Getting Over My Disdain for Inflatable Holiday Decorations

I love holiday decorations. When I was little, my dad made elaborate Christmas decorations out of wood. He would meticulously paint them, add Christmas lights, and put them on stands to be mounted on the lawn. My house is decorated on theme from Halloween to Mardi Gras. However, years ago when the inflatable lawn decorations became popular, I was not a fan. I had a visceral reaction to them. TACKY. Totally not my style. Plus, they were expensive! It costs a lot of money to look cheap. We did not own any, and I vowed that we never would.

My least favorite thing about parenting is the karma that is “never say never.”

As soon as my youngest son was old enough to speak, he was obsessed with the inflatable holiday decorations. One my neighbors has always had one for every holiday. Every time she had one out, Zach would insist on crossing the street to stare at it until I made him go back home. Finally, last year my husband caved and bought one. It escalated quickly. We went all in with a family of 7 pumpkins that takes up our entire lawn. My very persistent son then asked about a turkey once Halloween was over. Before I knew it, a baby turkey took the pumpkin family’s place. For Christmas, he requested a GIANT Olaf. My husband could not find an actual Olaf, so he compensated with a 9 ft generic snowman that lights up blue. We officially became THAT house on the block known for the obnoxious inflatables.

As much as my husband and I fought the inflatables, my son’s enthusiasm for them brings us so much joy.

His reaction was priceless when he saw the pumpkin family for the first time. We had a blast watching him get so excited as he saw all of them for the first time. Even though he was a little disappointed, we got a baby turkey instead of a giant turkey. For a while every morning when he woke up, he would ask me if the turkey “grew up” overnight. When the pumpkin family came out October 1 this year, my son hugged it and told it goodbye every day when he left for school. Not only do our inflatables make my younger son happy (my older son is pretty neutral on them), but our neighbors tell us how excited their kids get.

They may be tacky, but the holidays are all about the kids. Seeing my son’s face light up makes it all worth it.

Amanda Blaum
Amanda is her name and sequins are her game. She can never be too extra with fashion or fun. Boymomming keeps her busy. In between playdates and ballpark games, she enjoys dates with her husband of 8 years and girls nights with her mom squad.

1 COMMENT

  1. I love this! I have finally started embracing all the childish decorations instead of beautiful but not-kid-friendly ones. There will be a time when my children are older and I can choose decorations that suit my taste, but they get SO excited when I put out our big goofy stuffed turkey at thanksgiving,

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