Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Christmas lights


This is Merrillee wishing everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Every year at Christmas, I have a fun time decorating my house, and that includes putting up the outside lights. Net lights are a wonderful invention, and I put them on all the bushes that are along the sides and front of my house. I wrap a couple of trees with lights, string the smaller trees out front with lights and hang several lighted wreaths. I also put icicle lights around the screened porch that encloses our pool. So when I finish, I light up our little corner of the neighborhood. But it seems that a few days after I get everything done, one or more strings of lights decide to burn out. Then I have to scramble to find replacement lights or have a dark space right in the middle of the bushes or on the wrapped tree. Why is it that the middle lights are always the ones to burn out? How do people with large displays such as these keep their lights from burning out?




I enjoy putting out lights myself, and I love to drive around and look at other people's Christmas lights. Do you? Do you string lights for Christmas, and what do you do if lights burn out. Do you replace them or let them go?


13 comments:

Susan Sleeman said...

We still don't have our lights up yet. Sigh! Christmas is coming too fast this year.

Jill W said...

Is the first picture your house Merrillee? :) I go overboard decorating inside, but not so much outside with the exception of the front door wreath, with a spotlight. I also decorate the mailbox. I avoid the outside for the reason you questioned. What do you do if a light or lights burns out? As far as viewing Christmas lights, it's my favorite thing to do. Growing up, my parents would always take me and my sister out before church on Christmas Eve to view the lights in the neighborhood. It brings back so many wonderful memories continuing that tradition. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Rose said...

I love the pictures and if my Christmas lights burn out I replace them.

Anonymous said...

To be honest I love what some people can do with their homes. The way they make everything seem just a little more magical. Considering that I still live under my parent's roof, I don't have much say in what goes up. We usually just have a single set of lights that wind down our front porch railing.If they happen to burn out, well we always have last years lights to put back up. We've always had everything fairly simple, yet still beautiful. I don't mind it really, but if I had anything to do about it, the bushes and trees in our yard would be covered in lights too.

Lyn Cote said...

Merrillee,
I leave the outside decorating to my dh WHO LOVES to do it.
We live in far northern WI and one thing I notice is that people leave their Christmas lights up and light them every night till around March.

We are a tourist area and a cold snowy place so the lights really cheer up the dark winter nights!

Merrillee said...

Thanks, everyone, for the comments. Life was crazy yesterday. I was flying from Phoenix to Jacksonville, FL, via Chicago with my granddaughter and son-in-law. Once I got home, I didn't think once about the blog that I wrote several days before it was posted. I finally remembered that I should check the comments tonight.

Merrillee said...

Jill, no that house isn't mine. I would have posted a photo, but I can never get a good picture because the shutter speed is so slow because of the darkness, so everything comes out blurry.

Merrillee said...

Mary Rose, I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures.

Merrillee said...

Susan, I know what you mean about Christmas coming fast. I don't have my Christmas cards even started.

Merrillee said...

Margaretha,
Sometimes simple is great. There are actually some light displays that are so crowded that they are overkill to me.

Merrillee said...

Lyn,
I know when I lived in Massachusetts I didn't take my lights down until the weather warmed up. One year though we had two feet of snow about a week after I put up all the lights on the bushes. You couldn't see the lights at all, so I never turned them on again that Christmas.

Jennifer said...

I love Christmas lights! We have a few you at our house. We also love to take the kids and drive around. Merry Christmas!!!

Loves 2 Read Romance - Laura said...

The pictures are beautiful.