I...hate...Christmas...

[5LittleMonkeys]

LIGHTS! Okay, about 6 years ago we bought a very expensive 8ft. lighted tree so that I wouldn't have to go through the pain of putting lights on and off every year.

 

So, I get the tree out today and start to set it up with 5 dc standing at the ready with ornaments in hand waiting to place them on the tree. I put all 3 of the sections together, fluff the branches then start to try to figure out which plug goes into which plug and in which order. I tell you, you need an electrical engineering degree to figure it out. So, I get all the plugs plugged up correctly and half the tree is lit and half is not.:glare: I re-do the plugs...same thing. Third time...nada.

 

All this amid the dc saying, "Can we put the ornaments on now?" at least 50 times. I call dh..."Yes, honey I checked the diagram to make sure all the plugs were correct. No, the kids haven't put the ornaments on yet. You want me to what? Are you kidding? All of them!"

 

Some portions of the strands are obviously shot and he wants me to take all of the strands off of the tree and we will put new strands on. He wants colored lights anyway because the dc always say they wish we had colored lights instead of plain old boring white ones.

 

How hard could it be? I'll tell you. It took me almost 3 hours to get all of the lights off of that tree! Each branch had the strand zip-tied in two places and then had these little brackets holding the strands on in 3 to 4 other places. I had to cut each zip-tie and remove each bracket then untwist the strands from each branch. My arms look like a cat used me as a scratching post.

 

So, when dh gets home we go to the store and get colored lights. I say we need about 8 boxes he says 6 will be plenty. We get home and I start re-lighting the tree. Up and down each branch, fastening at the base of each branch and making sure to stop and start a new strand at each section so I can take the tree apart and pack it without taking the lights off again. It's looking really good and then I get to the top 2 feet of the tree. "Um, honey, I'm going to need two more boxes of lights." Poor guy, he's too tired from work and doesn't want to get up from dozing on the couch to run to get me the lights so that I can get done by 10 pm and have the kids decorate it first thing in the morning. He suggests I run out in the morning and get the lights.:cursing:

 

I stand back and look at the STILL half lit, undecorated tree in disgust. So I spend another 20 minutes vacuuming up all of the little fake needles (I think a real tree would shed less) and getting all of the furniture arranged while dh snores on the couch. He's such a dear.:glare:

 

I go upstairs to get my pj's on and tell dd7 and ds4 that it is past bedtime and they need to get pj's on and into bed. I go down to get them a glass of water and I see them with pillows and blankets under the half lit, undecorated tree talking about all of the amazing colors and how cool the walls and ceiling look with the lights reflecting off of them. I can see their little faces shining red, then blue, then green. Their eyes look like twinkling stars. I haven't seen anything so beautiful in a while. "Mommy, can we PLEASE sleep under the tree tonight? It's sooooo beautiful!"

 

To sum up, I still hate Christmas lights...unless they are the colored ones lighting up my precious babes' faces.

[grace'smom]

That is so sweet! It's so wonderful to have those little moments of joy where you least expect them.

[JFSinIL]

Yeah, we have one of those pre-lit trees, too - and I am dreading the day the lights go out! I would rather get another tree at the day-after-Christmas madhouse sale (like I got this one) than deal with trying to restring it.

[JudoMom]

I hate them, too. In past years, I've fought and wept and gnashed my teeth over the blasted lights. We have a pre-lit (though there are always lights out), but my guys like it when I add colored lights, too.

 

This year I plugged it in and at least 1/3 of the lights were out. I messed with it for a bit and considered starting a new tradition of a lightless tree. Then I went to Walgreens and got over my cheapness and shelled out $20 for this. It worked! It's amazing! Within 20 minutes I had my whole tree lit!

 

(And what a sweet picture of your kids! What a memory for them :))

[Sweetbeebie]

Funny how kids can see the wonder in everything:) Aside from that your a wonderful wife for actually doing all the light removal AND going with the 2 less boxes of lights! I would have had to wait for my dear hubby to get home and help when the mention of removing the lights came up. Thanks for the smile...I can so relate to the can we hang the ornaments for the 50th time as you stress out:)

[Giraffe]

Yeah, we have one of those pre-lit trees, too - and I am dreading the day the lights go out! I would rather get another tree at the day-after-Christmas madhouse sale (like I got this one) than deal with trying to restring it.

 

We had a pre-lit tree and after one year half the tree's lights blew. I couldn't get them off - they were attached permanently! So for a couple of years I strung lights over and around the unlit ones. When we moved, I left that tree behind. No more pre-lit trees for me - EVER!

[Princess Peach]

That was cute! They are so worth it, aren't they?

[joannqn]

We had two strands out this year too. It took me an hour and a half to remove the one strand because it was tied on at the end and then wrapped over and under itself in a several places on each branch. I did get them off and a new strand back on in its place. The other strand was missing a bulb so I was able to simply replace it with a bulb from the removed strand.

[Sparkle]

 

This year I plugged it in and at least 1/3 of the lights were out. I messed with it for a bit and considered starting a new tradition of a lightless tree. Then I went to Walgreens and got over my cheapness and shelled out $20 for this. It worked! It's amazing! Within 20 minutes I had my whole tree lit!

 

 

Really?! I've never seen this gadget before. I hate our pre-lit tree. We're lucky if we can get any of the lights to work at all and we always end up adding extra strings of lights which kind of defeats the whole purpose of having a pre-lit tree in the first place. I'll have to get one of these and see if it works before I toss the whole tree out and buy another one.

[5LittleMonkeys]

Update: I went out early and got the lights to finish the tree. The dc are decorating it now...and still talking about the colored lights. All is good.

 

When dd7 woke up this morning she told me she had the most wonderful colorful dreams! So precious.:D