Hey, if you're into the festive occasion - go for it. Nothing wrong with that. Just don't egg my car if you ring the doorbell and there's no response. lol
Me personally - I no longer decorate the front lawn or anything of that sort. Might hang a wreath on the door for Christmas, but stopped hanging Xmas lights many moons ago. No Rudolph in the yard in December, no Santa Clause figurine, no manger with animals, hay and baby Jesus with Joseph and Mary. (not that I'm not a believer...)
Doesn't mean I don't appreciate/respect/honor the festive holiday occasions, but just no longer have the desire to spend time hanging up decorations for several days, for what amounts to a few weeks, then having to disassemble and clean up. Just seems like a waste of time for a guy whose kids are grown, with a garage/basement already packed full of useless crap.
My neighbors? They're all into it. God bless 'em.
I guess I've turned into the 'scrooge' in the neighborhood when it comes to holiday festivity decorating. But the neighbors know they can count on me if they need something. Back in the summer, I was home (and personally paid for) a neighbor's new vent pipe three houses down from me, being installed in his roof. I set it all up. It cost me all of $60 bucks. He works nights, has two kids, his wife works during the day. It was during their one week of family vacation each year that they get to enjoy time together down at the Outer Banks of NC when the issue came up. Hey - I'm here. No problem. Enjoy your vacation, lemme take care of this.
Two days ago, my single-mother neighbor living next door to me realized she had a nest of yellow jackets in her bedroom wall. They were coming in at the eave of her house. I told her, "let me help out with this, you don't need to take time off from work." She set up a time for a local pest control company to come out, I met him there, he did his thing... I footed the bill. And I footed the bill because I'm also very allergic to bees and she lives in a townhouse next to me. The last thing I need is bees starting a nest on my side of things. It was $150 service fee, and I gladly paid it, because it's worth that much to me to know that I'm not gonna have to deal with it as well.
Do unto others, especially if you have the means to do so! Kindness goes a long way!
But I've never felt obligated to hand out gobs of candy to kids of parents who I don't know. This year I decided that it's time to not be bothered with it any longer. Not that I feel inconvenienced, but that I've just grown tired of having a majority of the trick-or-treaters coming into my neighborhood from 25+ miles away. Sorry, let others add to your kids' tooth decay and obesity.
Used to be that it was an enjoyable neighborhood thing. Now it's a free-for-all. I am not going to spend 100 bucks on candy anymore. I'd rather send that money otherwise spent on candy for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner to the local homeless shelter.
Get off my lawn! lol