Yard inflatables the latest in holiday decor

WAVELAND -- Christmas decorations have evolved over the years, especially those displayed outdoors. While a string or two of lights may have once been sufficient, one doesn't have to look to far to notice the latest wave of outdoor decorations -- inflatables.

Take a drive through almost any Coast neighborhood in December and you'll be almost guaranteed to see an inflated Santa Claus, snowman or reindeer.

You may see an inflatable Elsa from "Frozen," Yoda from "Star Wars," Mickey Mouse and other popular characters.

Holiday inflatables range in price from about $20 for a 4-foot inflatable Santa Claus to $400 for a 15-foot Abominable Snow Monster from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Inflatables come with electric motors that bring the characters to life when plugged in. The inflatables are tethered with ropes and stakes for stability.

The decorations are popular in many neighborhoods, and two of the newest are in Hancock County.

Hose A and Hose B are the firefighters' names for the inflatable Dalmatians that have made the Waveland Fire Station their home for the holidays.

Waveland Fire Chief Tony Malini said the Dalmatians -- representing the black-spotted white dogs long associated with firefighters -- are causing quite a stir.

"People seem to really like them," he said. "People ask us about them at the grocery stores and they want to know more about them."

He said this is the fire station's first year for the inflatables.

"We have a competition between the fire stations," Malini said. "We wanted to do something bigger and better so we thought the Dalmatians would be cool.

This story was originally published December 20, 2015 at 4:10 PM with the headline "Yard inflatables the latest in holiday decor ."