Annoyed Neighbor....

[angus40]

If he is retired , he is probably bored ____less and just wants your attention > positive or negative.

He has gone about trying to get it in a childish manner with the spotlight .

I would start a convo with him asking if he knows any morse code !

Be direct with him about your lights and diffuse the issue ...... lol

[ex-grinch]

I agree with angus40.

I would go over with a case of beer, and ask him if he seen any strange lights in the sky, and joke around saying I think we're going to be invaded by aliens, and then have a good laugh about the whole thing.

Then maybe turn it around and say that you're thinking about getting a bike because of the price of gas and blah blah blah and does he have any good advice for you.

Depending on how he reacts, then say to him, HEY, I just had a great idea, how cool would it be to have a Santa sitting on a bike and decorate it with lights and a sack of toys?

Take it a little further and talk about how some bike groups have toy drives for kids around the holiday season, and ask if his group of friends ever thought about that, because if they did, you would like to help out.

Maybe even ask him if he has some advice on how to build some sort of motorized display item that some of the family children have been talking about. Most mechanical types LOVE to show off what they can build and help out like that.

You have a case of beer, so have a few things to talk about. Also, LEAVE whatever is left in the case at his place. You will always be welcomed back after that.

Whatever you do, DON'T call anyone else to solve your problems like the police or any HOA. You go down that path, there's NO amount of beer to ever fix that relationship again.

He's retired and looking for something to do that's fun, not a fight. He shined that light on you with one of his buddies while they were drinking for some harmless fun and he probably said hey Frank, hold my beer, if he wants lights, I'll give him LIGHT, and then they giggled and drank more beer. No harm, no foul.

[ratroder]

Ask him where he got it. Tell him you want a few for you light show next year. I wouldn't mind knowing myself, would like one of those.

[budude]

Sheesh - - forget the beer and niceties - just go over and ask him why he's shining a light in your window and see if you can come to a solution. If he wants to push things then call the cops and have them go over and tell him to stop. If it gets that far then the guy is clearly a jerk and I wouldn't worry about being pushed around. You don't owe him anything so leave the beer in your own fridge... The light in your window is harassment plain and simple and you don't have to put up with it even if you are the new kid on the block...

[Lionking_Tx]

Get a green Laser pointer and next time he shines the light, just point it in his window - you will see how fast that spot light will get turned off

[Some Guy]

Some people are just easily annoyed by small things. As I like to say, "You can be annoyed by something only if you let it annoy you".

I've heard a story when somebody was annoyed that their neighbor's light on a ground level storage shed was on at night. He claimed that is shone into his second-story bedroom window and he couldn't sleep as a result. Thing is, it was just a run-of-the-mill style bulb--it wasn't a 1000w halogen or anything. It's over 50 feet away. Sheesh.

Maybe he sleeps with his eyes open or doesn't have curtains.

[jchuchla]

There are plenty of things I could do be more annoying than his light. But I prefer to stay in the right in this one. Of course I have bigger brighter lights if I wanted to stoop to his level. A nice 5 degree source four would put his light to shame. Or a laser like someone else mentioned. i could even put out an IR blaster and turn off his tv every 5 minutes. Yeah it'd be great short term satisfaction, But that's just going to start a feud.
He did this back in January for four days, the funny thing is that I was out of town on business so I didn't even see it. My wife told me about it when I got home. This time it's been 3 days. It's just a matter of time before a sheriff just happens to cruise the block and drive thru the beam and wonder what's up. And it wouldn't be me who called him.
The light itself doesn't really bother us too much anyhow. The rooms we spend most of our time in are all on the back side of the house well away from the windows he's shining into. So we barely notice it most of the time. I doubt he knows that. I even had my own spotlights shining into those same windows for 8 weeks during the Christmas season.
Regarding the spotlight itself, since a few of you asked. I think it's some sort of police light. It has two circular lenses, each with 6 large (probably 3w or so) LEDs in it. I believe it to be battery powered because it seems to get significantly dimmer by the end of the second night. It has some sort of flash mode where it flashes a brighter pulse over a decently bright beam at a regular interval. But it must have different settings because that interval has been different each night. The first night was steady beam, the 2nd was a pulse every 4 seconds, and tonight it's at about 2 seconds.
I was expecting to hear someone else here that's had a similar experience. I'm suprised nobody's brought up a similar story.

[Uncle Al]

When he has his light on go over there and ask him if he knows that his light is shining into your windows.

[thedementedelf]

If he contiinues to do it, get out your phone and video what is happenening. Then talk to him about it. If it continues to happen contact the police, and show the video.

[charleskerr]

What I find interesting is that this whole story represents the lack of a fundemental issue that can difuse a lot of situations. Discussion!
First, go talk to your neighbor about his light. You assume his motives, but perhaps (just on the outside) that it isn't malice. Even if it is, it would start the discussion going, that could let it branch it into other topics, such as your lights. Perhaps there are some simple things you could do that would accommodate him. Yes, I know one doesn't have to accommodate, but harmony is pretty nice if the compromise isn't that bad.

Anyway, my suggestion, quit ASSUMING, and TALK. It can at least be the start.