Let's face it even during Christmas that most

Let's face it even during Christmas that most special time of the year we still want to look good and keep up with the neighbors. With the amount of time and money that people spend on outdoor Christmas lighting and holiday decorations, this can be kind of hard to do. I was surprised to find out that many of my neighbors start planning their lighted outdoor Christmas decorations months ahead of time. Gone are the days when it was as simple as running a string of lights along the roof and making a snowman in the front yard. Nowadays, if you don't spend weeks decorating, it looks like you have put in almost no effort at all!

Fortunately, for those of us that are short on time, there are some great shortcuts to Christmas decorating. The very best one, in my opinion, is using animated outdoor Christmas decorations. I first discovered them a few years ago when one of my friends was putting up his Christmas light display. I was surprised to see him covering his lawn with silhouettes made of stiff wire. When I asked him about it, he told me to wait. He was proud of the work that he had put in to the animated outdoor Christmas decorations, and wanted to show me the finished product instead of simply explaining it to me.

Let me tell you, it was really worth the wait! The effect was absolutely stunning. The animated outdoor Christmas decoration was actually a moving animation of Santa Claus driving his reindeer. They would move across the lawn, Santa raising his whip to spur the beasts into action as they leapt dramatically on. It was classic and high-tech at the same time. It was, in short, just what I was looking for in my Christmas decor.

Of course, animated outdoor Christmas decorations come in many different styles. I prefer the look of animated wire, but some people like to go a lot further than that. I have a neighbor who actually has an electric powered carousel with reindeer moving around inside of it. It is not something that you can ride, of course, but it does make quite an impression. The whole thing flashes and glows with red and green lights and can even be programmed to play Christmas carols. When it comes to animated outdoor Christmas decorations, the sky really is the limit.