Most houses have some degree of decorations. There are less light displays than a few years ago.

Christmas decorations are not big in my neighborhood. Some houses have wreaths, most don't. Some houses have a string or two of lights, most don't. There are a few neighborhoods around where people have elaborate displays but just a few and not in my area.

It's not weather related because I'm in a mild weather location. I think it's maybe just less common here and more common elsewhere.

Weather is not a factor here in MN anyway. There are PLENTY of displays. We drive around town each year taking them in. I would say it is "catchy". Where there is one there are more displays in a neighborhood.

Our neighborhood is quite a ways out of town, and everyone has 2 - 5 acres of land. Some put up decorations, some don't.

We used to, but it's not worth the risk of either one of us climbing up on a ladder. We do like to drive and take them in, especially with the grandkids.

Not overwhelmingly so. A few houses go all out but most keep it simple.

However we do a have an older area where neighbors get together and decorate to the nines for several blocks. I used to love driving through and looking at the displays. But as the years have gone by the once well thought out displays have gotten way gaudier and sloppier. Too much available lit up junk available at the stores has removed the past creativity, plus those horrid blow up things are everywhere too.

Not a lot of people here go for decorating for the various holidays as they do in the US. Some do, and some go nuts about it, but you generally have to drive around a bit to see much in the way of Christmas lights.

Nobody extravagant in our neighborhood. Most have candles in the windows, and some have lights on small trees outside. We don't do much outside but decorate the mailbox, because our house isn't very visible. Most of us live in the woods.

Our neighborhood and town in general does. There is a lit tree at a traffic circle.

We put wreath on our door and in each window. I have "candles" in each window but we don't do string of lights. There are a few on my street that have a professional string the lights.

I agree with Arcy. Usually if a few people start with lights, others follow. Especially new owners. Ours in a neighborhood that is cycling to back to younger families.

A house in the next town over is THE house that everyone visits. It is over the top. Closer to the holiday, he even starts pumping out music. This year, it looked like either he bought the house next door or he included the neighbor as the decor on stretches two houses.

When my DD's were small, this was always a tradition. A few weeks ago when DD and BF were up visiting we took them to see it. It was still early in the season, so no cars backing traffic.

I don't think I would want to be a neighbor on that street.

About half of my street has some decorations up, but not extravagant. I don't have any. I usually put up a wreath on the door but didn't even do that this year. The last few years I had lights put up the stupid brand news strings soon went out, so there were gaps in the string where the lights were out. I finally just gave up as every new string I bought did that.

The price of electricity is what stops us from putting more lights up outside.

There are quite a few in my neighborhood. We only hang a large wreath on the front of our house. I've noticed some people around us are now hiring companies to hang lights. Window and siding cleaning companies tend to offer it as a winter service since they have the equipment, and they'll even store your lights the rest of the year. If you don't have your own lights, they'll rent some to you. A friend told me she got a quote for her 2800sqft colonial and it was $1,000 to hang and remove her own lights - that was just to outline the front of the house and hang them on one tree. I guess that could be cheap compared to a broken back.

Most in our neighborhood do at least a little something -- a wreath or greenery at their door, a strand or two of lights. Many (including us) drape a string of lights around the door and/or hang a few outdoor ornaments on a tree. Festive but not wildly so.

One house down the block from me goes overboard, but keeps to a blue and white theme and is very pretty. Another neighbor fills every inch of their yard with holiday themed figures: santa, reindeer, manger scene, snowmen, yuletide carolers, etc. Plus lights on their house, and another santa & sleigh & reindeer on their roof. Thank goodness no music -- I like my outdoors to be 'silent night'.

The whole township seems to be into it. A house in nearby Ambler won on a national TV morning show. A couple of miles away, near my son's house, there's a real Candy Cane Lane. One house had a lighted two story Lombardi Trophy display. Out next door neighbor called in a tree company and had a large tree in his yard wrapped on the trunk.

We had a modest display of holiday cards in the dining room.

Most of my neighbors are NOT home this time of year. On a warm cruise. Visiting family or in a warm climate at their 2nd home. Called "snow birds".

My neighborhood is moderate to extravagant. The extravagant ones are hired out by professional athletes and coaches who live in the neighborhood. We are minimal on the outside (door wreath) and moderate on the inside with two decorated trees, one formal and one decorated by grandchildren.

We put everything away yesterday. So today, we're lean.

I noticed quite a few houses up and down the main road were lit up this year. One thing could be that strands of lights are less expensive now, also younger families moving in. The small town a couple miles away has lost most of its businesses and nothing is done in the way of lighting up street lights, etc. However homes in town are decked out.

There is a beautiful colonial across the intersection from our home whose owners decorate for all seasonal celebrations. Right now there are candles and wreaths at all the windows and a gorgeous display on the front door. Everything is always beautiful, tasteful, and never over-the-top.

Of the 20 houses on our street, only about half have a wreath and/or candles. (Some of our neighbors don't celebrate this holiday.) We have a plain artificial wreath on the door with a red painted peace symbol in the middle, a large "Peace" sign in our front window year round, and 5 small shaded lights in the same window which we turn on every night all year.

Come to think on it, we don't do much decorating for Christmas, but, in our own way, we try to hold onto the spirit all year.

A few younger families moved onto our block long street several years ago. One had come from a neighborhood that coordinated extensive outdoor decorations and they decided to offer the same here. We all agreed and donated to rent a cherry picker bucket lift for the weekend that they outlined roofs and connected wires to support strings of lights crossing the street connecting homes. They entered us in the community decorating contest, and we have won an award every year. They use a computer program to blink the lights to the beat of whatever Christmas music they play. (The lights look prettier if they would just let them stay on.) Most yards and house fronts are filled with all sorts of light up displays from the stores. It is gawdy and bright and the kids love it.

We live in a 55+ development with 5 streets. Last year we started a holiday decorating contest by street. Our street won, so this year we were the judges. Have seen a marked increase in decorations since the contest started. The winning street gets possession of The Christmas Story's leg lamp for the year.

Most of the decorations where I live are put up by the local businesses. The main street of town is quite festive, but not overdone or tacky. I don't notice many decorations on private homes in my area.

Christmas in my previous neighborhood:

In my neighborhood, it's a wreath on the door, some houses have wreaths hanging from all the front windows (I have them on the 3 front-facing 1st floor windows), some have roping over porch or wound around columns, and several have candle lights in each window (I do the same on front and sides - not on back). NO ONE has the roof line outlined in lights, nor are their any blow-up things in the yards. It's all very festive and pretty and quite tasteful. One can see a lite Christmas tree in a window of virtually every house.

In one subdivision I drive by on my way to my vet's office, there is a house that is about as tarted up as the above pictures. It must take them weeks to put it all up and take it down, and their electric bill must soar. Oh - the lights flash as well. Glad I don't live across the street - all those lights and all that flashing would drive me nuts!