CatieB Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 Every year that my husband and I have been together we have commented how amazing it is that our christmas tree lights work when we get them out. Thats over 10 years. We tell stories about hideous memories of our parents trying to get the lights to work. This year none of them work because last year when I packed them away I decided to take a bulb out of each set so that I could buy spare bulbs, which I did but can't remember what I did with them I have looked everywhere TWICE and I can't find them. I mean everywhere, clearly they are not to going to be found any time soon if at all. Well probably next summer What bothers me more is that pre the birth of my 6 year old I had an amazing brain and remembered everything. Either that or old age. I feel quite AHhhhhhhh I think I need to give up trying to be organised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted December 6, 2010 Share Posted December 6, 2010 I do remember trawling the shops just before Christmas a few years ago desperately trying to find replacement bulbs . You've reminded me to get my lights down and check them in time . (That's if I can remember where I put them .) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 Surely that's one of the Christmas traditions - going through the lights and checking each tiny bulb to find out which one is causing the whole thing to fail! I can never find the right size bulbs to fit mine, nor can I ever find the spares that they give you. I do have about ten different strings of lights at Christmas though (not all on the tree) so I can always substitute another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I used to hate getting the christmas lights out, hubby always put them on the tree but I'd always be sent out to buy the replacement bulbs. I could never find an exact copy, I'm sure they changed the wattage/volts each year just to catch people out. I've got a draw full of wrong bulbs in my kitchen. We've got two lots of led ones now so we don't have to worry. I should add that DD decorated the tree but we all decided there wasn't enough lights on so went out and bought the second set of lights and had to take all the decs and lights off and redo the whole thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlo Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 It certainly brings back memories of my dad trying to get the lights to work - and like you say - taking ages! I do feel you rpain - it is exactly the sort of thing that I would do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 We all feel your pain - its a hideous thing to have every year - get some new ones and spares at the same time. Mine are donkeys years old and I think I should get some new ones and spares too - good luck - you are not alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 i will add last year Mary, Joseph and co went AWOL - I dont know where I;ve put them. Probably found a better home where they dont share their "stable" with cats, kids sweet wrappers and toy cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 Last year my oldish LED lights blew on Christmas eve. You can't replace the bulbs in those,so we just had to do without for the Christmas period I bought some new ones for this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 Yes LED is the way BUT I remember as a child we had clip on twirly CANDLES on the tree. They were lit when we sat down to Christmas Eve (polish family) dinner. My father was in charge of placement and I can not recall the tree burning down at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddie Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I've still got some old candle clips!! And some black market french glass decs that my mum bought in the war, in London, they are beautiful, all delicate and shiny. we hang them high!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatieB Posted December 7, 2010 Author Share Posted December 7, 2010 Yes I agree LED is the way, however we have bought 3 LED sets for the tree and found that they are just too bright. You'd need to be on drugs to sit in the same room as them hence we returned to our old lights... now you can see why its such a disaster and DH is not amused. Anyone know how to turn LEDs down...??? I have trapsed the whole of town today looking for new bulbs and I can not get any. So I have the choice of being dazed with LEDs (not really a serious option as I have an eye problem that light irritates, and anyway DH said he couldn't live with them and he has no eye problem) or buy another set I'm now looking for the old bulbs in stupid places and places I've already checked... they must be somewhere. Anyone fancy a light bulb hunt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 Anyone know how to turn LEDs down...??? John Lewis soft white ones are great No sunglasses needed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I hate it when things like that happen. We have a large shelf unit, which we took apart and I put the shelf brackets 'somewhere' . We put the unit back together in the summer and I have still to find the things. I can picture them somewhere, but lord knows where that is As for LED, be careful which ones you get. Bright led are BRIGHT! Get warm ones as they are much kinder on your eyes. I was thinking about what to do with our new/old LED's and thought about trying glass paints on them. But when you have a string of over 100 like I have, it might take a while Did you put the bulbs in another handbag? I have two that I use regularly and am forever putting stuff into one and forgetting. Check all the pockets as well. Oh, and I am so with you about the memory thing. Mine was excellent, but 3 kids later - gone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickric Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 We have just got some new LED lights from B&Q(400 multifunction ), they have a half price sale on at the moment. Our tree is already up and decorated with 600 bulbs so these are for next year, but it seemed to good a deal to miss out on. I don't think Chickvic will let me have ALL the lights on the tree next year, she thinks 1000 lights on a 6" tree a little excesive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I don't think Chickvic will let me have ALL the lights on the tree next year, she thinks 1000 lights on a 6" tree a little excesive No, you can never have too many lights on a Christmas tree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 does anyone else have the annual "Christmas tree lights row"?! a tradition in our house. After the struggle to get the tree indoors and upright, I insist DH puts the lights on the tree (because otherwise he moans about positioning). This is his cue to complain about the person who put them away last year (that would be me, when do men put decs away?!) Then I attempt to pour oil on troubled waters by 'helping' position the lights - but clearly I do it all wrong. Then the girls will suggest that it would look better if the 3rd light to the left on that branch - no not that one, THAT one, was moved along. DH will then get all stressy about 'his' creation. finally, peace restored, we will switch them on - and agree that the 3 that don't work can just be ignored... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 The only fight we have is when he tries to put his ghastly multi coloured mega flashing monstrosities on the tree. I always win and my subtle & classy soft white LED lights look great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 oh no, we agree - lights have to be white. and also, we are a NO TINSEL household - in the teeth of strong opposition from the girls tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 No tinsel here,well not really anyhow. I do have some of that really narrow gold stuff with tiny stars on,which I think is pretty,but no bright coloured big sparkly stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 No tinsel here,well not really anyhow.I do have some of that really narrow gold stuff with tiny stars on,which I think is pretty,but no bright coloured big sparkly stuff ooh no, that's not tinsel, that's, that's, that's - um, festive bling?! I dont like that fat stuff... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 The dog wears tinsel on his Christmas day walk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 does anyone else have the annual "Christmas tree lights row"?! a tradition in our house. Yes we do - the only thing OH has to do is to get the boxes and tree down from the loft (I obviously help as he passes them down to me). Then he has to help put the branches on the tree, he normally gets fed up at this point and I'm left to 'fluff' them up. He then has to put the lights on. Which he did. Then we got another set of lights so whilst he was putting the lights up outside I took all the decs off the tree and took the lights off so that I could start again with the two sets. I did this twice as he commented, gruffly that I hadn't mixed them up so we could have one static and one twinkling (we never have them twinkling as they give me a headache) Then he proceeded to have a go at me as I had taken over the lights and he stomped off. Now if I'd left him to do the lights (again) he would have been grumpy so I couldn't win really, could I? Roll on the New Year..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallyChook Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 this will be hubby and my fourth christmas living together, we have the annual row. He doesn't care about christmasdecs and would happily not do ANYTHING festive (he always moans how we're meant to be a pagan household and that xmas is christian, no matter how much i explain that yuletide is very much a pagan thing as is bringing in the green!!). Anyways, he has to fetch them from the loft and I do everything else. The last 3 yrs we've had a classic xmas tree- multi coloured normal lights,two strings - which have to flash but never flash in time with each other. lots of traditional tinsel, the big crazy fat jazzy stuff (because my mum wont let tinsel in the house so it's a rebellion now i have my own house!). anyways this yr i'd love a themed tree, maybe purple and bronze or something, with purple lights, but i cant afford it with baby arriving! so we will have the tree that flashes out of synch and the old cat-chewed tinsel, the baubles that are scratched on one side and the laminetta strands adhered to everything... gotta love a traditional family xmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 I feel your pain. I have a notepad with all of the presents that i have bought in it and who they are for. I went to look at it this morning to see how much more shopping needs doing and it has disappeared . I will now have to get everything out of my well packed cupboards and re wriet it all. We also have the annual Christmas tree putting up rows in this house. OH always gets precious about how the lights go on and which ones and how the tinsel and beads are drapped. We have loads of tinsel coloured lights and beads on our tree along with white lights so it hardly a design masterpiece. I do love it when the house is all decked up though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted December 7, 2010 Share Posted December 7, 2010 Normally we choose a tree together from our neighbours field (he does know ) and then I decorate it with every single bauble that isn't broken including old ones from my MIL in their original Woollies box, and a new one I buy each year, plus big fat tinsel, and then all the lights (multi-coloured) I can possibly fit on the tree (although I don't think I have 600 so I've got some way to go to catch Chickric ), and topped off with a bright pink elephant instead of a fairy. I present it to OH and he obligingly says how nice it looks Unfortunately, this year I don't feel very festive for some reason, so I think I'll just do a more restrained look for the sitting room using greenery from the garden to twirl about and drape on the mantelpiece and the odd bit of fruit or nuttery or seedhead sprayed gold, with a couple of cream candles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
