The Grinch is everywhere.
Tens of thousands of lights; inflatable versions of Santa, Hello Kitty and Big Bird; and thousands of visitors driving by to gawk at the spectacle were enough to sap the Christmas spirit out of one Mississippi neighborhood.
After watching his neighbor’s holiday display clog the roads, Eddy Edwards had enough. He suggested the Richardsons, who set up the decorations, move the affair to public property. When that didn’t work, he sued.
“The display brings in over 1,000 cars a night, based on our camera counts, which hampers access to the neighborhood and would prevent rapid response by emergency vehicles not only to our neighborhood, but to a significant part of the city,” Mr. Edwards told The Washington Times.
Robert Tuttle, a law professor at George Washington University, said holiday property disputes are actually fairly common.
“But a lot of them don’t make the papers because they just get resolved by people agreeing to take down some portion of their display, and not to advertise it and for the [home owners association] to post signs that say, ‘No stopping in this area,’ so people can drive by,” Mr. Tuttle said.
When the neighbors can’t come to an agreement, judges are asked to step in and referee.
In Madison, Mississippi, Mr. Edwards said the Richardsons have put up the display for years, but things got worse after they were featured in USA Today’s holiday light competition in 2014.
“The display simply has outgrown what is acceptable in a residential area,” Mr. Edwards said.
Carol Richardson defends her light show, saying the city works to control the flow of traffic and has allowed it to continue over her neighbor’s objection.
“The police department has worked tirelessly to get this under control,” Ms. Richardson told TV station WAPT. “We’re trying to present the message of Jesus’ birth, which is what Christmas is all about.”
While the cases have religious elements, lawyers say they boil down to more mundane property and fair housing issues.