Christmas lights?

carmie2

16 years ago

When do you guys turn your outdoor Christmas lights on? before or after thanksgiving?

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Comments (9)

jaybird
16 years ago
after....we generally put them up and light them on the first weekend of December.
labmomma
16 years ago
Lights will go on day after Thanksgiving since I am hosting this year. In fact the electrician is here right now putting in an outlet on the front of the house:))). I didn't do front lights in the past due to lack of electric, and I am so excited since I just bought lighted trees for my urns. Can't wait to light them!
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We bought 5 sets of Noma C6, 70 light strands last year. When we put them up again this year, three of the sets had only half of the strands working. I didn’t keep the receipt, so after checking some sights, I did this, and IT WORKED! I first attached another set of lights in sequence and they lit up, so I knew the wiring was good. I then pulled out and checked each bulb in the unlit section, testing them in sockets that worked to make sure the bulbs were good. I had bought a couple of extra bags of C6 lightbulbs (5 per bag) when this issue was first discovered. I came to realize there were two sizes to the green bases of the lights when pulled out. A few were slightly wider than the others. The smaller ones would fit in all the bulb sockets, but the wider ones only fit in certain ones. After much fussing and frustration, I came to realize that the wider ones had to be placed in the first and last light socket of the strand, and also socket # 35 and # 36. If a smaller width one was placed in any of those four, the strand would go out. And Voila, all sets work again. If you have a longer strand, I presume this would still apply. The first and last, and the two exactly in the middle will need the bulbs with the wider plug in base.
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I've never bothered and I've never had an issue as I'm sure millions of other people have too. I just assumed that an outdoor extension cord and outdoor lights will have a tight connection. If your outdoor outlet is GFCI, then it'll trip before anything bad happens. But I don't put the connection in a spot where it'll be in a puddle when the snow melts. That's the extent of the precautions that I take.
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I have a dislike for those LED bulbs. They are so cold and harsh. Havent used them in some years and that is one reason. Hubs would turn them on and I always turned them off when he was not around. But, at this point I am not going to replace them with the ones that are said to minic the old ones. It is not worth it, to me. I have a very large round form that i used to fill out with real branches and string it and decorate it just as you would a tree. I would go over to the tree place and get the free trimmings that they were burning. It was viewable from both sides and I hung it between two living spaces. I loved it because it did not involve moving the sofa and taking up valuable real estate in the living room. Then, life changed and I didnt do it anymore, but, decided last year that I would give it a go again. The world seemed like it needed some light. The problem I had was that there are no tree sellers around anymore here where I live. I searched up and down the major roadways and there is not one where there used to be plenty a few years ago. There is one entertainment "farm" close but they charge you an entrance fee just to drive in! No, thanks. Another farm seller that we actually have some connection to did not do the trees these last few years. Some parts of the country may be different from this. But, here the tree sellers are no more. I did see that in the last years of it that they had a lot of left over trees. Maybe more are using artificial ones now?
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kathleen_li
16 years ago
Dec 1st. Our electric rates are among the highest in the country, and with an added fuel surcharge, I can't imagine the cost! I am still in shock over a $700+ bill in Sept.
carmie2
Original Author
16 years ago
That's what we are doing too.. day after Thanksgiving.

kathleen~ One of our neighbors has had their Christmas lights on since the day after Holloween..Yikes!!!I hate to see the electric bill!
luvstocraft
16 years ago
For me, I wait until Dec 1st (or when DH gets them up!) LOL

Kathleen, your rates sound horrible. Ours are so high in the summer with the ac, but never that high yet! What is the problem? Why are they so darn high? That would make me want to skip the lights and just settle for battery operated lights in the windows. ;o(

Luvs
kathleen_li
16 years ago
There is no competiton for one thing, and the cost of living in general is very high here on the island. . Sometimes the tax and surcharges are nearly as much as the bill.
It is enough to make a Bah Humbug out of me!!
dreamgoddess
16 years ago
I hope to have the outside decorated by this weekend, and will turn them on just as soon as I'm finished. May not even wait for it to get dark! LOL
kathi_mdgd
16 years ago
Usually the first weekend in Dec.But this year there will be no lights on the house,now that i think about it,there were none last year either.Both dh and i are too old to be climbing ladders,he had a stroke a few years ago,and i have bad knees.So now i just put the lights for shrubbery all over my picket fence,and decorations in the yard.Works for us.

Hi Luvs,i didn't even know we had a holiday forum,til Luvs told us to come on over.So thanks Luvs.
Kathi
luvstocraft
16 years ago
Hi Kathi, glad you found it. I like to share good things whenever I can. ;o) I am always telling the gals and guy here to go look at something on Painting, Crafts, or Garden Junk--and they alert me when there's something good on another forum too. Luvs

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Christmas lights?

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jaybird

labmomma

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Christmas lights?

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