Holiday 2016 pix

[washman]

First one without dad but I screwed up the motivation and put up stuff Sunday (supposed to rain later this week and get cold again). It is much earlier than I normally do but since I won't be going anywhere, at least I can enjoy them.

Featuring 3 C-9 sets, the blow mold candles I have been looking for. Plus 2 yard signs. Also I secured an outdoor timer that comes on at dusk and either stays on all night or shuts off after 2,4,6 or 8 hours. 2 hours twas not long enough so I set it to 4 hours today. We'll see how it goes.
I did have to move it a foot away from one of the candles otherwise the 60w bulb was just enough to fool the photocell into thinking it was daylight.

Yellow or orange C9 are getting hard to find. After Trader Horn closed, all they have are the multi bulb colors. I did find a website that sells colored bulbs in packs of 25.

The last pic is the neighbor house behind me; same ones who were thoughtful and considerate enough to have me over for Thanksgiving. They put in a big spread of lights each year.

 

[lordkenmore]

I really like your lights! And I'm so glad someone else refuses to move to LED! (I don't do outside lights ever, but if I do any inside decoration, I use old fashioned mini lights, C7 lights, or bubbling lights.)

I admire you doing this given your recent loss of your father... I know I'd be tempted to just say: "Forget it!" to the holidays in your position.

 

[washman]

Well I was sorely tempted

to forget the whole holiday but once I started seeing lights go up around my area, I more or less got into it. Sort of.

At any rate, the holiday will come and go whether or not I decide to participate. MIght as well try to get into the swing of things.

And I refuse LED. Ugh. those things are dim as all get out. Besides, I kinda like inspecting the C9 bulbs replacing those that gave up the ghost with new ones. And they are warm to touch.

 

[gusherb]

The LED strings have no character and just don't feel "Christmasy" to me. I went past a house earlier that went all out with lights and decorations including doing a 50-60ft pine and not a single strand was LED. I wanted to knock on their door and thank them.

 

[norgeway]

We allow NOTHING!

But vintage lighting, usually we use cloth covered Noma wires in the house, GE Swirl inside paint C-9 outside.

 

[gusherb]

I saw two more houses with nothing but incandescent Christmas lights. Methinks I'm beginning to see a trend.

 

[dermacie]

Leds

I used LEDS one year and gave them away. I didn't like the look of them. I feel for a couple of weeks out of the year I want real light bulbs.

 

[vacerator]

The white LED's

look ok. Colors not so much. Some even have those star shower reflector beam thingy's.
I put one white rope light tree in front, a wreath on my garage, and my tree in the living room picture window.

 

[frigilux]

The house looks great, Ben! I agree that there's a depth and warmth of color from vintage light bulbs that can't be replicated with LED's.

 

[washman]

I agree frig. And I need all the depth and warmth that I can find this year.

 

[warmsecondrinse]

"At any rate, the holiday will come and go whether or not I decide to participate. MIght as well try to get into the swing of things."  --- I think that's an excellent approach


 

Re: reply#4 Why do I think Hans took dictation for that reply?  ;-)

 

Jim

 

[polkanut]

Some of the blue LED's actually hurt my eyes.  

 

[vacerator]

In light of

some stupidity from a few relatives this year, participating with them is iffy.
Mind you, they bring up the subject. That's stupid.

 

[mikael3]

My grandmother used to tell me that the Christmas after my grandfather died, she decided she wouldn’t decorate that year.  But then, she thought of exactly what he would say: “I’d be ashamed.”  She knew he would want her to pick up and move on and live her life, so she decorated the house, and her strength that year stayed with her for every Christmas thereafter.

 

[askolover]

"Some of the blue LED's actually hurt my eyes."


 

Ditto that.  There's actually a reason for this, it has to do with the wavelength of the blue.

http://https//www.verywell.com/blue-light-exposure-3421985

 

[washman]

So far holding up well

the lights that it. I think I replaced 2 or 3. I'm using the loose ones a co-worker found on a cleanup job.

I still have 2 C-7 sets I have yet to put out. Not sure where I'll use them; for the outdoors I do like the C9 due to the size. If I had some bushes or small pine trees, I'd use the C7 or those white twinkle dum twinkle dee lights for 99 cents at dollah tree.

Next year I might go whole hog and line the whole house with C9.

FYI if anyone is interested, kmart has 2 blow molded lawn figures, one is a santa and the other is a snowman. Both are made by General Foam. I'd snag one but thanks to 18 boxes of memories from dad's house, I'm pretty much out of storage room for any large decoration.