letters finished.

I encourage you to do it as long as you can physically do it.

[tlogan]

We leave town every other year for Christmas and I'm just not as enthused when we won't even be home. But, I DO put out a smaller show. Although last year when we weren't home I did add my first RGB strips and arches. I didn't put anything up in any trees or on the house...everything was ground level, and I didn't even put out everything on the ground. This year we will be home and I'm planning (HOPE I have time to do it all) to add another 16 channel  AC controller and another Pixie II to the  2 AC  and 1 Pixie II I already have) and some lighted, plywood stand ups I want to build.

So, if it was me, I would be thinking about a small show in case you decide you want to do SOMETHING but not put as much work into it. Last year, I had everything up and ready in two weekends and down in a day. This year, I'm ready to do more. Take a break if you need it, but you may find yourself wanting to do SOMETHING. Be ready with something smaller.

[Brian Mitchell]

I have been decorating big for over 20 years, animated since 2005.  There have been a couple years that I haven't been motivated but once I start setting up, the excitement starts growing.  Due to health issues with my wife, we are looking at next year as our final year for a big display.  I have a lot of mixed feeling about it.

[ebrown1972]

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. My biggest fear is if I don't do one I will regret it. I guess I know what the answer to my question is with that comment. I may not add any new songs this year. I will just need to tweak the ones I already have done and add the new elements. I'm sure the spirit in me will come back around the sooner it gets. I just know in this hobby you cannot wait until the last minute to do things. Thanks again. I appreciate it.

[dibblejr]

55 minutes ago, ebrown1972 said:

Thanks for all of the replies everyone. My biggest fear is if I don't do one I will regret it. I guess I know what the answer to my question is with that comment. I may not add any new songs this year. I will just need to tweak the ones I already have done and add the new elements. I'm sure the spirit in me will come back around the sooner it gets. I just know in this hobby you cannot wait until the last minute to do things. Thanks again. I appreciate it.

That’s me, currently. Falling behind even though I had all intentions to have already started setting up for Halloween.

I need a break. I want to take a break to heal some of my body aches and pains.

However my neighbors, friends and family all say, “you will not take a break”.

If only they would try to convince me I might be able to consider it.

I can’t even scale down. If only doing one prop i must do all since they are all connected.

JR

[Dennis Laff]

eBROWN

  I know how you feel going on 12 years  with a  pretty big display ,turned 70 years old in May 2019  and with the cold and snow in Chicago ,not to mention bad knees I'm trying to talk myself into ending my show ! but we'll see what happens Dennis

[DLH lites]

HMMMMM, This is my third year working with LOR-  This year 64 channels and about 6,000 more LED's  . I got started late for my age , My out side is 69 but my inside is a wide eyed 9 year old.  I started working on this year as I  took down last year , I think that is how this works.    

Last year we had  cars stopping . Our neighborhood is small, only six house on our block.  The folks that stopped made it all worth while , the smiles, the kids playing in the bubbles from the bubble machine and dancing to the music , wonderful.  Several of our neighbors had ask me this summer as I was working in the yard if I was going to decorate this year, of course I said yes.  Just last night we brought down 18 containters of lites to be tested ,this weekend a trip to the storage room for the props to be stored on the back patio until the roof work starts.  Yes there was a slight moment when I though,gezzz this is a lot of work , but that little 9 year old kicked me in the pants and said David ,get yer butt on the roof and make people smile and filled with Christmas joy.  As long as he is inside me I will continue to lite up the hood here in Fort Lauderdale.  I have two post on the forum in" my display"  I am DLH Lites,take a look enjoy and feel to let me know how to make it better.  There will be a lot more this year, display starts thanksgiving night.

Best Regards to All

David

[Orville]

No longer doing Halloween and considering selling all my Halloween Blow-Molds {4 tall skinny Pumpkin Head Ghosts with BOO bags on them, Witch w/broom and a Ghost w/Jack-O'-Lantern}, as well as a quite a few other Halloween odds and ends and possibly one 16 Channel CTB16PC {version 2} Controller to go with them.  And if I do sell them, this would have to be local pick-up only in Orlando, FL.

And this year, I'm not even sure I'll be doing a Christmas Display outside at all, perhaps something inside the house, but I'm still struggling with this one myself for 2019.  Will see how I feel about it the closer November gets.

But due to a loss of income and no power in our home for 5 years, I never could do a show during that time, and this was about 3-4 years after I got into this hobby, the first year was with painful withdrawal symptoms not being able to do anything at all, but each year the symptoms lessened.   Now that we've got back on track and have been for about 2-3 years now, I've done a show every year since, until this year 2019.  No Halloween at all for me any longer. 

But Christmas is being a struggle because of issues that has happened with display items and lights in the past, not from vandals or pranks, but from our inattentive lawn service folks that have cut extension cords, light strands and such.  And I just don't have the funds to replace what they damage.  If I could opt out and be allowed to do my own lawn-work I would, but we aren't allowed too.  Tried it, and told NO!, And that's just the way it is.

And this is why I'm struggling to even do an exterior display of any kind this year and possibly not ever again outdoors.  It does sadden me, but when things keep getting broken and ruined, kind of hard to have that spirit of setting up a display when you have to start removing items that can't be easily, or if at all, replaced.

So this is why it is kind of difficult for me to make the decision: Do I, or Do I not, put a display up outside this year for 2019? {sigh}

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Orville

[MichRX7]

7 hours ago, Orville said:

But Christmas is being a struggle because of issues that has happened with display items and lights in the past, not from vandals or pranks, but from our inattentive lawn service folks that have cut extension cords, light strands and such.  And I just don't have the funds to replace what they damage.  If I could opt out and be allowed to do my own lawn-work I would, but we aren't allowed too.  Tried it, and told NO!, And that's just the way it is.

 

This right here is infuriating. I would have to believe that this lawn service, if it is contracted by your homeowners association, is responsible for any damage they do in your yard, and it'd be a shock if they aren't insured/bonded for this exact thing. I'd be standing on their steps with photos, a bill and my hand out waiting for cash. I'd also have the manager out to my yard walking the property to show them the ineptness of their employees.

[Little_b]

Every year the thought crosses my mind, but I do it for the community and worry about disappointing everyone.  In fact we are known as the "Christmas House" and when I overhear people giving directions to their house, it's funny that they use our house as a reference./landmark point.  "2 streets up from the Christmas House."  Plus I think I'd be the most disappointed of all. But like Brian said, once I start putting stuff up, the excitement grows as well.   I've been trying to get the flickering to go away on my matrix and it gets me down hearted each time I go through different fixing options with no success.  Help desk has been great and trying a couple more things.  The thing that's killing me is I just found out I have 2 tears on my Meniscus in my knee that is going to require surgery in a few weeks.  Now my worry is if I'm going to be able to climb a ladder and crawl around on my roof,  just to put my stuff up this year.  Each person I've talked to that has had theirs done has had a different outcome as far as how soon they were back to normal activities.  We'll see what happens.

[Orville]

19 hours ago, MichRX7 said:

This right here is infuriating. I would have to believe that this lawn service, if it is contracted by your homeowners association, is responsible for any damage they do in your yard, and it'd be a shock if they aren't insured/bonded for this exact thing. I'd be standing on their steps with photos, a bill and my hand out waiting for cash. I'd also have the manager out to my yard walking the property to show them the ineptness of their employees.

Believe me, I have complained and even taken in photo's and the actual item{s} that have been damaged to the office.  But these folks in this manufactured home park state that neither they or their lawn service they contract can be held responsible for damages to my items that I put out on their property.  I own the home, but have to pay lot rent for the property.   If I could have bought the property and fenced it, there'd be no issue, but you can't buy the property and they also won't allow fencing except for small decorative fencing that just gets ran over by the riding mowers and damaged by their weed-whackers.

So I've kind of given up any hope of ever having a nice display here because of this.   What's funny is THEY {the office management} always wants us to decorate for Christmas and usually has a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize {very cheap prizes as far as I'm concerned, even though it's only a small pittance off your lot rent, and if you win any of those, we did one year, if you don't fight for it, you won't even be awarded that!}  

So I just started doing a smaller display and tried keeping it on my ramp with my cords and decor on the ramp, all off the ground, still ended up with damage when they "lift their weed whackers and don't shut them down".  So it's very frustrating when you spend money on items that get damaged or destroyed, especially since I'm on a very limited and fixed income, so it is very difficult, even impossible most times, for me to replace damaged goods when this happens.   

They even busted one of my CTB16PC {V2} controller boxes and damaged a triac in one because they don't use any type of protection on their riding mowers like a grass bag.  Had a large rock hit one of my controllers a few years back, busted a very large hole in the box from that projectile, so then I and had to toss the controller box, fortunately it didn't do any worse damage than that to it.  So the electronics board now resides in a big black wooden ammunition box with outlets on it for the dangles.  But I always have issues with one channel that the triac was damaged on, so I don't even use channel 5 any longer on it.  So it's a 15 channel controller and I only use it inside for my indoor decorations that wouldn't be as critical as my outdoor decor.

So I'm trying to figure a way around this so I could have a display and protect my stuff, but so far it's just been frustrating trying to figure out just how can I protect my stuff.  Never had any issues with anyone messing with anything in my display and I've already told my neighbors there may not be an outdoor setting this year for Christmas, and many of them agreed with me because they too have lost items in this same manner.  Yes, they said they complained and tried to be compensated, but were given the same excuse, it's not your property, you rent it from us, so if you put anything on it, you take full responsibility for all things damaged you put out for any Holidays or in your yard at any time.   And they even sent out a newsletter to everyone stating same.

Makes it kind of hard to want to do anything with attitudes like that.  The original owner wasn't like this, but the new owner is a greedy so and so and all he cares about is how much money he can take us for.🤬

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2019 by Orville

[k6ccc]

Unless it is in writing in your rental contact that they are not responsible for damage, document the damage and sue them in small claims court. 

If you take that step, keep documentation in case they try to retaliate against you.

 

[Orville]

1 hour ago, k6ccc said:

Unless it is in writing in your rental contact that they are not responsible for damage, document the damage and sue them in small claims court. 

If you take that step, keep documentation in case they try to retaliate against you.

 

After the first year, they no longer will give rental contracts in writing.  I tried my 2nd year here and they refused, stating everyone automatically goes on a month to month, yet NOTHING was ever in writing about that when I bought my home in this park!

I also know several folks that tried suing these folks, all ended up evicted from their homes and the park literally stole their homes from them.  Yes, their homes were paid off, but they have some unscrupulous folks working for them and when someone tries to take them at task, you end up out of your home and losing it.  And you get nothing, and I do mean absolutely nothing when they evict you off their property!

I just can't do that because I do not have that kind of money to be able to put a down payment on another home, and because of some of Trumps new enactments, I will never be able to either because my bank account is limited to a maximum of not more than $3,000 at any given time.  If I would even have that much in there or my SSDI check would make my account over that amount, then they deduct money from my check so my account can only be at that $,300 limit.  And that I find ridiculous.   I have a lot of repairs that need attention on my home, but because of this legality garbage, can't even save up for repairs to my own home!

So I'm kind of stuck behind that proverbial rock and the hard place.  How I wish I'd never bought a home in here!!!   if I knew what I know now, I'd have run as far away as I could from this place.  But being on a fixed amount every month, afraid I'm stuck here.

 

[roverdish]

Sounds like a job for Morgan and Morgan. For the people.

[Orville]

22 hours ago, roverdish said:

Sounds like a job for Morgan and Morgan. For the people.

They're no more for the people than the man in the moon.  Having called them on a wide assortment of things, nothing ever came to be on anything.  And we showed them what the management sent out and they agreed with the management, they put out a legal document, so that means you put something out, you take your chances and you have no repercussion if anything gets damaged.

[roverdish]

oops I meant...........Morgan and Morgan...............For the money!