If there were ever any doubt that about the truth to the war on Christmas, the Hyatt family of Plantation, Florida, offers a stark example.
Every Christmas, the spirit of the holiday moves Mark and Kathy Hyatt to show their love for Jesus by decorating their home. Their Christmas display includes over 200,000 Christmas lights, a Ferris wheel powered by a “chain driven by a 4 horsepower electric motor,” snow blowers that blow fake snow, flying skiers, a giant movie screen and live farm animals, oh and motorcycle parades too.
The Hyatt’s homage to the birth of their savior attracts visitors from far and wide to this quiet residential neighborhood. In fact, the display attracts hundreds of visitors daily, and thousands on weekends.
But the Christmas haters at city hall are having none of it. The city sued the Hyatts in 2014 on the grounds that the “carnival-like atmosphere” was incompatible with the neighborhood claiming it created a nuisance. Ongoing fines against the Hyatts now total a whopping $7000.
The Hyatts have refused to pay and are not backing down. They are accusing the city of trying to bilk them out of money. A trial has been set for June.
“They believe it engenders goodwill and a bond between the community,” said their Fort Lauderdale-based lawyer, James Helf.
“For me this is a public safety concern, it really is,” said the bah humbug Police Chief, Howard Harrison. “You can’t have pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic functioning on the same strip of land. That is a disaster waiting to happen. People and cars don’t mix. Without any control, there is going to be a problem.”
There have been some rumors that the hordes of visiting strangers park on peoples lawns, tear down “no parking” signs, ask neighbors to use the bathroom, cut through their property to see the display and leave trash on the streets. The Hyatts vehemently deny such rumors, claiming they are being spread by the atheistic city government.
When Fox News, protectors of all things Christmas, broke this story, they attempted to verify the rumors by talking with neighbors. Apparently none of them were home. It appears the neighbors, on masse, find it necessary to flee the neighborhood each year as soon as the Hyatt’s glorious display appears.
Photo | foxnews.com
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