Georgia Family Fights With The Board To Keep HOA Christmas Decorations

With the holidays just around the corner, homeowners are gearing up by decorating their houses. For one Southbridge family, though, keeping their HOA Christmas decorations up is proving to be a battle.

The Meaning of Christmas

This is the first Christmas the Johnson family is spending in the Southbridge community after moving from the Midwest. In celebration of the holidays, the family put up their Christmas decorations, which include several bright arches.

For Melissa Johnson, the holidays have a deep meaning. After being diagnosed with cancer, Christmas has become very special to her. The decorations are her way of spreading hope and light to her neighbors. Melissa and her family also accept drop-off food donations this time of the year for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

And while the holiday holds meaning for Melissa, the Southbridge HOA has taken issue with the decorations. In the middle of setting up the HOA Christmas decorations, Melissa received notice from the HOA asking her to take down the arches or move them somewhere else.

County officials paid a visit to Melissa’s home to review the setup, but they found no problems with it. The decorations complied with local codes. However, the HOA disagreed, saying that the decorations were too excessive. Her neighbors, though, absolutely love the decorations.

Asked to comment, the Southbridge HOA responded with a statement to WJCL 22 News.

In the statement, the HOA said that it allows seasonal decorations but that “the Board has the discretion to implement policies in the future that may address the scope of seasonal decorations to ensure the safety and quality of life enjoyed by all residents.”

The HOA further noted that other residents may not share the same opinion on what one resident may find beautiful. For now, Melissa can keep her Christmas decorations up, and the HOA is ready to offer an apology if asked.