Chills. Thrills. No. No. No.
Red fish. Blue fish.
Say “Merry Christmas” with an inflatable fish.
Fish may be a Christian symbol, but don’t really think Disney’s Dory actually floats that.
Hey, don’t flounder around and judge. Energy-efficient and won’t stinking pollute. Can Santa’s reindeer say that?©
Although popular cool turned into fool at one ice skating rink recently.
Fishy marketing gone very bad. (By artsy types who see things differently?)
“5,000 Fish in Ice at Japan skating Rink Sparks Uproar.” (Bloomberg)
“Japan skating rink shuts over frozen fish controversy” (BBC)
The fish are going to have a memorial service once removed.
After the rink owners find something else to spell out “hello” with under the ice.
Another potential stinky situation is the Spa-musement Park concept.
Started out as a little attention grab for a Japanese hot springs area, but the video went viral.
Guests wandering around in soggy towels. (Meanwhile health clubs here warn people to wipe down exercise equipment before and after using…)
So, nope. No interest at all in sitting in a roller coaster car full of water for a scary ride. Assorted unidentified floating objects after big drops. Is that spa water or does it feel suspiciously very very warm suddenly in this spot….?
Not to mention that alarmist the old wives tale about keeping electricity away from water and wet areas…
“Confirms construction of a bizarre ‘spa-musement’ park” (Daily Mail)
Colorado, hi. Snow go mo’, please. No flaking out.©
You really can can make a real splash this Christmas with works by a Denver craftsman.
Started as a romantic whim – a present for a 10th wedding anniversary. (That’s tin, you know.) Made in the garage.
Now a business with a fabulously elegant line of bracelets, earrings, and more recycled from tin cans. Upcycling with style.
A cut above the normal Christmas commercialism.
Real Christmas spirit all year round: for every item purchased, one can good is donated to charity….along with the idea that we can all do good – locally.
No puffed up materialistic Christmas message. Actions do speak merrily.
Speaking of Christmas, nothing says Christmas like Santa riding a giant elephant.
Dumbos trumpeting in Christmas: bigger, wilder, louder. (No, it is not outside the New Dehli…yet. It’s early in the seasoning.)©
You know that Rehab song “No, No, No” by Amy Winehouse?
Can someone update that to address the December inflatable puffalumps? Would be appreciated. Yes. Yes. Yes. A start…maybe you can do mo’, mo’ mo’….
They tried to make me go get Christmas inflatables
I said, no, no, no….
“Celebration inflation: We’re partying harder than ever and companies love it.” (Bloomberg)
Like with all fads, this too shall pass….especially if these winds keep up.
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
Like contests with prizes? One here. Storm over there.
May The Force to resist overblown holidays be with you.(homedepot.com)
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
We’re starting to see the dirty laundry on the lawn during the day. That’s a sure sign of inflatables at night!. Christmas has gotten quirky. Hard to remember what it’s really about. As a germaphobic, no spa anything for me thank you. I’d have to carry Lysol.
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So far, the dreaded Slade and Wizzard Christmas dross has been absent from one particular shop and they have a new selecttion of CDs to welcome their customers.
Your fish though reminded me of the one we bought for our Boss one year, which was activated through movement to encourage it to sing. He put it on top of the filing cabinet and when out messengers came to collect the post, it sprang into action and nearly gave them a heart attack! That year my nieces bought one for their dad, an avid but misfortunate fisherman, telling him that this one wouldn’t get away.
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I don’t like inflatables either. Or houses that are covered completely in lightbulbs. I like the house in Home Alone. Gorgeous!
Frozen fish? Poor things. I only like them in the frozen food section.
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lol! When did Santa get an elephant? I see it is “giant sized” too. I would expect nothing less from an elephant.
Canned Goods has some lovely pieces. I have a few more things to get for Christmas and might do a bit of shopping there. I like their premise. Thanks for pointing us in that direction. 🙂
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Are the reindeer AWOL on vacation? I’ve got to research and see if there’s any tradition at all with Santa riding an elephant – it is such a giggle. (Although the bells really would jingle with that elephant walk)
I first saw the creator of Canned Goods on a Denver radio station interview. fascinating – and the products are so amazing. Glad you got a smile. Thanks for jingling cutting over here to chat
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I thought the Japanese fish fiasco was a good piece of installation art, but I would have a hard time skating on that rink – wouldn’t the fishes get sliced? Unless it WAS art and I missed it.
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If they hadn’t spelled out all sorts of words and used fish school arrows to direct people to bathrooms and such…
Without skaters, it was a eerie art piece…maybe they should have just built platforms and bridges to observe it all and called it art instead of sport. Maybe. Thanks for skating by with a cool comment
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The neighbors with the large collection of large seasonally-appropriate inflatables have moved away. I’m not sure if anyone misses them. And amazingly no neighbor has stepped up to add that kind of puffiness to the ‘hood since they left. Not complaining here, either way. But hadn’t though of the shift in decorating preferences around here until I read this.
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Someday I’ll write a post on the evolution of Christmas decorations over the past decade. We’ve seen crowds of colorful home-style plywood Christmas figures like elves, gingerbread men, Santa and wife, then a reverse to simple with herds white wooden cutout deer, then the wire deer with spotlight, the wire deer wrapped in little white lights, then some mesh deer and figures, and the puffy guys. There were all those large “vintage” colorful Christmas lights which gave way to multitudes of tiny white ones, then tiny lights on a mesh blanket, and the icicle white lights, the LED bright primary colors, and now the projector lights that cover the entire house with green or red diamonds (the newest versions “dance” this year)
Watching the trends and variations is pretty interesting. Although I always smile on the houses that seem to be covered with a jumble of mismatched figures and lights – like they pick up each year whatever home depot has – those houses are bound to have kids and realize it’s the joy not the elegant style that’s important. Do you ever think they will bring back construction paper decorations made by children taped in all the windows?
Thanks for leaving a doecorative comment
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Inflatable Christmas decorations. Ugh. Hope they all blow away. So tacky (that was my mom’s favorite word for things she thought were in poor taste).
The fish are just gross. They don’t have plastic fish in Japan?
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“Tacky”. We grew up with it, too. Great word – you can sneer when you say it, too, or just look dismissive.
They were fishing for ideas and hooked a bad one. May have sounded like an interesting concept, but bad execution – so many bodies..
Thanks for freezing a comment to leave
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I was abhorred by the frozen fish art in Japan – something not right about that. I’m glad we are on the outskirts of town where we see little of the holiday displays. I think Emma and Ronnie deer would be spooked by those bobbing, whirring inflatables. I always hope for just an inch or two of snow over the holidays. That’s the best kind of holiday decoration. I still like to look up at the sky and stick my tongue out to catch a few flakes of snow. 😀
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Our first Christmas in this location we actually had snow on the palm trees. Not all that unusual, but the timing for that one day was pretty nice. That’s the frosty look that’s chilling, but not a disturbing chilling, right?
The German always growled at inflatables – and one plywood cutout of a kneeling Santa. We never figured that one out – unless she was worried he shouldn’t be in the manger scene.
Thanks for adding a chilled somment
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What IS up with Santa and that elephant? I guess ol’ St. Nick is giving the reindeer a break. Inflatables are up and humming. Clear, cold and crisp weather. Feels like Christmas…especially after seeing a sign on a lawn saying to keep Christ in Christmas. So easily forgotten. Planning on seeing the latest “Force” flick when it lands in theatres next week. The fish in the ice? Cold-hearted concept I think. Then again…I don’t think there was much thought at all given to how that would “swim” PR-wise.
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Is it possible Santa took part of a White Elephant gift exchange and someone took it literally?
(Snow doubt white stuff was a chilling factor with GB game today)
That fish catch should have been toss back before it was flash frozen in place.
Thanks for swimming over with a great comment!
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