‘I asked my neighbour to take their Christmas lights down – they are intrusive’

One homeowner isn’t feeling the Christmas spirit after their neighbour put up festive lights in their garden – they claim it’s veering into their outdoor space

Not everyone is a fan of twinkling Christmas light displays, but there isn’t much you can do about it if a neighbour puts up their own light show. But if the same neighbour decides to extend their festive light show in your flower bed, it suddenly becomes your business.

That’s the experience of one disgruntled woman, who has taken her gripe to Mumsnet. But she’s not sure if she is just being a bit of a killjoy and spoilsport in denying next door’s delight in all things Christmassy.

The homeowner explained: “I came home and saw that my neighbours had decorated their house ready for Christmas.”

She then realises there has been some Christmas decoration ‘leakage’ onto her property, and isn’t happy with her neighbours.

“They had put one of their Christmas decorations on my garden without checking with me first,” she says. “They seemed annoyed when I (very politely) asked them to put it on their own driveway instead.”

She wonders is she is giving Christmas Grinch a run for his money because she wants the Christmas decorations removed and deny her neighbours some seasonal joy.

“Was I being unreasonable?,” she asks. “It was very close to the boundary, so I thought about letting it go, but it’s a long time until Christmas and it was a decoration on a stake, pushed into in my flower bed, which borders their driveway!”

Comments to her post were a mixed bag. Some sympathised, others reasoned, while a few called her a Grinch.

One person said: “Not unreasonable at all. If they want to decorate early, that’s fine, but it is not acceptable for them to decorate someone else’s garden.”

A fellow Grinch sympathised: “I’m also a bit Grinchy about garden Christmas decorations. A few lights on the house and a wreath, even a Christmas tree in the garden looks lovely, but decorations on stakes are a no from me.”

Others questioned the Reddit poster further, asking: “Was it causing damage? I understand if it was tearing through you roses, but if not, then I don’t see the harm.”

Finally, some good old common sense and grounding advise: “I really couldn’t get worked up over something so minor, its borders their driveway, you could have just moved it over a touch if it was bothering you so much, I wouldn’t want to risk falling out with my neighbours over something so trivial.”