Let there BE LIGHTS!

Festive decorations have sparked many a seasonal squabble, as Christabel Smith has discovered

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Before setting up home together, any couple would be well advised to open up their hearts for an honest, no-holds-barred conversation about where they stand on... Christmas lights. One person's flashing, blowup snowman is another's seasonal migraine. Even when he's packed away in the attic come January, you'll somehow always know he's there. Barring a stealthy assault with the kitchen scissors, Snowy will be with you for life.

Different approaches

In households up and down the country, the 'more the merrier' principle of Christmas lighting comes into direct conflict with 'less is more' restraint. There are those who don't feel Christmas is Christmas without covering every inch of the house in an extravagant light show, complete with 'Santa, stop here' signs and illuminated nine-foot ladders leading to upstairs windows. This may begin soon after Halloween, so their electricity budget must be higher than the reindeer prancing across their rooftop.