Dear Tessie,
I think my neighbor’s decorations for Christmas are so tacky. I wish I could tell them if they aren’t going to put any good effort into it they should just leave the decorations in their garage, but my husband won’t even let me talk to them about decorating at all. Is it really that bad to offer to help them do better?
L
Dear L,
I could swear I remember a cartoon I’ve seen that had the line in it, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” I thought every time I saw it with young folks that it really was a good lesson for them, because one day they’d be faced with a dilemma like yours.
You haven’t got any reason to worry about what decorations your neighbors do or do not decide to put up. Maybe folks can only afford the decorations you’re seeing. Maybe they couldn’t even afford those. Or maybe they think their decorations are just fine, and if I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t even have to see them to know that I agree.
Sticking your nose into other folks’ business is a quick way to find trouble where there wasn’t any. Just as much to wind up saying something you might regret after the fact. Remember, much like election season, once the holiday is over all the decorations come down and you have to go back to just being neighborly. Don’t let decorations be something that brings down folks’ spirits instead of raising them.
Love,
Tessie
