Nate Hochstetler

Bucks County Woman Fined By Homeowners Association For

Colored Christmas Lights
December 2, 2011 10:21 AM
By Oren Liebermann
DOYLESTOWN STATION, Pa. (CBS) Marie Buonanno has boxes of holiday lights to
decorate her house. She already has one tree up in her living room and a nativity scene. But
this holiday season, she would not dare decorate outside.
It is very disappointing that we cant celebrate the Christmas holiday the way that we
religiously choose to, says Buonanno.
Her home only has a holiday wreath on the door, since the Doylestown Station Condominium
Association told her the bylaws do not allow colored Christmas lights. Last year, she was
fined $400, $10 for each day her lights were up. But she says she was the only one slapped
with a fine.
One of my neighbors that I spoke to a few days ago, who decorates with multicolored lights,
says he never got a letter of warning or a fine.
Only white, non-blinking lights are allowed outside. And you can only put up a single white,
blue, or orange light in your windows. Neighbors collected 62 signatures to ask the
Association board to allow colored Christmas lights. In response, the Association sent out a
survey.
Out of 38 total responses, 19 voted for white lights, 14 voted for colored non-blinking lights,
and 5 voted for colored blinking. The board said the vote was 19-14 against colored lights,
interpreting the 5 votes as a separate category.
As long as its tasteful, says neighbor Marc Udell, let the community do what the
community is going to do.
No one answered the door at the Association presidents house. Some neighbors say they
like the look of white lights.
Some colored lights are pretty and they have their place in neighborhoods, but you never
really know how far people are going to go with them, says Jeff Edwards.
It will be a holiday of white lights for Buonanno and her neighborhood. She says for now she
will miss her colored lights and the holiday cheer they brought to her home.
Terms:
Parpadear to blink
Luces de colores colored lights
Vecinos neighbors
Eliminar to remove
Justo fair
Pagar to pay

Summary:
Una mujera tena pagar dinero porque ella usaba luces de colores de navidad.
Ella pagaba cuatrocientos dlares y ella poda solamente los luces blancos que no
parpadear
Tambin muchos otros vecinos tena los luces de colores que parpadear pero nadie tena
eliminar sus luces.
La mujera pensaba que no era justo que ella era la solamente a eliminar sus luces y pagar
cuatrocientos dlares.
Questions:
Piensas que es justo que nadie mas tenia que pagar dinero?

Piensas que los luces de colores que parpadear es una problema? Explica.