St. Anthony resident overwhelmed with support after receiving letter chastising Christmas light display
By MN Crime Watch, Dec. 9, 2020
A St. Anthony resident is being overwhelmed with messages of support after the letter they received chastising their modest Christmas light display was posted online earlier this week.
The resident posted the letter on her Facebook page on Monday where we were tipped to it and subsequently posted about it on Twitter.
The unsigned letter said that the light display has a “harmful impact” and further implied that it disrespects the dignity of other people in the community.
We initially blacked out the identifying details of the resident’s name and address knowing that sometimes people receive backlash for posting content like this.
However, the woman has since publicly identified herself as Kim Hunt of St. Anthony, MN, after replying to our post and to several other commenters on Twitter on Monday.
The letter in its entirety reads as follows:
“I couldn’t help but notice your Christmas lights display. During these unprecedented times we have all experienced challenges which casual words just don’t describe what we’re feeling. 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.
We must do the work of educating ourselves about the harmful impact an outward facing display like yours can have. I challenge you 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; St. Anthony is a community welcoming of all people and we must demand better for ourselves.”
There’s no doubt that the letter sounds impossibly filled with over-the-top “woke-speak,” leading many to doubt the veracity of the letter.
Hunt replied to at least one person who questioned the origins of the letter and implied that this type of thing “is not completely out of the norm” in the community where she lives. Hunt didn’t expound on what she meant by that, but one of her neighbors called in to a morning talk radio show on Tuesday and indicated that there may be a person in the neighborhood who could have possibly sent the letter. Hunt also said that at least three other neighbors received the same letter.
As of this writing, our original Tweet has over 2,000 comments and nearly as many retweets, the vast majority of them contain messages of support for the letter recipient (Hunt) or rebuke for the letter writer.
Hunt provided an actual photo of her Christmas lights which consist of one string of colored lights across the front of the house and a lighted wreath above, hardly the makings of a display that could be deemed offensive .
A wide range of Twitter users weighed in on the post including former Baltimore Ravens quarterback Derek Anderson.
Actress Kirstie Alley retweeted the post and said, “turn up the voltage!”
Numerous Twitter users who stated they are of other faiths or traditions also replied in support of Hunt.
Hunt posted a reply to our Tweet on Wednesday expressing thanks for everyone’s support.
The level of outrage and disbelief over the letter is evidenced by its viral spread across the internet and social media since Monday:
Daily Mail Online, The Sun, MSN, Yahoo News, Fox News, The Blaze, Fox & Friends, Twitchy and others. Local radio talk shows even discussed it including Justice & Drew on Twin Cities News Talk, Garage Logic podcast and the Tom Barnard podcast. Even Snopes got involved.
Hunt had stated in a prior comment that she’s a nurse who’s been tending to COVID patients recently and wasn’t feeling particularly in the spirit of Christmas this year. She also said that her husband recently had surgery and wasn’t able to help put up more lights.
Hunt told us that she’s had numerous offers from people willing to help her pay for or put up more lights on her house. Hunt said the response has been “wild” but said, “I’m not sure what we are going to do with all this!” Hunt is hoping that some of the generosity of strangers can go to help other frontline workers who aren’t able to decorate their homes.
###
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes original content news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. We report what other media won’t. Read About Us.
Please consider supporting our independent research and reporting through Patreon, Paypal or Ko-fi. Thank you.
Do you appreciate and enjoy posts from the Crime Watch network on Facebook and Twitter? You can show your support on Patreon with your monthly pledge of support for $1, $5, $10 or any amount you choose. Thank you.
Your support helps us cover real costs for new equipment, scanners, software, electronic data/audio storage and costs sometimes associated with requesting public data or records.
