They are cropping up everywhere! … er, blowing up everywhere!

First noticed as an emerging trend last December, Christmas Inflatables look like they are here to stay. And they do seem to be everywhere. It’s possible that Malone Road & Lennon Way (parallel streets near Cottle and the high school) might be the epicenter of the trend here in WG.

Perhaps inspired by parade balloons and our own Childrens Discovery Museum, inflatable Christmas decorations are now the big thing. Just as the design complexity of party jumper “Bounce Houses” has increased recently, so have yard-sized balloons.

It seems that every block in WG has a growing collection of inflatables … from a Homer Simpson Santa … to snowmen … to Disney characters and Winne the Pooh friends, the balloons are easy to install, quickly outnumbering other recent decorating trends like icicle lights, huge hanging ornaments, 3D motion displays … but not yet outnumbering yard trees.

But, be careful. The easy set-up means the balloons can be easy targets for thieves and vandals, too. Vandals destroy some holiday displays each year, almost ruining last year’s WG tree lighting.

Next year’s trend?: Projected images, which are also falling in price. Target had a few in stock for as low as $50, and you can still find them at some fancy online retailers.