HOA demands South Carolina man remove Christmas lights and Trump 2024 flag from home

CONWAY, S.C. (WTVD) -- South Carolina homeowner Douglas Dwyen does not know whether his holiday message or his political one has gotten him in trouble with his HOA.

Dwyen put a Christmas light display up on his home and a large "Trump 2024" sign sits in the middle of it.

"They just love it. They come home from work; the people get to show their kids. They're taking their grand kids over from different communities. It's just something special," Dwyer said.

The display has a little bit of a Griswold-style ingenuity. Dwyer said after the pandemic, he just wanted to bring a bit of cheer to his neighbors.

"It came together like a Tetris puzzle so to speak. One piece at a time and it just turned out to be magical," Dwyer said. "I teared up about it when I got that email. Because this really meant a lot to me this year. And it meant a lot to everybody else."

Tuesday, Dwyer's HOA property management company, Old Colony Realty, reached out and asked him to "remove the flag taped to the outside of the building, all the lights on the outside of the building and the decorations in the common area."

"This is just insane. They're going to charge me to take down Christmas lights?"

The property management company stated Dwyer has violated his HOA rules because homeowners "cannot attach or store any material on the building or in the common areas."

Neighbors in the community do not agree that the decorations fit "the bill" for violation.

"I don't think this is an issue. I really don't. It picks up your spirit - it is, after all, Christmas time," one neighbor said.

The HOA gave Dwyer until Friday to take down the decorations.

"The miracle of Christmas should be something different than this," Dwyer said.