If you own a home in an HOA, there are rules about what you can and cannot do, such as how you can and cannot decorate for various holidays.

If you live in a home that is not part of an HOA, the only rules you have to follow are the city laws.

Imagine living in a home that’s not part of an HOA, but your neighbor criticizes you for not decorating your home for various holidays.

Would you ignore them since they have no reason to complain, or would you decide to comply in a way that will make them upset?

Let’s see what the person in this story decides to do when faced with this situation.

Deck them halls and do it right!

I had move in the previous summer (late July) into a non-HOA community and didn’t have any problems with any neighbors until the day after Halloween, when someone left a snarky note on my door about not having any holiday decorations up.

If I couldn’t even afford a lousy pumpkin on the porch, I probably was too poor to afford living there.

Thanksgiving came and went, and I got another nasty little not saying I had “better” start showing some community spirit “or else”.

Neither note was signed, and the cops just took my statement and said there was nothing they could do.

(That was my cue for enacting some Malicious Compliance.)

Time to decorate.

I went out and bought some lights and garlands and started putting them up when the neighbors started putting up theres.

Every couple days I’d add a few more, until the front of the house was practically covered in glitz and glitter.

On Christmas Eve, I added one last piece, switched on all the lights and left them running until morning.

Christmas morning found me waking to the sound of an angry voice and someone pounding on my door.

I cracked open the inner door and left the security door locked.

The neighbor was really angry about the decorations.

Dude objected to my Christmas star having six points instead of five. He launched into a racist, hate-filled tirade against me an anyone displaying a six-pointed star.

Right about then, a cop car pulls up to the curb and two uniforms quietly walk up while the idiot continued to rant, with many expletives, racist slurs, and some very violent threats.

He musta seen I was smiling at something over his shoulder because he truned around and stopped in mid-rant.

(There’s gotta be fallout, of course.)

Let the court decide!

The neighbor was last seen sitting in the back of the patrol car as it pulled away.

Yeah, I went downtown and signed the complaint.

Later sat in on the hearing and had to admit under oath that a six-pointed star is a legitimate symbol for the season.

Dude got a fine and community service. I got to put up the same decorations without hassle for two more years before moving out-of-state.

Wow! What a horrible neighbor. No matter what you do, that person is going to complain.

He should move to an HOA that tells everyone what they can and cannot do. Without an HOA, he has no authority over how his neighbor does or does not decorate.

Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story.

This person would’ve joined in.

I like this idea!

Wow! This couple leaves their decorations up for a long time!

Here’s another good idea.

That neighbor needs a hobby.

If you liked that post, check this one about a guy who got revenge on his condo by making his own Christmas light rules.