"Those flashing lights come from everywhere..."

So after dinner tonight, I was reminded by A that it was my turn to take out Mr. Dooz. I was kinda reluctant knowing full well that he hadn’t taken a dump all day and that he was likely going to make me pick up his poops somewhere along our walk. Mr. Dooz has this thing for taking his poops in the shadows. I don’t really fault him as I’d probably do the same if I had to take a dump on my street as well.  

It’s the one thing about dog ownership that I haven’t yet mastered. Especially when I consider the poops that I’m picking up is actually the output of my money (ie. Dog food) that I’m inputting into him.  It begs the question of who is actually in a leadership position when I’m walking my dog. I am picking up his crap after all.

Mr Dooz

So Mr. Dooz and I stepped off and while we were walking around the neighbourhood, it struck me that nearly every house on the block had Christmas lights already set up. We are talking sophisticated displays, everything from reindeers, elves and inflatable Santas to flashing lights that would put Times Square to shame.  We are talking like massive displays that are keeping the kid with seizures who lives down the street from coming out.

Lights. Everywhere. Then I looked back at my house and realized—we are one of the exceptions to the Christmas lights.  

Not only do I not have Christmas lights set up; I actually still have a pumpkin from Halloween still on my front door step.

Halloween Pumpkin in December?! Say WHAAT?!

Since moving into a neighbourhood full of young families, it’s been challenging keeping up with the neighbourhood spirit here. It was only after much badgering from A that I finally went to pick up a pumpkin at the store the day before Halloween. I never really saw the point, I mean, I’m spending money on this pumpkin only to chuck it out in a few days. I actually left the pumpkin out on the front doorstep hoping that it would magically turn into a pumpkin soup or muffins over the last few weeks--never happened. This, despite my suggestions to A.

As an aside,  did you know that Christmas lights were originally an American tradition? The lights are credited to Edward Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison who hand assembled an electric line of 80 multi coloured bulbs and then wound them around a tree. (His house probably burned down the week afterwards from the half baked wiring, but they left that out) That’s the learning moment of this blog post to equip you for your next dinner party conversation.

Anyways, while walking I thought more about why people put up Christmas lights. I think it must be a WASPY thing, because we never had this many lights growing up in the hard projects of Milliken (who am I kidding).

I also concluded that for the most part they were pretty tacky looking. Lights are to Christmas decorations what McDonalds is to gourmet food. I also saw a few wreaths on doors put up which look a million times better, much classier.  And honestly, when was the last time you heard of a house burning down from a wreath? That’s right, NEVER.

Before I could conclude more opinions about the lights, Mr. Dooz stopped to sniff a spot and assumed ‘the squat.’ He laid a hefty poop, conveniently in front of one of the houses away from the street lights and without any Christmas lights set up. Boy was it was dark…

Hmm. Maybe lights aren’t a bad idea after all.