I can recall taking a drive on a warm, sunny day last year. The birds were chirping and the flowers were blooming, but when I turned the corner, I saw something that, even though it was a small thing, triggered total irritation. It was a flag of Winnie the Pooh dressed as a pumpkin gallantly flapping in the spring breeze.

Yes, spring.

This image recently reappeared in my head because this dreaded time of year yields many violators of my pet-peeve – seasonal decorations left up after the holiday is clearly over. We’ve all seen it, yet we continue to stand by and allow our friends and families to appear foolish to the entire neighborhood.

Surprisingly enough, many people find it completely normal to leave their Christmas décor up throughout the entire month of January while totally disregarding the old superstition of experiencing bad luck if a Christmas tree is left up after Jan. 5th.

What’s worse is people who leave a huge plastic Santa Claus fully equipped with a sleigh and reindeer on top of their roof year round. If it’s too much trouble to disassemble a massive Christmas scene yearly, then it is most likely too elaborate of a display in the first place.

The tackiness doesn’t stop with Christmas frill. I’ve unfortunately witnessed plenty of abused adornment for Easter, Thanksgiving, Saint Patrick’s Day and, most recently, Halloween.

Every time I step out of my undecorated house, I am face-to-face with purple and orange Halloween lights ever-so-beautifully draped across my neighbor’s front porch. And there is no doubt in my mind fake spider webs would still be intact if snow and rain hadn’t destroyed them.

This is the ultimate sign of laziness. Even so, I am somehow more forgiving of college students such as my neighbors because they obviously don’t care what their house looks like, hence the trash and beer bottles everywhere. But, it’s more surprising when people with families who own their homes fall victim to this.

Not only is it tacky and showcases homeowner laziness, but it is also disrespectful to neighbors and bystanders. Decorations are meant to create excitement and display the owner’s holiday spirit. It would be quite depressing for me to come home to decorations of a past holiday. It’s like dwelling in the past, when we all should be looking forward to the future.

Jessica Lumpp is a sophomore magazine

journalism major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].