Jealousy, envy, and covetous neighbors...

We used to be THE NEIGHBORS that everybody in our community talked about. WE decorated the most for holidays, WE had the biggest, baddest, brightest decorations. Although always tastefully done.

We have neighbors that used to come and just stand in the street in front of the house to look at the decorations and stare at the tree through our living room windows. Now, granted, we had a 13 foot, fresh cut, frasier fur fully decorated with about 6-10 thousand lights in our window. The window is 10 feet wide and the tree spread out the whole 10 feet and literally reached to the ceiling. To get it out I had to take a chainsaw and cut it into 3 pieces and muscle it through the door. The outside was decorated with a gazillion lights, shapes, blow ups, etc. Yeah, we had fun!

Then a couple of years ago "new" neighbors moved in across the street. They gobbed up their yard with all kinds of decorations. Not "tasteful" stuff like we have but gaudy stuff. And just as my wife and I decided to go from 13 feet of fresh cut frasier fur to a modest 10 foot artificial tree with lights already on it. (Greatest thing we ever did! I was too old to climb the ladder.)

Well, a "cold" war erupted with the neighbors. They went for quantity and we went for quality. Each giving the eager public choices.

Now, it is taking on a whole new dimension...Decoration Wars-The Next Generation! Oh yeah, I'm taking the gloves off with my new secret weapon. My kids!

The kids decided the burning cauldron, blow up frankie, strobe cat, myriad of lighted pumpkins, skeletons, signs, tombstones, etc. were not enough. Oh no! They "upped the ante" this year. They built a crime scene in the drive way. Yup! Chalk outline, crime scene tape, fake blood stains on the concrete, bloody saw, hammer and then bloody hands on the door of the house! Way cool and lit by flashlights just lying on the ground!

I was sitting out front with the bucket of full size candy bars waiting for the ankle biters to come begging for candy and who comes along? THE NEIGHBOR and his brood. OK, we did not have all the gobs of stuff he did, but we went for quality. Still, it is a unsteady truce we have. As he walked up it hit him! He was envious of the crime scene! Oh, he stopped, stared, looked at me, looked at it and grinned. When he came over with the kids he said "nice crime scene, definitely stepped it up to a new level, huh?" He looked at his wife and told her next year, he had new plans!

I grinned, gave the crumb snatching linoleum lizards their free candy and watched Mr. Envy walk away.

Oh yeah, I and my next generation minions have still got it! Oh, and next year...well, let's just say that Team BigAl is already planning surprises. God, I love having kids!