The first time Diana Rowland decorated her lawn with inflatable dragons, a gift from her husband, it was on Halloween. The holiday decor was a success. But this year, when she dressed them up in garland and Santa hats and set them out as Christmas dragons, the holiday decor was suddenly offensive. She got a letter from an anonymous neighbor who wondered if Rowland was in a demonic cult, asked Rowland to please take them down.
“YOUR DRAGON DISPLAY IS ONLY MARGINALLY ACCEPTABLE AT HALLOWEEN. IT IS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE AT CHRISTMAS. IT MAKES YOUR NEIGHBORS WONDER IF YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A DEMONIC CULT. PLEASE CONSIDER REMOVING THE DRAGONS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND HELP YOU TO KNOW THE TRUE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS.”
An update to yesterday's tweet re the letter I received from an anonymous, judgy-mcjudgyface neighbor who disapproved of my dragon display and asked me to consider removing them: I have added more dragons. pic.twitter.com/OxsFQs5yQ1
— Diana Rowland (@dianarowland) December 16, 2018
So Rowland did what any happy mutant would do: she added more dragons to her holiday collection.
An update to yesterday's tweet re the letter I received from an anonymous, judgy-mcjudgyface neighbor who disapproved of my dragon display and asked me to consider removing them: I have added more dragons. pic.twitter.com/OxsFQs5yQ1
— Diana Rowland (@dianarowland) December 16, 2018
According to The Washington Post:
The story of Rowland’s decision — admirable defiance to some, pettiness to others — has apparently struck a nerve.
The tweet was viewed millions of times, retweeted and commented on until it drew headlines as far away as countries like Germany, France, and Mexico. It made a roundup of news on The Wild Hunt, which bills itself as a website about “modern pagan news & commentary.”
“Apparently this resonates with a lot of people, having a weird, judgy neighbor,” Rowland said in a phone interview with The Washington Post. “Everyone has that story of the crazy neighbor or the pushy neighbor, the one who sends passive-aggressive notes about where you should put your garbage. And yes, now I have stood up to that person.”
