Tacky Or What???

I could not really find a category to fit this, so this seemed the least inappropriate!

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Motorists in SW England are those most likely to know what I mean by "the orange tank".

The ex-Army, lightweight tank painted in incongruous orange, next to the M5 motorway near Bristol, as if about to attack the Cribbs Causeway shopping-centre.

Driving past it the other night I noticed it illuminated with Christmas-tree lights and a large inflatable Father Christmas figure (this early in November) - and at least one great big plastic Armistice Day poppy.

I have not the faintest idea why it is even there in the first place, and it has been there for a few years now; but Oh Dear, one has to wonder at its owner....

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I don't mind the annual Dressing of the Sheep with Christmas hats, on that A37 roundabout by Shepton Mallet, though! That is a lot more restrained, and really rather delightfully whimsical.

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Piper · 61-69, F

Well, what better to illuminate in the spirit of Christmas than an ex-army tank? The big plastic inflatable stuff just adds to the charm of it all. 🙃

Whithout seeing it...I'd say more tacky than "or what", but almost anything looks sort of festive with Christmas light on it.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Piper Quite!

I found it on Google Earth photos yesterday, as in what look like the grounds of a motorcycle scramble club hidden from the road by trees.

It's pointless anyway. It is in a hedge next to the site' car-park, not the buildings, all on private land; and the road users cannot stop to examine it.

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Perhaps it's no worse though than what has been allowed elsewhere by planners who should know better, along the M5 and M6. These are the giant video-type illuminated advertising hoardings above Oldbury Viaduct and near the M5/M6 junction; and the painted advertisements on old lorry trailers, spoiling the gentle Cheshire countryside.

One of the latter is a quote from the Q'ran! May Allah strike them all with lightning - starting with the electronic displays near Birmingham.

The electronic displays are slightly lessened in the day by the background, a sprawling industrial estate. Ironically that has been slowly improving its appearance over the years, and even contains a lot of big, mature trees. (Shhh! Don't tell the property-developers. They hate trees!) At night though, the signs are bright, changing masses of coloured lights; distracting, even masking legitimate road-signs that should be the only ones there.

Also ironically these electronic advertising signs are new developments that go against the growing concerns about "energy" and road use. They are as tacky as that decorated tank and the motorway service-areas' gimmicks; even the smaller ones on bus-shelters probably run at least at a kW each, 24 hours a day every day; and are just not necessary.

Why so early for Christmas decorations anyway?

Last week a near-neighbour household replaced its awful plastic pumpkins and bats ( the imported, supposedly Hallowe'en, pseudo-"tradition" invented and pushed by American commerce) with Christmas decorations not much better, in barely the second week of November!