Minnesota resident's Christmas light display shamed for 'harmful impact' to community in anonymous letter

An unidentified St. Anthony, Minnesota resident has received an anonymous letter on Monday chastising them for their Christmas light display.

"The idea of twinkling, colorful lights are a reminder of divisions that continue to run through our society, a reminder of systemic biases against our neighbors who don't celebrate Christmas or who can't afford to put up lights of their own," the letter, shared by Crime Watch Minneapolis, reads. "We must do work of educating ourselves about the harmful impact an outward facing display like yours can have."

The letter then challenges the resident to "respect the dignity of all people, while striving to learn from differences, ideas, and opinions of our neighbors."

"We must come together collectively and challenge these institutional inequities," the letter concludes. "St. Anthony is a community welcoming of all people and we must demand better for ourselves."

The letter has received pushback on social media, with former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Derek Anderson replying "Saw this coming a long time ago. “If I can’t have it nobody can” or “ if they have it we all deserve it” that’s not life."

Another user pointed out the irony that the letter writer is "doing exactly what they accuse the homeowner of doing- not being accepting of others."

"I would redouble my lights," they added, echoing similar calls from other Twitter users.

The letter comes with just over two weeks to go before the Christmas holiday.

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