Not in My Front Yard

By Shannon in Miscellaneous on Feb 25, 2007 8:31PM

Attention, citizens of Aurora: Does your house still look a lot like Christmas? Has your insistence on demonstrating your Jewish heritage resulted in a six-foot inflatable menorah still sitting on your front lawn? Are you one of those people who not only shelled out for a huge snow globe, but haven't taken it down even though it's almost March?

Well, heads up! Today's your last day to shovel all that holiday shit into your garage, attic or other storage areas. Otherwise, you're bound to get slapped with a $50 fine for the first offense. That comes after a written warning to dismantle Santa's Interactive Sleigh Ride. This crackdown is the result of an ordinance passed by the suburb last year forbidding holiday decorations displayed in public 60 days after the fact. The law also discourages those early birds who like to put their stuff up in October by extending the no-go to 60 days before a holiday, too.

The ordinance was introduced into City Council by Ald. Juany Garza, who got sick of seeing Christmastime lights competing with other, more recent holiday decor. Other elected officials were equally as repulsed, passing the vote 9-2. Rather ironic for a city whose name means and is derived from "light," no? Congratulations, Aurora, you've got governing minutiae down to a science. Chicagoist is now waiting for our own local lawmakers to take a cue from you and get in further on the business of telling us how to express ourselves.

Image courtesy of Michael DaKidd.