|
|
Post by JustMyOpinion on Dec 3, 2008 21:46:08 GMT -5
This year I'd decided to purchase the old fashioned ceramic Christmas lights for our tree (real) that we will painstakingly put up this weekend and I thought I'd better test them to see just how hot the new ceramic lights get, the answer? HOT! I placed them on my table pad which can withstand 450* and after an hour I had two black burnt spots, well, needless to say the ole mini lights are back up this year.  And, for those LED white outdoor lights, please, don't bother. Two of my neighbors have already hung them proudly outside their homes and they are bluish in color and dare I say, UGLY! Yep, no green lights here, I will hang beautiful warm glowing lights until technology catches up! Ack! |
|
|
|
Post by subdjoe on Dec 3, 2008 22:42:49 GMT -5
Yeah, those old fashioned lights put out a lot of heat.
Remember about 8 or 10 years ago Crayola licensed someone to make mini lights under their name? Not a pastel, but a softer version of the standard colors. They were only out for two years, and you can't find replacement bulbs for them (they will take the standard minilight, but you loose some of the soft glow).
|
|
|
|
Post by JustMyOpinion on Dec 3, 2008 23:01:03 GMT -5
So, the Crayola lights were nice?
|
|
|
|
Post by subdjoe on Dec 3, 2008 23:05:09 GMT -5
Very nice. If you were to wrap some wax paper around a standard mini-light, maybe two or 3 layers, you would come close to the softness of the light. Not as sharp a light I guess you could say.
I guess this next weekend we will put up some outside decorations. Lights along the fence and on the porch.
|
|
|
|
Post by JustMyOpinion on Dec 3, 2008 23:09:37 GMT -5
Too bad they don't sell them anymore. Just like most things that are decent you can buy them for a short while, and then poof! Gone.
l light up my house to look festive, and happily pay the electric bill to go along with it. I want to do the green thing, but not if it's pathetic, I draw the line at Christmas decorations!
|
|
|
|
Post by Mink on Dec 7, 2008 0:55:17 GMT -5
Well, I did my outdoors with the old fashioned lights but they are the clear bulb so the colors are brighter. It seems there are three of us in the neighborhood with these lights.
I put my decorations up the day after Thanksgiving and have been watching Christmas movies and listening to the music. Since I have the artificial tree, I bought a wreath for the fragrance....aaahh, I love this time of year!
|
|
|
|
Post by JustMyOpinion on Dec 7, 2008 11:22:43 GMT -5
We bought our tree yesterday, and it's going up today (I'm tired already). This year it felt like before the digestion settled down from Thanksgiving it was time to put up the tree. Time is going WAY too fast this year.
|
|
|
|
Post by subdjoe on Dec 7, 2008 12:33:32 GMT -5
LOL, yeah. We need to pick our our tree next weekend I think. I hope we can pick one and then cut it on the 20th or so.
As to where has the year gone - Where has this whole decade gone? It just flew by.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Big Dog on Dec 7, 2008 16:39:52 GMT -5
The outside decorations went up yesterday. A week late by my usual timetable.
FWIW... a season or two again Mythbusters loaded up a real tree that had been dried out with thousands of lights. While it got hot, the tree didn't catch fire until they deliberately shorted a string of lights to make a spark.
|
|
|
|
Post by JustMyOpinion on Dec 7, 2008 22:42:33 GMT -5
LOL, yeah. We need to pick our our tree next weekend I think. I hope we can pick one and then cut it on the 20th or so.
As to where has the year gone - Where has this whole decade gone? It just flew by. Why do you wait until the 20th to get your tree? It takes us a couple of days to put out all of our "stuff" and then we keep it up until the end of New Year's week. As far as a decade passing, yes, the last decade is a total blur. It's a little scary that time is moving so fast and it seems no matter what I do to slow down and appreciate every day it still flies by. |
|
|
|
Post by JustMyOpinion on Dec 7, 2008 22:48:00 GMT -5
FWIW... a season or two again Mythbusters loaded up a real tree that had been dried out with thousands of lights. While it got hot, the tree didn't catch fire until they deliberately shorted a string of lights to make a spark. Thanks for the info, I like too like Mythbusters, don't see it very often, but they are informative. I am leery of Christmas trees and fires especially since we tend to keep our tree up for a month and it can get VERY dry. I love the old fashioned lights and some day I will use them again, I hope... I just thought of the old days when people used to light their trees by candle light, can you imagine?! It would be pretty, but oh my very dangerous! |
|
|
|
Post by subdjoe on Dec 7, 2008 22:58:09 GMT -5
We used to do it the old fashioned way - tree goes up on Christmas Eve and comes down on Twelfth Night. A few times we left it up until Candlemas. Cut it late and it stays fresh. There were a few years when we were able to cut it on the morning of Christmas Eve. Those times were great. Get out early in the morning, nice and brisk, frost on the ground. Drive out to the tree farm, leave the windows down so the smells of wood smoke and pine gets into the car. Cut the tree, get it home and into the stand. Make a light breakfast - coffee, french toast or pancakes. Do last minute shopping. Late afternoon get some wine mulling. Put on some Xmas music and then I would put the light on, my wife and the kids would put the ornaments on. Then turn off the lights, sit and sip some mulled wine, listen to the music.
|
|
