My Christmas flamingo in the front yard

[VandVsmama]

Disclaimer: I have a weird sense of humor sometimes.

Ok, with that out of the way, we can begin. We've lived in this neighborhood for a little over a year. Brand new development, so everybody on the street is new like we are. Next door neighbor on 1 side of us is a nice lady, but we've learned that she's either bored or is a bit of a busy body. I'm talkin', like, she's asked what do we know about this person or that person on the block. Asked us 20 questions about the neighbor on the other side of us...is he married, why is he not married, does he have kids, how old are they, how come she never sees this neighbor, etc., etc.

Busy Body has, in the past, commented frequently that she often looks out her 2nd story window into our backyard because she wants to see what we're up to. When it was hot outside, out of protest of this, I'd go in my backyard wearing shorts and a bra. Might as well give Busy Body a show. LOL.

Ok, so shortly after we moved in a year ago, it was the Christmas season. A couple of people put lights up. She did & demanded to know how come WE had not put Xmas lights up. Um, because we both work full time and we're busy and we don't want to go up on a ladder only to have to take the lights down in about 3-4 weeks. We put a wreath on the door and pretty much call it a day.

During last year's Christmas Light Interrogation, she said, "But you celebrate Christmas, don't you? Why wouldn't you put lights up?" Then she asked, "How come nobody else has lights up?" I told her, "Maybe they're busy, too. Maybe they don't celebrate Christmas. I don't know, ask them."

So this year, my subtle form of protest is I put out one single pink flamingo in my front yard with a Santa hat on it. Every time Busy Body or another neighbor comments on the Santa flamingo, I'm taking another flamingo from my front yard and am relocating it to the front and sticking a Santa hat on it. Every other day, I'm going to take the flamingo and move it a little bit to another part of the front yard. So over the course of the month, Santa flamingo is going to migrate all over my front yard.

DH & I are taking bets as to how long it'll be before somebody comments on it. THIS IS GOING TO BE A REALLY FUN MONTH! I need to make a run to Walmart to buy more Santa hats. I suspect that I'm going to need them.

 

[DeniseJH]

Sounds like fun! I love how kitschy lawn flamingos have become - and with a Santa hat? Perfection!!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I fully support this and want to see a picture of Santa flamingo.

I’d love to get my hands on these guys but, alas, they’ve been discontinued.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Do you have a Mickey ears Santa hat for the flamingo? I vote that you keep the flamingo year round and just keep switching hats as the holidays and your mood dictate!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

I think you should get so many flamingos in your yard this year that next year you can do this:

 

[wgeo]

I fully support this and want to see a picture of Santa flamingo.

I’d love to get my hands on these guys but, alas, they’ve been discontinued.

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I'd love someone to do Christmas Flamingoes in our neighborhood - that'd be fun. We do have someone in our neighborhood that has the Christmas dinosaurs too - well maybe just the one holding the gift. And dancing Hulu Santas, and lot of Christmas Mickey's, a Christmas Pig - all kinds of fun stuff. I hope your neighbors getting a kick out of your migrating flamingo.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

This is from last year. I bought another flamingo yesterday to keep it company.

 

[Micca]

So this year, my subtle form of protest is I put out one single pink flamingo in my front yard with a Santa hat on it. Every time Busy Body or another neighbor comments on the Santa flamingo, I'm taking another flamingo from my front yard and am relocating it to the front and sticking a Santa hat on it. Every other day, I'm going to take the flamingo and move it a little bit to another part of the front yard. So over the course of the month, Santa flamingo is going to migrate all over my front yard.

Every time busy body mentions it, I'd move the flamingo a few feet closer to her yard.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Several years ago "Dear Abby" answered a letter on how to deal with a busy body. She said to tell the person, "If you'll pardon my rudeness for not answering, I'll pardon your rudeness for asking."

 

[kaytieeldr]

It sounds enjoyable warped. Have a blast!

 

[Wendy31]

Ha!

We have a family of 5 Christmas flamingos in our front yard - 2 of them are lighted. We also have 3 smaller Christmas flamingos that line our walk. And, I have a large metal flamingo that stays up year round - he currently has a wreath around his neck.

There is an inflatable blowup of Santa in a sleigh being pulled by flamingos that I really want, but it's sold out.

I also have a set a of black skeleton flamingos for Halloween.

I used to go all tasteful & classy w/ white lights & reindeer. Now, not so much.

 

[DuskKodesh]

I'm begging you to keep us updated because this is the best thing I've read all day OP!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We have a manatee mailbox (it's about five feet tall and holds the standard mailbox). Many people here have manatees, dolphins, seahorses, pelicans, etc for their mailbox holders. Lots of them decorate their mailbox holder in the appropriate holiday decoration. Like lights, hats, wreaths for Christmas; costumes for Halloween. One family even put a hardhat on their seahorse because they were doing renovations at their house and the driveway was torn up. So a decorated flamingo would fit right in for our island.

 

[cmarsh31]

Our Christmas flamingo is regretting her life choices and wishes she didn't live in the Northeast.

 

[VandVsmama]

I was out in the front yard planting something this afternoon (we're in AZ). 1 lady walked by to the communal mailbox and looked at the flamingo then looked at me and had this odd look on her face. You could tell she really wanted to ask about it but didn’t have the guts to. She did say hello though.

Then about 4 cars drove by over 20 min and they all slowed down and the drivers took a long slow look at the flamingo with their mouths hanging open.

I put some garland around it’s neck this evening. I’m putting another one in the front yard tomorrow!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... I’m putting another one in the front yard tomorrow!

Maybe if you get enough, they can spell out something that your neighbor can read from her 2nd story window? And, does Walmart sell the Christmas lights garland/necklace like the one at Disneyland? Put that around the flamingo's neck -- that counts as putting up lights in my book.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I love this! The usual stuff is great, but if you want a Christmas flamingo you should have one!

We used to enjoy messing with our former neighbor (still a friend). He's an awesome guy and we got along very well with the whole family, but he's kind of a perfectionist. His house always looks perfect with the lawn mowed in rows and the shrubs always neatly trimmed. For Christmas, he puts lighted wreaths across the upper level and the fence in front of his porch. The spacing between each one is exactly the same.

Everytime we would see a giant inflatable Christmas dinosaur or some other novel decoration, we would joke that we should put it on our lawn so the neighbor would have the pleasure of looking at it from his front window. We even joked about putting such things on his lawn in the middle of the night so he would wake up to them. A flock of Christmas flamingos would probably put him over the edge! We moved to another part of town, but we still joke about messing with his perfect yard decor. Maybe we'll still do it!

 

[VandVsmama]

The kids helped me decorate flamingo #2 this morning with a hat and silver garland. Then a car drove by with a kid in the passenger seat. ODD said that the girl had the most funny expression on her face as the car drove by. The kids and I all high 5’d each other afterwards.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh. Well. Now that we're getting into surprise decorating for neighbors, is anybody aware of the friendly rivalry between the Kimmel and Krasinski/Blunt households?

 

[Julie's Haircut]

This is from last year. I bought another flamingo yesterday to keep it company.

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Update: This year's display with more fluffy flamingos.




I used to have about 6 or 7 inflatables, including one flamingo, but gave them away last years because they became too much of a pain. Despite being secured by thin ropes, they would often blow over in the wind.




A Klassy Kristmas display from about 8 years ago. Illuminated 100% genuine plastic Santa from K-Mart and two flamingos.