Decorations Anonymous

I officially finished off the holiday decorations outside. 400 white lights along the eve of the house set to blink, a light up manger scene on one side of the front door, and some light up gingerbread people on the other. Not much, but I couldn't help but stand back and smile. I also find myself checking out other people's setup and seeing certain things I wouldn't mind trying out. I realized tonight why certain people (guys mainly) get to the point of decorating their houses with thousands of lights: its a drug. I think it stems from two things. First, there is the sense of pride and showmanship when it is all together. Was it frustrating at times? Perhaps. But, when it all comes together and everything is lit, you're the man, or maybe not. Which brings up point number two: One-up-manship. It is in our genes, I think, to be better than someone else. A guy puts up lights and he is the only one on the street, he feels he is the king, the innovator. Next door neighbor puts up more than him, and suddenly he decides that what he has is inadequate. He wants more shine, more "look at me", so he declares war. More decorations are bought and hung until there can be only one victor in the neighborhood, determined by a mixture of finances, free time, and sheer lunacy.

Am I the king of my neighborhood? Hardly. Was I at any one point "the man"? There was about 2 days that I was the only house lit, but now a half dozen or so have sprung up. Am I declaring war? Not yet, but you never know.