Christmas Festivities
Phil had a soft and loving smile on his face as he watched his wife, Rosie, singing along to her favorite Christmas song on their radio. They were driving on the highway, their trunk filled with gifts for their loved ones. Finally, the festivities were in full swing.
But as they approached their driveway, they spotted something that made Phil slam on the brakes. In a matter of just a few seconds, their Christmas spirit had been completely and utterly destroyed. They got out of their car and stared, frozen in their tracks. They couldn't believe their eyes.
They Loved Their Neighborhood
Phil and Rosie Hutcherson had lived in their home for the last 7 years. It was in the most perfect neighborhood where everybody was pleasant, and everybody was kind.
However, things would soon take a turn for the worse. But Phil and Rosie had no idea what was in store for them when a new neighbor moved onto the block.
Not Going Anywhere
Although Phil and Rosie saw people come and go in their neighborhood, they didn’t have any plans of moving. Whether it was the white picket fences or friendly faces, there was nowhere else this couple would rather live.
But they say nothing good lasts forever. In just a few months, this couple would be packing their bags and vowing to never return.
A Brand New Week
It was the start of a brand new week for Phil and Rosie. The two sipped on their coffees and crunched on their toast before leaving to go to work, ready for another working week.
But when they slammed their front door and headed to their cars, they saw something across the road which stopped them cold.
A New Neighbor
You see, parked next door was a moving van. The house had been on sale for a few months, so it looked like Phil and Rosie had gotten a brand-new neighbor.
The couple wondered what their new neighbor would be like. Everybody in this neighborhood was polite and charming, so their new neighbor had to be the same right? Unfortunately for this couple, they had no idea what was in store for them.
Introducing Themselves
Phil and Rosie weren’t afraid to make friends. In fact, they always made sure to welcome any new neighbors into the community straight away. It was in their nature to be kind.
So when the couple finished work later that day, they walked around to their new neighbor’s home armed with a basket full of baked treats. Rosie rang the doorbell and waited for the new neighbor to reveal himself.
Jacob
After ringing the doorbell and waiting, finally, the front door opened and Phil and Rosie were introduced to a man called Jacob.
Their new neighbor didn’t really say much. He grabbed the treat basket from Rosie, muttered thanks, and slammed his door shut. Maybe he was just stressed? Either way, he seemed nice enough. But Phil and Rosie had no idea how wrong they were.
What Was His Problem?
A few weeks passed, and it seemed like Phil and Rosie’s new neighbor Jacob had settled in fine. Although he rarely ever said hello or acknowledged the couple, Phil and Rosie made sure to always wave and greet him.
But when December arrived and the festivities were in full swing, Phil and Rosie had no idea their new neighbor was about to ruin their Christmas.
It’s Christmas Time
A massive fan of all things Christmas, Rosie really went to town when it came to this holiday. Her decorations were far more than just a few trinkets and a well-dressed tree; she transformed her and Phil’s house from a modern suburban home to Santa’s grotto.
Everybody who ever saw and set foot in Phil and Rosie’s home always lit up with holiday joy. Apart from one person who was determined to ruin everything.
Decorating Their House
Phil and Rosie had spent their Saturday finally completing and fixing their Christmas lighting for the exterior of their home. The two stood at the front of their house, and Rosie pressed a button that instantly lit up their home.
It looked absolutely gorgeous and was the kind of Christmas joy that this street needed. But then she saw her new neighbor appear and walk over with his face scrunched up. She had no idea what was coming.
That Needs To Go
Rosie and Phil could see their neighbor march around with a look of disgust on his face like he had just stepped on gum.
The couple looked at each other and put on a fake smile for their neighbor who appeared in front of them. “That,” their neighbor said pointing to their house, “that needs to go.”
No Way
Phil and Rosie looked at each other in disbelief. “I’m sorry, what?” Rosie asked, not really believing what her neighbor had just said. She felt her blood boil, and she told him, “no, they’re Christmas lights, and it’s Christmas, and they’re staying.” But the neighbor wasn’t too happy with her response.
He started swearing at Rosie, his voice getting louder. Phil intervened and demanded the neighbor to back off, but this neighbor wasn’t going to. In fact, what he was planning to do was something truly unimaginable.
Not Backing Down
After the neighbor retreated back to his own home, Rosie turned to her husband. “How dare he!” she said. “There's no way we’re getting rid of the lights!”
Rosie and her husband turned to look at their illuminated, festive home and they knew it was staying. Meanwhile, their neighbor was getting ready to unleash his revenge.
Driving Home
Phil and Rosie spent their Saturday afternoon buying last-minute gifts for Christmas. With their list ticked off, they sipped on their festive hot drinks and drove home.
Driving along the highway, the couple sang along to their favorite Christmas song on the radio. But when they pulled up to the drive, what they saw left them lost for words.
Terrible Decorations
You see, the grumpy neighbor that had demanded Phil and Rosie to take down their decorations and lights now had lights on his own house.
Only his decorations weren’t festive, and in fact, they didn’t spread any holiday joy at all. Not even a little bit. They were decorations that left Rosie and Phil feeling sick to their stomachs.
Offensive
On their grumpy neighbor's house, Phil and Rosie could see his decorations spelled out a rude word. The cuss word also had an arrow underneath pointing to Phil and Rosie’s house.
Straight away, Phil and Rosie felt fire in their stomachs. They marched over to his house ready to give him a piece of their minds.
Confronting Him
Phil and Rosie banged on their neighbor's door. When he answered, he had a smirk slapped between his cheeks.
The couple demanded him to take it down, but he just merely replied what Rosie had said to him. “No, they’re Christmas lights, and it’s Christmas, and they’re staying.” And with that, the grumpy neighbor slammed his door.
A Not-So Merry Christmas
Although they tried their hardest, Phil and Rosie were unable to get the neighbor to remove his lights. They contacted their council, but Christmas lights were the least of their worries. They even got featured on their local news.
Sadly, the cuss word stayed there - blinking and offensive. It was time to take matters into their own hands.
Yule Battle Begins
The first step in Phil and Rosie’s carefully crafted revenge plan? More lights. A lot of them.
With the stores still packed to the brim will holiday decorations, there was plenty to choose from. Multi-colored bulbs, twinkle lights, and a few other choice adornments filled their cart. If their neighbor wanted a Yule-tide battle, he would get it.
Different Energy
Phil and Rosie had put up the first set with calm enjoyment and a few glasses of mulled wine.
But this round turned into a giggling rush to get their “message” up and blinking before their neighbor got home. They had barely closed the door and pressed the switch when they heard his car pull in.
New Look
The look on Jacob’s face was no longer the “gum” one.
It was a “he had sucked on an entire bucket of lemons” expression. Oh boy, was he mad. Phil turned to Rosie with a huge grin, and they fell on the sofa in a fit of laughter. Stage one - check. Stage two was going to be amazing.
Power Bill
They were going to utterly break that man down… with Christmas spirit – no matter how tacky it turned or how much their electricity bill skyrocketed. They were willing to take their revenge by any means necessary.
Rosie grabbed a pile of old clothes, picked out an “appropriate outfit” and started stuffing it with paper to make their new winter “scarecrow.”
Perfectly Planned
The meticulous schedule of merry revenge unfolded like an epic advent calendar. When it started, their obnoxious neighbor didn’t know what hit him.
Day after day Jacob would arrive home, step out of his car and look for whatever new element they had added. His face would twist in rage. It did take long until the couple found a note on their door.
Angry Note
Rosie read the note with a huge smile. Jacob had probably written it thinking he was being clever. But it had an unintended effect.
But all they could see was the Christmas spark catching and spreading. What they didn’t expect was that it would catch on to other people. The next morning, they found a box on their doorstep.
The Cause
A house across the street had been watching the scene as well, and the neighbors decided to contribute to Rosie and Phil’s vengeance.
The family had gathered their old decorations and donated them to “the cause.” Word spread, and the donations started pouring in. Rosie didn’t just put them up. She added a little something extra.
Thank Yous
With each new dash of holiday cheer, she would add a thank you note (while being careful to omit names).
Their house was no longer a well-planned display. It was a December explosion to rival any comedy movie. Jacob looked like he was ready to come in and burn their tree. But the last stage came unexpectedly.
Message Gone
Rosie held her hot chocolate and stared at the “Clark Griswold” scarecrow hanging from their eaves. Everyone could see it from any point on the street.
The “Grinch” message and arrow blinked happily. But when she looked at Jacob’s house, she noticed his message had been finally taken down. They had won! But what about the extra decorations?
Good Memory
They went inside instead. Their grand gesture had finally been read loud and clear. They felt victorious.
After New Year’s the donations would be returned. Things might have started off sour, but for Phil and Rosie, it had turned into one of the most fun and memorable holidays ever. However, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.
Vengeance
A Reddit user who goes by the nickname of u/Sickening_Toe, but to whom we shall refer as Alice recently shared a similar story that went viral in a matter of days.
She was this close to having her Christmas ruined by an obnoxious neighbor. However, she devised a revenge plan; her vengeance came in the shape of a gruesome Christmas card dedicated to her neighbor. This is how it happened.
Moving To The Suburbs
Alice had just moved out of the little flat she used to rent with his husband Josh in the city center. Soon after their baby was born, it became evident that the apartment would be too small for them.
After researching the market for a few months, they had finally found a beautiful house in the neighborhood of their dreams. Or so they thought.
It Seemed Like The Place Of Their Dreams
Upon first seeing the house and the neighborhood, they had the feeling that the place was exactly what they were looking for. Still, they didn't buy it on impulse and did their best to make sure it was the right decision.
They inspected the house's each and every corner, and they did their research on the neighborhood. However, they failed to consider one thing: their neighbor next door.
Something They Didn’t Expect
When you move to a new place, no matter how well-thought your decision is, there's no way of knowing your neighbors' true colors. They might seem nice at first, but months later, you might find out that you overlooked or ignored certain red flags.
Alice and Josh would, in time, find out that their neighbor was the type you wouldn't even wish on your worst enemy.
A Good Start
But at first, everything seemed lovely. They moved in during June and wouldn't encounter any significant problems until a few weeks before Christmas.
The house was beautiful and spacious, with a big garden for them to relax in the evenings and the kid to play in when he grew up. But there was one member of the family who made use of the garden more than anyone else.
Their Corgi Puppy
It was Bud, Josh, and Alice's Corgi puppy. He was just one year old; they adopted him soon after their baby was born.
The little, adorable puppy loved to play and frolic around in the garden, and Alice and Josh couldn't see why anyone would have a problem with that. However, one of their neighbors did.
Margaret
It was their neighbor next door, an elderly lady who went by the name of Margaret. Up until that one day, she seemed like a nice, kind, and civil woman.
But one evening, when Josh was walking Bud out on the street in front of the house, they ran across Margaret, which did something that shocked them to no end; that was when discord began.
She Shrieked
"One night, my husband was walking our Corgi puppy, and the neighbor across from us came outside," Alice recounts.
"The Corgi puppy runs over to her, and the woman SHRIEKS and runs inside. My husband comes out later without the puppy, and she cusses him out and screams at him. He tries to apologize, but she keeps screaming." And it didn't end there.
It Got Worse
Josh went back to the house and told Alice about what had happened. It was quite a ridiculous scene, but the couple tried their best not to make fun of it and be compassionate.
After all, Margaret was probably well in her 80s. Maybe she was easily scared and overestimated the danger in certain situations. They decided that the best thing would be to apologize to her and talk it over. But they weren't prepared for what happened the morning after.
Someone On Their Door
Early in the morning, right after Josh left for work, Alice heard someone knocking loudly on their door, waking up their kid. Could it be Margaret?
She ran to the door and opened it. But the person who had knocked wasn't their neighbor. Far from it. It was someone she would have never expected to see.
The Police
It was a police officer. "So a police officer comes to my door, wakes my newborn up, and tells me he will give me a fine for allowing my dog to charge our neighbor if it happens again (I guess he was under the impression this happened more than one time)."
"He said my neighbor was terrified for her safety. I told him I have a 7-pound corgi puppy. Literally, the least terrifying animal on Earth," Alice recounts. But that wasn't all.
Screaming Matches
Apparently, Margaret's only problem wasn't Alice's Corgi: she also started getting into disagreements with the rest of the neighbors.
"She also yells at our other neighbor who mows the vacant lot beside her anytime he gets close to her grass, which gets pretty tall. They've gotten into screaming matches, and she's even called the cops on him multiple times, never ending in her favor."
Giving Her A Lesson
It seemed to Alice that their neighbor needed a lesson, regardless of her age. She knew more people in their late 80s, and none of them were so obnoxious or whiney. It didn't seem like an age problem but a character problem.
So after talking with her husband about it, they decided that it was time for them to put their foot down.
A Malicious Plan
"I found an online website that anonymously sends people glitter bomb Holliday/Christmas cards so when you open it, it shoots glitter EVERYWHERE," Alice says in her post. She immediately ordered one of those for Margaret and waited.
"Like a month goes by, and I was wondering if this website just took my money or if she just wasn't going to say anything about it." However, one day they received an unexpected visit. Again, someone knocked on their door.
It Was The Police Again
"I kid you not, a cop comes to my door, asks to come inside, and then bursts out laughing, explaining he's here over a glitter Christmas card. He tells me I made his day, and that was the funniest call he's ever had, and he leaves. Totally legal and great petty revenge."
"We are cool now, surprisingly, and talk on a regular basis. Turns out she is just a bit socially anxious, so that's why she's gotten into it with a lot of the neighbors, but she is actually a really nice person." In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.