Wherefore the pride of District 4?

My open letter to East Pasadena, at least those in the Hastings Ranch area:

Your galaxy of lights, constellations of incandescent color illuminated my earliest holidays. What happened? Forged from the marketplace of neighborhood competition, the once-inventive displays and original exhibitions have been either discarded or replaced with identical, store-bought pablum. I lost count of the identical, inflatable fixtures festooning the fronts of your homes.

Seriously, I don't know if homeowner turnover or aging is a factor in the darkening of Pasadena's Nor'easter climes, but the whole thing is looking shabby, apart from a few proud hold-outs.

Too many Frosty the Wal-Mart Doppelganger clones, so few ass-kicking displays of American holiday independence. Don't let your next Christmas be an inflatable one.