A mean-spirited anonymous letter complaining about an Emerson Street Christmas light display will no doubt be sending a flood of TV crews our way and get tongues flapping on talk radio. Channel 7’s report is below and here’s Channel 5’s report.
Anonymous letter about Christmas display bound to keep local TV stations busy
by Greg Reibman | Dec 17, 2013 | Newton | 28 comments
Mr. Hunter was a wonderful person. Their house was always on our list of places to visit at Christmas. We would make special trips over and over just to see all the wonderful lights. So great the family is working so hard to make the season special for others.
Even though a few people object I don’t think the Hunters should change their custom. In fact the streets are very bleak without these fabulous displays.
@Colleen: We don’t know that it’s a few people. Could be one person.
I hope that this family continues its tradition for many years to come. What an awful, mean-spirited coward to issue such a letter!
My wife and I were watching the news this morning and both let out a disgusted ‘uuugggghhhh.’ My wife and kids are Jewish and the disgust is that it will be interpreted (as I believe it always is) by people as ‘Jewton’ once again showing intolerance and adding to the non existent War on Christmas.
Whomever did this is a such a coward for not signing it. Just a clown. It is my belief that the person isn’t Jewish either. Just a hunch. Just a miserable overly PC, uptight over decorations clown.
Emerson Street is smack in the middle of a bunch of lit-up houses every Christmas season. These houses have done this for years, and we used to make a point of pushing the stroller through those streets when our son (16 today, btw) was little. Even if you think it’s tacky, so be it.
Bah humbug, people.
At least the display wasn’t this (warning: some of you may deem the content in this link a little off-color- others will spit coffee all over your keyboards): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2524880/Sarah-Childs-gives-Christmas-middle-finger-again.html
Nonantum’s “Village Idiot” has surfaced and it’s not anyone in the Hunter Family
Pay attention, it seems the local news has found a way to poke at Newton and the snootiness that has somehow reached into the depths of Ward 1 and Newton Corner! Sheesh… if the Hunter’s want to pay the electric bill, why does anyone care? Looks like the cowardly neighbors who didn’t want to disclose their names need to take a course in community civility (or embrace their boldness by having a direct conversation with their neighbor). This is a letter you would might expect from someone on Moffat Rd or or Prince Streets, not on Emerson.
Talk about bright lights, has anyone seen the Davis home on Sargent St in December? I guess the “neighbors” on Emerson St haven’t traveled to the ritzy part of Newton to find that even multi-gazillionaires like to emblazen their homes at Christmastime. To each his own. 😀
For those who don’t do videos, here’s a link to the Tab article:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/newton/news/x825438544/Newton-Christmas-light-display-draws-angry-letter?rssfeed=true
And how nasty to claim that non-Christians would mind their neighbors Christmas displays – I always enjoy the ones in our neighborhood.
You don’t know that the person was a non-Christian. This person didn’t go after all the other decorated houses on the block. Just this one. This could very well be a Christian person who hates the overdone display and cited that not everyone is Christian as just one reason.
If I decorated like the Hunters for Christmas and received a letter like that, I would definitely be rethinking my display. I’d be looking to add some significant wattage, perhaps even audio.
Tsk-tsk. In the Midwest, this display would be described as “mild.” No strobe. No pulsing. No reindeer jumping up and down. No snowmen chasing elves. Santa is not waving to anyone. I’m not saying it’s a bad display, but you can always amp up the wattage. Further, I am a little surprised that nobody has gone “game on!” with their own display. Maybe what the letter’s authors are looking for is a spirited competition?
This is a non-story. The writer is an idiot and the Hunters should have ripped the letter up and thrown it away.
@Bill. We’re more discreet here
I’m with Bill Brandel…I’m from Richmond, Virginia, where the local paper publishes a long list of Tacky Lights addresses, and people make an evening of driving around on Tacky Lights Tours (often in rented limos). Some homes sell hot chocolate and take donations to offset the electric bill. This very tame display on Emerson Street would not come close to making the list.
I used to live around the corner from this home and loved the light display and found the owners of the home to be lovely and friendly people. Although I no longer live around the corner, I still go with my family every year to see the display.
I’m so grateful to those of all religions and backgrounds who give the gift of light and festivity and culture sharing to our neighborhoods. Not everyone will like every display and that’s ok; a display that doesn’t match one’s personal taste should not be criticized, but rather it should be a reminder that diversity is beautiful.
In the spirit of the season, let’s celebrate those that bring joy to our neighborhoods and practice tolerance if our tastes disagrees with someone else’s; I wish joy and tolerance were the topics that the news media was doing stories about.
I’m happy they wrote the letter… otherwise I wouldn’t have known about this house, and now I plan to bring my kids by to see it.
One person writing a stupid letter does not constitute a news story. Ridiculous letter, ridiculous complaint. If I celebrated Christmas and lived on Emerson Street, I’d organize the neighborhood to significantly bump up their displays.
Now the Hunter’s have contacted the Ellen show about this story. Now I’m not on their side. I’m not on the author of the letter’s side but enough is enough. Like Barry said, they should have ripped the letter up and thrown it away. Now they are milking this and it make Newton look bad.
Ridiculous what people will do to get on television. You weren’t victims Hunters. Just throw the letter away. Now you just look like attention needy clowns.
Are we sure they did not do this themselves for some type of publicity or $$ help for the electric bill. As Kim says – now this is ridiculous. Reminds me of the recent issue in Lancaster. It was not a threatening letter – and it was only one letter – so why go to the length of contacting Ellen and most of the local news programs . Looks a bit suspicious to me.
This is a first. Both Kim and Gail are agreeing with something I said? Amazing. I guess some good came from this story. 🙂
Contacting the Ellen show? I agree that the first place to look for the source of that letter is the Hunters. But a better thing to do is to ignore the whole thing.
Pardon my assumptions, but “kitschy” doesn’t seem like the kind of word that would flow from the people in the video. It could be a prank, but in the sprint of the season why even think this family did something dishonest?
Fair enough Hoss. I’ll withhold my skepticism. But why would they contact The Ellen Show?
Gail Spector — You only withheld your skepticism for two sentences, now didn’t you? (How do we know they contacted the show? And if they did, it could have been someone in the media that suggested they do it.)
@Hoss: I wondered how quickly I was going to be called on that and by whom. I’m trained to be skeptical.
But I’m also trained to check my sources. And the only source I have that they called The Ellen Show is Kim. I really do know better than that. I would like to retract my previous comment and I will keep quiet about this unless any other news unfolds.
Is there a source for the claim that they contacted the Ellen show?
It’s very important to rush to judgment in these matters. With great haste.
Either way, unless the Hunters sent this letter to themselves (which would be sad, weird and defy logic), they have every right to respond to this obnoxious letter in any manner that they choose. And it is not their job to protect the reputation of Newton. Further, after certain individuals have made a side career of embarrassing this City for some publicity, they seem like the last people who should be called out for it.
I, personally, would have ripped up the letter. And then I would have doubled down on the lights.
I’m with Bill on this one except I think I might add an 8 foot inflatable green Grinch to the yard display. Plenty for sale on Ebay.