Joe: Laser Christmas Lights Look Ridiculous & They’re Ruining Christmas Tradition [OPINION]

Let me preface this post by saying that I love all things Christmas. I am obsessed with holiday music, holiday decorations, and generally feeling very festive. I do, however, need to get this off my chest.

There is new trend in holiday decorating the past few years, and I think it's ridiculous. You've seen this decoration on TV, and you've seen it in the stores this holiday season. The worst part? You've probably seen this decoration on several homes in your neighborhood.

Yes, I'm talking about the laser or projector Christmas lights. Don't know what I'm talking about? You could probably just look at your window tonight, and one of your neighbors is using them. They're the Christmas displays that project green, red and "festive dots" onto your house, and the business is having a very successful holiday season.

I have something to say about these "displays," and I need to get it off my chest. These lights are ridiculous. They don't look that nice, and I think they're killing Christmas tradition. 

What happened to the traditional lights? You know where you hang them from your gutters and put lights on the trees in your yard. I get it. That can be super labor intensive, and annoying. So maybe you cut a few corners and buy some of the lights that go on bushes and shrubs in a net. I can get behind that. That is smart decorating.

Cutting corners by putting up a laser light as the centerpiece of your display is pretty lazy. I get it if decorating with traditional lights is asking too much. Maybe you're not as young as you used to be, maybe you don't have the time. It's all valid. Decorating with tradition lights is labor intensive. Plus, it can pretty frustrating. We all know that if one light goes out, they all go out. Right? So if it is asking too much, I think the answer is simple: don't decorate this year. If you're not up for the work involved in hanging traditional lights it IS definitely acceptable to pass on it this year. Put an inflatable display in your yard or hang a wreath. There are tons of options.

The art of hanging a strand of lights IS Christmas. Laser displays just spit out red and green. There's dots on your lawn and anything in the path of the laser. A light projector is NOT art because it just looks like Rudolph threw up on your lawn.

There is something magical about the twinkle of light bulbs this time of year, right? What would Clark Griswold say about these sad displays of Christmas spirit? He'd be mortified for your home. Look at what strands of traditional lights can do:

Last year I had to go out and adjust my neighbor's display because their laser light was hitting the side of my house. No thank you! Please keep your decorations to yourself.

In fact, why not get a can paint this Christmas and paint your house green and red? A coworker and I were discussing this yesterday, and he made a great point. "It just looks like your house got some kind of skin disease," he said. Who wants their entire house to look like it has a skin disease this Christmas?

Plus, these lights have safety risks. These lights pose a danger to aircraft that fly overhead according to experts. If the light shines too high, it could spread over the pilot's entire glass windshield.

“If you’ve got a laser light shining up at you it destroys your night vision and therefore puts you and your passengers in jeopardy,” aviation expert Steve Cowell tells a FOX TV station.

These lights are also becoming a hot theft item this year. In the past two weeks I have seen multiple friends post on Facebook that their laser Christmas lights were stolen right off their front lawn. It's a very popular for thieves this year, according to published reports. Let me be clear: I think any kind of theft is ridiculous. However, when was the last time somebody stole a strand of lights from your house? Exactly! Using traditional decorations prevents theft.

I have a feeling that my views will incite some anger from others. I mean it all in good fun, I promise. So please take the poll, leave a comment below. Let me know what you think about these lights.