Okay, so it's Thanksgiving weekend and I'm thinking to myself, "Hey, time to share a little holiday cheer with the neighbors and put up our traditional (not to mention now-legendary) Pinea Metallica!" And I'm rooting around in the garage trying to find the pesky little things, when I happen to glance out the door at the next-door neighbor's yard. What's this?! Five life-size reindeer bristling with lights (one with authentically moving head) are grazing on the lawn encircling what appears to be an abandoned sleigh (also prickly with miniature bulbs), and a giant, lighted (of course) conical spring surmounted by a star. Closer examination reveals that every tree, bush and shrub is covered with some kind of mesh (you guessed it) bristling with still more lights.

 

I'm sure there's a story in this pastoral tableau. Possibly Santa hit a high-tension wire and perished along with three of his reindeer, while the survivors have fallen to earth and continue to flare with a horrific electric afterglow?

 

Sadly, to date, the Pinea Metallica continue to reside in the garage. And I'm considering moving to "Plan B", to wit, inserting a flashing light bulb in my gnome and positioning him strategically in the yard. The tasteful soft pink glow would hardly compete, but that's not really the point, is it?