New Jersey is a magical time during the month of December. It's when holiday decorations of all kinds go on full display throughout our neighborhoods and towns.

Some people take this time of year to the extreme and go absolutely crazy with their decorations, while others choose to keep it simple. Either way, it's great to see New Jersey lit up with holiday cheer, especially with the darker evenings this time of year.

And it's not just adults that love it, the kids love it just as much. Whether old or young, there's no age limit when it comes to decorating for the holidays. There are, however, opinions.

As we drive around in the evening seeing all the decorations going up, I decided to see what my seven-year-old twin sons think of what they were seeing. I asked them two simple questions: What's your favorite decoration you've seen so far, and what's the least?

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They were both quick with what they chose as their favorites but had to think a little bit when it came to their least favorite. And that was OK by me since it meant overall they love seeing our state lit up at night.

Despite that, they did have something they liked the least, and I'm curious to see how much you agree with their choices. As I share what they said, I'll also give my thoughts on it since they do differ at times from their opinion.

With that said, let's dive into it. Here's what my sons think are the best and worst holiday decorations they've seen so far throughout New Jersey.

Amazon
Amazon
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Light Up Candy Canes

Light-up candy canes came in as my son Owens's top pick as the best holiday decoration. He just loves seeing these lit up at night along walkways and driveways, especially in the snow.

Not only outside, but both my sons love decorating the tree with candy canes as well. Although I'm not really a fan of eating candy canes, both my kids love them and I'm happy they do.

As for my thoughts on the light-up candy canes? I'd have to agree, even though we currently don't have them ourselves. But I guess now that I know Owen likes this as his favorite decoration I'll have to go out and buy some for our walkway.

So now that we know what his favorite decoration is, what about the least? Let's check it out.

(Craig Allen photo)
(Craig Allen photo)
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Blinking Warm White Lights

When it came to Owen's least favorite decoration, he said people who use blinking beige lights as part of their displays. This of course refers to warm-white blinking lights and not cool-white ones.

Although we don't really decorate with flashing lights of any kind, I'm a bit on the fence with this one. On the one hand, I don't mind lights that twinkle at all, no matter the color of the bulbs. As long as it makes sense when it comes to the overall decorations, I say go for it.

With that said, the part I do agree with is when there's one random strand blinking when everything else isn't. Think about that random shrub that's flashing when nothing else is. It just makes no sense at all to do that.

But aside from the random strand, I personally don't mind twinkling or flashing lights. Owen, however, thinks differently when it comes to warm-white lights, and that's OK.

Inflatable snowman and friends in the front yard.
steverts
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One Opinion Down, One Opinion To Go

Now that we know what Owen had to say, what about Jake? Certainly, he had some opinions on this topic as well.

Just like his brother, he instantly knew what he liked and was quick to pick his favorite. But as for least favorite? That also took a little bit of thought, but I really liked his answer.

With that said, let's dive into it and see what Jake had to say regarding what he believes are the best and worst holiday decorations in New Jersey.

Giant inflatable decorations
Mike Brant - TSM
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Giant Inflatable Santas

Jake was quick to say he likes the giant inflatable Santas the most. Not Frosty, Rudolf, Snoopy, or the Grinch, but specifically Santa Clause.

And I can't really blame him for thinking that. Blowup decorations seem to be becoming more and more popular as the years go on, so it makes he would gravitate to that.

Unfortunately, this is a decoration I'm not really too fond of. Not saying I find anything wrong with them, I just consider them more of a hassle than they're worth.

However, with Jake stating he likes the giant inflatable Santas, I might have to make an exception here for our decorations. But only for you, Santa.

ABC Photo Archives, Getty Images
ABC Photo Archives, Getty Images
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No Decorations At All

Much like Charlie Browns Christmas tree before it got a full holiday makeover, Jake's least favorite holiday decoration is no decorations at all.

Essentially what he's saying is he doesn't like it when nobody gives any effort into it or is very lazy with what they do put out. And although he's OK if maybe they have one little thing out, it's more about the lack of holiday cheer he doesn't like seeing.

And I have to say I do agree with him to an extent. As much as I too don't like seeing homes in the dark, it's possible some people just can't put out decorations for whatever reason.

But even in that situation I would say at least change the color of the front porch bulb or hang a sign on the door. At least it's something. Minimal, yes, but still something. And quite personally, I'm OK with that at least that little bit of effort.

James Wheeler via Unsplash
James Wheeler via Unsplash
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What Do You Think?

Now that we have the thoughts of my twin sons, let's see what you think. In your opinion, what do you gravitate toward as your favorite holiday decoration?

And since all our opinions differ, we'll focus on favorites using all of the answers they gave above. As you can tell by my thoughts, my opinion also differs a bit, and that's OK.

At the end of the day, it's all about the spirit of the season. So get your holiday cheer on and let us know your thoughts.

And speaking of holiday decorations, did you know you can possibly win $1000 with your very own dazzling lights in our Light Up New Jersey holiday contest? To get you ready, here's a look at last year's amazing dazzling light entries from 2021.

Light Up New Jersey 2021: Your best holiday lights

Here are the brightest, most creative and breathtaking holiday light displays. You can vote for your favorite here.

(You have until December 8 to get your submission in for 2022... Click here for details, and good luck!)

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