The holidays used to be about family and giving to others. A chance to gather around and reflect on a year's worth of good tidings and fortune. They were also a really good excuse to break that diet from last year's resolution (the one that you never really started and completely gave up on by January 15th) and indulge in a ton of tasty food.
Alas, in an era of Pinterest pins, shows like Fixer Upper, and DIY everything (seriously, everything), the holidays have become something of a spectacle that revolves around self-imposed competitions (though, still a lot of eating). People spend hours baking perfectly shaped cookies, testing strings of tangled lights, hanging tinsel in just the right spot, and painstakingly crafting cards. Well, some people do, anyway.
We found twenty-five examples of people that frankly didn't put in much effort. From poorly designed public displays and spellcheck errors to teeny tiny trees and out of place decorations, the laziness and lack of attention to detail here was top notch. Of course, we threw in a few over the top examples, too, because you can't have the holidays without being a little extra (thousands of glittering lights, extra).
Enjoy these photos resulting from people that were regrettably asked to do the decorating this holiday season and take some pointers for your next DIY.
25 No Reason To Try To Outdo The Neighbors
The Brown couple in Tennessee has a fight every year when it comes to Christmas lights. Essentially, neither person wants to put them up and then one of them gives in and hangs a measly string around the perimeter of the house.
This year, according to USA Today, Mr. Brown put an end to the conversation before it could even begin. He observed his neighbor working hard to outfit his own house with hundreds of lights and decided to just voice his agreement.
As reported, the Brown home now boasts a lighted sign reading "ditto" with an arrow pointed toward the home of that over-achieving neighbor.
24 Decorate The Tree, Not Yourself
There's always one person that shows up to the party too early or too late. That is usually the same person that doesn't bring any food or drink contribution but visits the snack table a handful of times. It is also typically the person that draws attention to his or herself in one way or another.
According to a story published by Can You Actually, one guy showed up to a party late, hands empty, and proceeded to turn heads thanks to his Christmas suit.
23 It's All Fun And Games Until The Power Bill Comes
Spanning just two blocks, Eucalyptus Avenue is one of the most popular destinations during the holidays. Located in San Carlos, California, this street is home to some of the best Christmas lights in the entire country.
According to Travel + Leisure, the residents of this street work day and night every year to have high-flying sleigh decorations and roof-to-lawn lights.
The result sure is pretty to look at, but all we can think about is how expensive it must be to shine those bright lights.
22 After 534 Tries We Finally Got Feline Cooperation
Pets in costume can brighten even the gloomiest of days. Just picture a wide-eyed puppy flopping around in a vest that makes him look like Santa Claus and we will bet that a smile creeps across your face.
However, a cat doesn't always come to mind when you think of pets in costume. Animals of the feline persuasion can be a little unpredictable and unaccommodating when it comes to most things, especially things they don't want to do. That said, we did find a couple of festive felines posed for a holiday card on the blog of home shopping mainstay, QVC.
No telling how many tries it took to get the cats to sit still.
21 This Guy Bought Into The Beard Ornament Craze And He Will Never Hear The End Of It
Move over ugly sweaters, beard ornaments are coming to town. In a twist that you truly have to see to believe, you can now purchase clip-on ornaments for one's beard.
According to the Beardaments website, there is an entire subculture of facial hair decorating. They sell everything from beard glitter to beard oil, but no sales can compete with the popularity of their beard ornaments over the holidays.
We don't know about buying these for any man in our own lives, but they might make a great addition to a white elephant gift exchange with colleagues.
20 It Looks Like The Window Will Have To Double As A Door
If you need to feel better about any of your decorating misfortunes, head over to social media (the place we always go to feel better about our own lives). There's an entire hashtag dedicated to Christmas decoration fails and you will see things like this photo from Instagram.
This picture perfect staircase tree framed by even more perfect garland on the railings had just one problem: it was situated right in front of the door. While another door is not shown, we have to assume either there is one or the residents are going to be very adept at crawling in and out of the window.
19 This Cake Decorator Is Not Getting A Promotion This Year
For those that don't want to mess with a gingerbread house, there are plenty of pre-made gingerbread options that are just as good with less hassle. However, there's a factor of human error that goes into any baked good as one customer found.
In a humorous Pinterest post, a shopper shared her experience buying a cake at a local grocery store. There wasn't anything wrong with the shape, but the cake decorator seems to have run out of time to actually ice the cake.
18 You Wanted Something New This Year And You Got It
No, you're not losing your mind. This tree is upside down.
What started out as a tradition in Eastern and Central Europe, according to The Spruce, is now a modern space-saving technique that has people puzzled. Using either an inverted base on the floor or ropes for suspension from the ceiling, the tree hangs in the balance. As opposed to the former tradition, however, these trees have typical holiday decorations instead of the fruits and flowers used in the past.
Now, how are those presents staying in place?
17 Next Time, Try The Other Way
Scrolling through Christmas decoration ideas on Pinterest, you may stumble upon a few that point more toward what not to do. Like in this image, in which someone wanted to spread some holiday cheer to passersby by writing on the windows of their home.
The work is indeed lovely and cheery, but is possibly not exactly what they were going for. Unfortunately, the painting was done from the inside, so the letters are backwards to anyone walking past.
Idea was great, execution was regrettable.
16 If The Kids Weren't Afraid Of Santa Before, They Will Be Now
If you grew up in a household in which your parents and siblings made any day (especially holidays) into a chance for a practical joke, then this will ring true. We're thinking along the lines of empty boxes wrapped underneath the tree and lumps of coal in stockings, but we know folks can be very creative when it comes to jokes.
Amazon is selling the ultimate fright-boosting joke in a giant inflatable Santa that hangs from the gutter and peers into a window. It's available on Amazon now with guaranteed shipping before the holidays, just in time to make your Christmas wish come true.
15 Sometimes The Path Of Least Resistance Is Up
While we have to say that a hospital or health center should really have more decorations at the holidays than just one tree, that's actually not the strange part about this photo from Can You Actually.
If you look closely, you can see that the first-floor lights are actually plugged in on the second floor (that cord hanging down gives it away). Someone is definitely regretting the choice to not look for an outlet prior to setting up the tree.
14 She Will Never Nag Him To Decorate The Tree Again
One look at this photo from Buzzfeed and we already know what happened without reading the article any further.
Here, we have a classic case of man fails to listen to woman day after day until finally he can't take her persistence any longer and caves. Upon her umpteenth request for him to decorate the tree, he did it. The fact that the tree is still in its packaging is a minor detail.
We've never seen such a beautifully lit boxed tree.
13 This Person Needed Clearer Directions When Chopping Down A Tree For The Family
True, there is a tree (or at least a branch) there, so the person gets credit for checking that box on the to-do list. However, this display found on Pinterest might qualify as the world's smallest Christmas tree on record and we're guessing the family is not going to let this go.
While the cleanup from such a small tree is going to be relatively easy, it doesn't scream happy holidays. A word of advice: if the tree skirt is bigger than the tree or the tree only holds one ornament, you might want to give it another try.
12 There Is A Time And Place For Caution Tape, But It Isn't This
Places in which it would be appropriate for yellow caution tape are really limited only to the scene of an incident. So, walking into a home and seeing a Christmas tree wrapped in the stuff is enough to make you do a double take.
The decorator, inspired by Bob Vila, clearly had a theme in mind by decking out the tree with various construction images and tools (that's where all the screwdrivers went!).
Themes are great, but spinning a cautionary tale might be best suited for a non-holiday function.
11 Someone Took The Office Decorating Competition Up A Level
Rather than host just another potluck lunch with bowls of unappealing entrees and way too much fudge, one office decided to change things up and celebrate the holidays with a little friendly competition (because nothing says Christmas like competition).
Encouraging their employees to channel their inner-child and step up their decorating game, this office furniture store in Pennsylvania set the bar high.
The clear winner turned a cubicle into a literal winter wonderland village complete with a chimney for Santa to slide down.
10 This Very Relatable Window Display That Customers Weren't Expecting
Holiday window displays have been taken to the max in recent years. Walk up and down Fifth Avenue in New York City if you don't understand and you will quickly catch up. You will be met with robotic animals, floor to ceiling light shows, and musical gifts on ice skates. So, it's refreshing to see something that lightens the mood a bit.
One display, posted to Pinterest, featured a snowman with a smartphone that was having an autocorrect crisis. We've all been there, snowman, and also melted our families.
9 When Dinosaurs Ruled The Gingerbread Village
If you're anything like us, you had at least one traumatic event as a child (or an adult) involving the creation of a gingerbread house and now the mention of the word makes you want to crawl into bed to wait out the holiday season.
Even if you're willing to partake in the Great Gingerbread Build of 2018, you still have to be prepared for disaster (because that frosting never holds the pieces together). As seen on viral image sharing site, Imgur, sometimes the reason behind a failed house is (of course) dinosaurs.
8 Double Check Your Purchases Before Buying
Our technological advances over the past decade have been vast. We have everything available at our fingertips. This is great, but has meant that we have forgotten simple things like the art of spelling. Interestingly, it's not just us in our daily lives that struggle when we can't use predictive text.
An image found on Flickr showed a boutique store having a sale on some of their holiday items. There wasn't a spellcheck opportunity, though, so the storekeepers put out an item with the word "peace" misspelled.
7 Sometimes Less Is More
The old adage that less is more could not be more true when you lay eyes on this house.
Discovered on Pinterest, there are no fewer than two dozen inflatable decorations adorning the porch, roof, and front lawn (and every other available space) of this home. There are so many inflatables, it's like a built-in home security system because nobody would dare burglarize the home of someone that thinks this is an appropriate level of decorating.
6 This Inflatable Decoration Looks A Bit Out Of Place
This Christmas, an inflatable Santa in a bathtub can be yours for the low price of $169.99. A quick search on Amazon brought up the nearly five foot tall and five foot long scrubbing Santa (complete with rubber duck and reindeer friend) for your front lawn. It comes with recommendations for other inflatables (like Santa on a jet ski) to complete the entire (slightly odd) scene.
There may be better ways to spend that much money, but there also might not be.