For some people, Christmas is the most wonderful time of year. From eggnog and mistletoe to singing carols and trimming the tree, there are many ways to celebrate the holiday.
Plus, many people have their annual tradition of hanging Christmas lights. For them, lining the roof with lights and trimming the trees in the front yard signal that Christmas is coming.
I can relate. Not only does my family hang Christmas lights, we’re usually the first house on our block to do so. Thankfully, I’m no Christmas Karen. Even though my husband and I just drove around looking at Christmas lights last night, I know people who don’t care for holiday decorations.
Some of them don’t celebrate Christmas. For others, the holidays are full of grief and bad memories—and some people just don’t have the time, money, or desire to decorate. Try telling that to Christmas Karen, though.
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In a letter recently shared on a Karen Reddit thread, Christmas Karen is appalled that her neighbor has neglected to decorate for Christmas. In trying to convince the grinch to get out their decorations, Christmas Karen tries the passive-aggressive approach: a handwritten letter.
Karen notes that LED lights are “inexpensive to run and can be purchased even in second-hand stores. They can last years!” Plus, lights “bring a smile to those in need.”
If the neighbor in question doesn’t celebrate Christmas, the perturbed letter writer has that covered, too. Christmas Karen suggests that lights be put up “for other faiths” and reminds her neighbor how to “show [their] pride” with color.
Then, in the most passive-aggressive closing she could come up with, Christmas Karen wishes her neighbor “Happy Holidays!!”
Can You Ever Be Too Festive?
Reddit users far and wide are calling Christmas Karen out for the letter. In fact, the post has over 5,000 comments, showing just how much it’s rubbed people the wrong way.
Commenters are so fired up that they’re even sharing how they would react if they received a similar letter. As one user said, “I would blow this up into a yard sign and make that my decoration.”
Others would just become annoyingly festive for all holidays. One user commented that they would “put them up and never take them down next year. Then add various other holidays until it’s one big mishmash of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Memorial Day, etc. Can’t be too festive now.”
While some people would use the opportunity to decorate in creative ways, one commenter shared that they would let the neighborhood know how they felt about receiving such a letter.
As one Reddit user said, “I can see myself writing “merry f*cking Christmas” on the lawn in petrol, but that’s about it.”
Even with all the poking fun at Christmas Karen on the thread, some users have pointed out that a person’s mental health could be the reason for the lack of Christmas decorations.
As one person shared in a more somber comment, “[Seasonal affective disorder] hit unexpectedly hard for me this year…I’ve never NOT done anything. Didn’t even bother bringing the storage totes out…I am just gonna focus on my own self care instead of stressing over holiday decorations.”