How does your household decorate for the holidays? Do you have garlands and lights covering every square inch of your abode inside and out, or are you more the “just put the tree up and call it a day” home? The former seems to be eliciting more and more controversy as of late.
Let’s take the Apruzzi family from Old Bridge, N.J., for example. Their extravagant lights display -- using over 20,000 bulbs -- has created such a stir in their neighborhood that the town is asking them to pay $2,000 a day to cover expenses like a police presence and other security costs necessary to keep traffic moving and civilians out of trouble when viewing the light show.
Then we can discuss Claire Rielly, a senior editor at CNET’s, response to the interior design of the McAllister's house in “Home Alone.”
Clearly, the breadth of holiday decorations is something that a lot of people have opinions on these days. So, what do we think of the Heerlein family’s tribute to Chevy Chase and “Christmas Vacation”?
Chris Heerlein of Austin, Texas went out of his way to recreate the famous “stringing up the Christmas lights” scene from the “National Lampoon” film, purchasing a man-sized dummy, perfectly drab “dad” clothes and even a mask of Chase’s face. The result was an especially lifelike rendition of Clark Griswold dangling from a gutter.
Normally, I’d think this was a great way to decorate for Christmas. Retired veteran Alfred, though, thought a little differently.
Alfred, upon seeing the “man” hanging from the house, immediately ran up to the ladder and tried to “save” the dummy, resorting to calling 9-1-1 when it didn’t respond. And the whole thing was caught on the Heerlein’s Nest Cam.
“I was trying to get him down any way I can. Except when I started talking to him, he never said nothing,” Alfred told USA Today. “Then I thought, ‘Oh my God I hope he's not dead, let me call 9-1-1.’”
“He was doing everything he could to get the ladder! And be like ‘Save Clark!’” Heerlein’s sister-in-law Leah Wheless said. “He didn't give up. Whatever he had to do, he was going to save old Clark Griswold.”
The family has since put up a sign reading, “Clark G is part of our Christmas display please do not call 911.”