Christmas Lights

Since I have updated the Christmas tree to LEDs, I have 1500 or so mini-lights left over that are not being used.  So this year instead of putting out the grapevine snowmen and reindeer, my outdoor decorations are going to consist of plain, white lights wrapping the shrubs.  I like to have something out front, because it helps makes the season less depressing.  Face it, getting dark shortly after 4:00 just stinks, and having some lights helps to make you forget that you’re in the dead of winter.

Last year when the lights were put away, every single string of lights were working.  And just like every other year, as soon as you take them out of the bin to use, there are strings that are out.  I thought that I would have plenty of lights, however, I ended up with just enough to cover the shrubs.  This is because I had 5 strings of lights where half of the string was out.  I was not about to go thru the strings to find the bad one, or ones, that were causing the whole bunch to be out.  I got lucky though because if I would have had one more string not working, I would have had to run to WalMart to get more.  I think that they are made to not work so that you need to get more every year.  If you get more than a year out of a string, you’re lucky.  Now I just have to hope they make it thru the season, because if god forbid one of the strings goes out before the Christmas season is over, I’ll be running to get more.  I may go get more anyway, just to have on hand.  Because they’ll get used, and the longer I wait the fewer there will be.  Maybe I’ll think of some different sorts of displays for next year so the front of the house isn’t so plain.  But I also think I need to have something that I don’t need to worry about getting buried in snow.