The war on early Christmas joy has arrived in Florida, where families at Tyndall Air Force Base have been ordered to strip their homes of Christmas lights and decorations weeks before Thanksgiving.
Residents of privatized apartments run by Balfour Beatty Communities were told that “Christmas decorations have already appeared in the community” in a message titled “One holiday at a time…”
The company warned that “all holiday decorations should be displayed during the respective months and no earlier than 30 days before the respective holiday.”
“If you currently have Christmas decorations on the outside of your home, please remove and reinstall them in accordance with your community’s guidelines,” the notice said.
The directive, posted on the Air Force's unofficial Facebook page amn/nco/snco, sparked a wave of outrage and ridicule in military circles. Military members and veterans accused the base's landlord of acting like a “Grinch.”
Air Force Captain Justin Davidson-Beebe, the head of public affairs at Tyndall, confirmed to the military news site Task & Purpose that the order came from Balfour Beatty and not the air force itself.
“They enforce the community standards set forth in the legally binding lease that all residents voluntarily sign,” Davidson-Beebe said.
He said the housing association's standards allow winter decorations from the week after Thanksgiving through the first week of January.
“These guidelines are not part of a broader Air Force policy,” he said.
“Because some facilities have community standards set by the privatized housing management company, standards may vary from base to base.”
A Balfour Beatty spokesperson told The Post that company policy allows decorations 30 days before a holiday, describing it as a “common practice in rental communities and homeowners associations to ensure neighborhoods remain neat, consistent and pleasant for all residents.”
“Most residents appreciate clear, common-sense policies to ensure the community remains a pleasant place to live and celebrate,” the spokesperson told Task & Purpose.
The company said the rule helps keep neighborhoods “neat, consistent and pleasant for all residents.”
The incident came amid ongoing frustration over privatized military housing, which has been plagued for years by mold, maintenance problems and tenant disputes.
Congress created the Military Housing Privatization Initiative Tenant Bill of Rights in 2020 to curb abuses, but families and watchdog groups say contractors still hold overwhelming power.
However, the news sparked more laughter online than a legal debate.
“If the Air Force wanted you to have the Christmas spirit, they would have given it to you!” one veteran joked.
Another wrote: “The Grinch runs apartments in Tyndall?”
Others found creative loopholes.
“I would add lights to the inside of all my windows – they now serve as interior decoration,” one commenter wrote.
Another suggested a “Festivus pole,” arguing that it contained no lights or tinsel and therefore passed the test.
Bryan Celis joked, “Haha they don't know about the Thanksgiving tree!?!??”
“In my opinion, Christmas begins on September 1st,” wrote Erlanda Ali-Bentley.
Some mocked the timing of the policy. “I’m just preparing you for your future homeowners association when you retire,” another Facebook user wrote.