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The holiday times really are a-changing. Thanks to our need for instant gratification, we can shop for everyone this Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanzaa season without leaving the comfort of our cubicle. (’Fess, up -- we know you’re not really working
But we have to draw the laziness line somewhere, and for LAist, it’s drawn at holiday decorations. We see those signs for Christmas light and decoration installation services popping up all over the city and on craigslist.com. And this trend isn’t just popular in California. It’s rampant in New England, too, where it’s generally a right of passage to climb up on the roof and string those lights in wind chills of 30 below.
According to an Associated Press story:
Short on time, leery of ladders and lacking expertise for sometimes-elaborate lighting displays, homeowners are opening their wallets and hiring others do the work…Besides giving homeowners a way to brighten up their homes, the Christmas decoration industry gives local seasonal businesses — such as landscapers and tree trimmers — a way to make a few extra bucks during a slow time of the year.
Yeah, yeah, we know that more Americans are time-strapped than ever before. But what will our lazy butts think of next? A gift unwrapping and disposal service for Christmas morn? A present return/exchange service? [Please let us know if those already exist.]
There's something so nostalgic about going out in a cold December day to pick out just the right tree then getting pricked by its branches while holding the stand for Mom and Dad...or getting the wreathes to stay straight on the door...or spending hours untangling yards of Christmas lights on green wire...or hunting for electric candles, red stockings and those unwanted presents (a/k/a re-gifting items) that we hadn't seen since last year...
Maybe we're just bitter. We want our kids to experience the same things we did, and having the landscaper put Rudolph on the lawn just doesn't feel right. What's the holiday season without a good family fight over the lights, anyway?
Flickr photo by cjanebuy
