The air is out. Tempe, AZ, 2016
Image: Jesse Rieser
Bigger, better, USA? In America, things are often bigger, more colorful, and more bizarre than in other countries. Photographer Jesse Rieser focuses on Americans and their passion for what is actually the most contemplative time of year.
PAlmen dressed in lights, cactus in the yard with Christmas hats and houses lit up that could probably also be seen on a satellite image? Anyone who thinks Chevy Chase’s “love of decorating” (or should we call it a “decorating frenzy”?) in the 1989 Christmas classic “Happy Birthday” is overdone has probably never been to the holiday season or any other major holiday in the United States USA. Especially at Christmas, many Americans insist on living out their passion for sprawling decorations.
Anyone who knows Americans and their country knows there is celebration, but really. And no expense or effort will be spared to claim the untold prize for the home with more lights, brighter colors, and wackier neighborhood characters. While Christmas is the more contemplative time of year for many people, some decorated homes are more reminiscent of the lights of the Las Vegas Strip or an amusement park.
Opinions differ on whether consumption, contemplation and religion can go hand in hand or are actually the exact opposite of each other. I only got to experience this working for many Americans last week when I was traveling in Southern California and passed a more than lavishly decorated and lighted home in the Mojave Desert. A sign on the roof that said “We put Christ back at Christmas” glittered and flashed.
Photographer Jesse Rieser takes us exactly into this Christmas landscape. If you enjoy the view of the often creative and very colorful productions and make your Christmas heart beat faster – or just shake your head. It probably depends on each individual. But those with a soft spot for this country also love the bizarre, crazy, and often contradictory sides of America.
Who needs a Nordmann fir when you can also decorate a palm tree. Glendale, Ariz., 2012
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Image: Jesse Rieser
What else is celebrated at Christmas? Phoenix, Arizona, 2011
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Cindy Lou Who and Jesus meet at a bar in Scottsdale, Arizona, 2015
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Hidden Object: A boy with his Christmas presents. Glendale, Ariz., 2012
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Image: Jesse Rieser
A sea of Santas and Santa Clauses. Las Vegas, Nevada, 2013
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Image: Jesse Rieser
White Christmas in the living room. Dallas, Texas, 2016
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Santa’s sleigh. Phoenix, Arizona, 2010
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Moses in Texas. New Braunfels, Texas, 2016
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Hello Santa Claus: Of course, a cowboy-style Santa Claus should not be missing here. Gruene, Texas, 2016
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Where snow doesn’t fall, it snows. Glendale, Ariz., 2012
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Even Santa needs a break, here at a dive bar. Las Vegas, Nevada, 2013
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Tangled cables: Clark Griswold would not have been happy at this sight.
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Image: Jesse Rieser
Not everything can be bought: A man works on a Christmas mural at his home in Chandler, Arizona, 2012.
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Image: Jesse Rieser
The crib in an unusual setting. Windcrest, Texas, 2016.
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Image: Jesse Rieser
