‘Tacky’ giant Santa sparks festive feud after local Grinch sends poison pen letter

In true Grinch style, a neighbour has written a Bah Humbug letter to a festive father-to-be, complaining about his ‘cheap and tacky’ oversized Christmas decorations.

In a slight miscalculation, Dave Goodings, 31, accidentally ordered a 20ft inflatable Santa from B&Q last year for £24.99, thinking it was actually only 4ft.

But in true festive spirit, he decided to install the massive Father Christmas outside his home in Chessington, south-west London, anyway.

After crowds started stopping to snap selfies with his towering Santa, Dave decided to up the festive ante — adding a £179, 20ft snowman to the inflatable family.

However, not everyone is feeling the holiday cheer as one local Scrooge sent Dave an anonymous letter demanding his festive giants be taken down.

The letter states that the anonymous neighbour is ‘absolutely horrified’ by the inflatables described as ‘cheap, tacky and completely out of place’ outside Dave’s property.

It continues: ‘The inflatables are an eyesore. They ruin the character of the road and they make the whole area look ridiculous rather than the nice tidy street it usually is.’

The disgruntled neighbour made it crystal clear the letter was a ‘formal complaint’, threatening to report Dave’s festive giants to both the council and the residents’ association.

Dave, who owns a DJ business, has remained defiant and said: ‘We are expecting our first baby early next year, so this really felt like the Christmas where we could go completely over the top, and why not.

‘It has become a bit of a tradition now.

‘And let’s be honest, it would not feel like Christmas on our street without a giant inflatable. We have somehow become known for it.’

As someone who never wants to upset or hurt anyone, Dave’s ‘heart sank’ when reading the letter for the first time.

However, after a couple of re-reads, he now sees the funny side of the poison pen letter.

He said: ‘It’s the time of year when you can let your hair down, but someone doesn’t feel the same as us.

‘It brings so much joy – already this year we’ve seen people walking by and taking photos.

‘I get that they’re big, but it’s Christmas, not a crime scene. If I’m being honest, the letter has only made the whole thing even funnier.’

The letter was posted through his letterbox during the day on Monday, with no knock on the door, in an envelope with no name or address.

Dave has joked that because he lives so close to Chessington World of Adventures, his house is ”becoming the new tourist attraction in town’ as ‘people slow down to take photos and some even make little detours.’

Metro has contacted Kingston upon Thames Council for comment.

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