Ironically, the Griswold category encourages residents to light up all of Mountain Lodge.
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio family is pushing back against their homeowner’s association after receiving a violation notice over their Christmas light display, which the HOA claims is too bright.
The Gathright family says Mountain Lodge HOA cited them for excessive glare from their holiday lights and threatened fines of up to $2,500.
The homeowners argue the display does not create glare and say the violation infringes on their religious rights under Texas law.
“We’re being harassed with people coming by, taking pictures, and we are receiving violations and threats of being fined $2,500 for them,” said homeowner Tamara Gathright.
The dispute is especially frustrating for the family because the HOA is currently promoting a neighborhood decoration contest.
One of the contest categories is labeled “Griswold,” a reference to the holiday classic National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and its famously over-the-top light display.
“If you think about Griswold, maybe you would think that it’s overdone, which mine is not,” Gathright said. “On one hand they’re encouraging it, and on the other hand they’re trying to slap me with a $2,500 fine for doing it.”
The Gathrights say the conflict is not new. They believe they are being targeted by the HOA because of prior legal disputes and say they have already sought legal counsel.
According to the family, their attorney advised that the violation may infringe on their religious rights.
Texas Senate Bill 581, passed in 2021, protects homeowners’ rights to display religious items on their property and limits the ability of HOAs to restrict the location, size or materials of those displays, unless there is a public safety concern.
“They don’t produce glare, they produce glow,” Gathright said. “They’re not intruding on anyone’s property.”
The Gathrights say their goal is simply to celebrate Christmas together and share the holiday spirit with their community.
“In the movie, Clark Griswold was the hero,” Gathright said. “He’s the family man who’s trying to celebrate Christmas.”
KENS 5 News reached out to the Mountain Lodge HOA for comment but had not received a response as of publication.
The Gathright family says they plan to keep their Christmas lights up while the dispute continues.
“Grinches and Scrooges aren’t going to steal or stop our Christmas spirit.” Gathright said. “I won’t be bullied.”