No Tricks, Just CHEER for Nashville This Holiday Season

Forget the ghosts on your lawn. The real fright this season comes from city code enforcers knocking at your door.

But this Halloween, Nashville isn’t here to scare you. It’s here to CHEER you on. The Metro Council is brewing up the Community Holiday Expression Exemption and Riots Act, better known as the CHEER Act, and it is one ordinance that is all treat and no trick.

This cheerful ordinance is scheduled for its third reading November 4. It would ensure that Nashville residents can celebrate their holidays however they please, whether that means twinkling lights, pumpkins, or a skeleton Santa on their lawn.

The most important part of this proposal is how it protects both festive displays and spooky creativity, as long as basic safety rules are followed. The ordinance would officially allow holiday lights and decorations year-round, provided they’re well-maintained and don’t block doors or walkways. No more letting code enforcement haunt your home just because someone does not like your decorations.

The CHEER Act upholds a core principle of the First Amendment: Free speech includes choosing what you celebrate and how you celebrate it. The only thing you should be guilty of this season is a little spooky expression.

Earlier this year, one city traded in holiday spirit for a starring role as the Grinch. In Germantown, Tennessee, resident Alexis Luttrell was summoned to court over her Christmas decorations. Her only “crime” was giving the holidays her own twist.

The Institute for Justice sent a letter to the city explaining how the ordinance violated the First Amendment. Germantown ultimately repealed the rule, showing that festive freedom should never be something to fear but always something to protect.

It is the IJ’s mission to defend free expression in all its forms, whether through speech, art, or a skeleton in a Santa hat. No one should be hauled into court for decking the halls with personality and humor.

Thankfully, Nashville is choosing treats over tricks. With the CHEER Act, the city is saying loud and clear: we will take ghosts with our garland and skeletons with our stockings. Hopefully more cities will follow Nashville’s example. Defending your right to decorate might rattle a few bones, but freedom of expression is something worth celebrating.