Texas Family Told to Remove Early Christmas Decorations from Yard: ‘I Just Found It Crazy’
A homeowners association in Texas wasn’t impressed after a local family put up their festive Christmas decorations too early for their liking.
Claudia Simonis and her husband Nick got into the holiday spirit early this year, putting up a large display that includes a snowman, reindeer and a Santa Claus helicopter on Nov. 1, they told NBC affiliate WOAI.
They had good reason for the early décor at their San Antonio home: Claudia is eight months pregnant with the couple’s third child, and wanted to get the hard work out of the way.
“I feel kind of heavy, so the earlier we can put out the decorations, the better. Because probably in two more weeks, I’m not going to be able to build all this,” she told WOAI.
But three days later, the couple received a letter from the neighborhood homeowners association telling them their decorations had jumped the gun, and needed to be taken down.
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“Maintenance – Holiday Decorations Need To Be Removed,” read the notice, which was obtained by WOAI. It also included a section telling them to remove the snowman “until closer to the holiday season.”
The letter quickly prompted outrage from the couple, who were particularly miffed because it did not specify a date when they would be allowed to put their decorations back up.
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“I just found it crazy. Especially that they didn’t give us a time,” Claudia told the outlet. “Like, when is the right time to put it?”
Nick said he and his wife would not be swayed by the notice and would keep the decorations up — something many of their neighbors supported by putting up early decorations of their own.
“We’re not going to do it,” he said. “It’s the Christmas spirit. We’re not going to be forced by the HOA to take it down.”
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Neighbor Charles Minton told WOAI he felt the situation shouldn’t have escalated, and that the neighborhood would be looking out for the Simonis family.
“We always abide by the rules and regulations. So, when we see it in black and white, there’s no problem,” he said. “But if it’s not in black and white, who’s to say what’s what?”
Claudia, meanwhile, told NBC News that if anything, the notice only inspired them to add additional decorations to their showing.
Diamond Association Management & Consulting, which issued the letter, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
