Tuckahoe Village Departments

TUCKAHOE TALK
With Mayor John Fitzpatrick

TO HAVE OR HAVE NOT
Suburban Anthropology

December, 2008

Autumn arrives and with it more darkness. Almost as an answer to that darkness we have December with Christmas lights. In regards to these Christmas lights there are two types of people in this world: those that adorn their house and those that don’t. The first and most obvious reason why some don’t is that not everyone is Christian or celebrates this holiday. For sure though there are many other reasons as well. But of those that do, I believe they can be categorized into three groups. First, there are those types who they make movies about. These people usually have multiple moving things on their property, including an obligatory scheme of lighting that could safely be used for space shuttle navigation. Next, you have the sprinkling of lights type - icicles seems to be the preference of late and mainly white. Lastly, is the candle in the window group, occasionally this group may have a door wreath as well.

When my family and I moved to Tuckahoe ten years ago it was our first house. We had formerly been co-op dwellers in Brooklyn. Moving from an apartment, one only owns “inside things” for celebrating holidays such as Christmas. When you first buy a home, you don’t realize all the things you don’t have because they were never needed. Besides the rakes and shovels and axes kind of necessities, if you are the type you may require outdoor decorations. While it does occur most don’t take the time to decorate their apartment hallway door with blinking lights. Since during the first few years of home ownership we didn’t have much spare money, decorations fell far down the list. But apparently that wasn’t fast enough for at least one my neighbors.

One Fall this neighbor approached me on my porch and asked why I never decorated my home. I gave him some vague answer about not getting around to it yet. He left me with some quote like “It’s all about the kids”. After this encounter I sat for a while contemplating my own youth in regards to Christmas lights. As I recalled my mother was always in charge of decorations, which consisted of a candlelight in each window. The real epiphany, however, was that my father never did any decorating. Obviously, my Father had passed me some gene that aided in avoiding with decorating. Additionally my wife, Kate the Hungarian would frequently point out that Europeans are not that big on decorating the outside of their homes. So the combination of Kate being content with an unlit wreath on our door and my own genetic predisposal to avoid decorating was probably why I felt only minorly shaken by this neighbor’s confrontation.

Since I came from a home that was a “candle in the window” group, I always felt we were doing enough. I did begin to wonder if a person born into one category stays there for life or did you move up in class. Perhaps Christmas lights were like tattoos; some are able to get one and stop, others are compelled to continue until the canvas, that is their body, is entirely covered. This might have something to do with the fact that Americans now spend 9 billion dollars a year on just Christmas decorations. As I looked around my well-lit street, I fought the temptation to submit to the peer pressure of my neighborhood. Reassuringly, mother’s voice ran through my head, “ If all your neighbors were jumping off a bridge, would you?” Besides, having to hang all over the outside of my house in the freezing cold seemed like an enormous amount of work.

My kids certainly like “the more the better” approach and judging by a few homes, they are not alone. My previously stated list of deficiencies would make me incapable of choosing a best decorated house in Tuckahoe or anywhere for that matter. But as I do every year my children and I will be on the streets to see what Tuckahoe, Eastchester and Bronxville have in store for us this year.

The electrician in me wants to remind all residents that outdoor lighting can be dangerous if not properly protected by GFI circuit protection. Also this time of the year many normally safety conscious individuals seem content with an inordinate amount of extension cords running all over the inside and outside of their home. I ask you all to replace any lights or cords that are outdated or hazardous; so we may all have safe holiday season.

Personally, I have finally broke down and bought one set of white icicles; now my only fear is being the guy whose lights are up in July, hanging unlit from a gutter.

Salve sis