pet peeve #23 there are several things that make the muscles in my jaw tighten up. christmas lights and or decorations put up before thanksgiving is one of them. as is leaving them up after the new year has come and gone. scrooge you say? don't get me wrong, i like christmas as much as the next person. however, i think 2 months is a little long for any celebration. you want to put your lights up the day after thanksgiving? fine. you want to leave them up til the 4th or 5th of january? fine. hell if you don't want to take them down at all i don't care but, for the love of god, you don't have to plug them in. as far as i know, there's no rule that states that lights of christmas merriment must be plugged in and turned on as long as they are still strewn around your yard. as far as turning them on before thanksgiving has come and gone well that's just rude. would it kill you to let it have it's day without screaming in face "thanksgiving, you're merely a second rate holiday that's only real purpose these days is to allow people to test out recipes before the REAL holiday gets there." sheesh. is it spring yet?  ¶ 2:14 PM