I never really look forward to stringing up the ‘ol Christmas lights. I hate dealing with the huge tangled ball of lights. Why is it that no matter how carefully you put them away the year before, they somehow end up a tangled mess that takes an hour to straighten out. I spend more time unsnarling light strands then I do actually hanging them. Inevitably I end up procrastinating which results in a choice of putting them up in a pouring rain or dealing with the sad faces of my kids and the angry scowl from the wife. I didn’t want to be known as the “Grinch” so since today was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky I figured I would tackle the lights. Ok, truth is I wasn’t going to do it today until I saw both neighbors putting their lights up. I didn’t want to be the odd-neighbor-out so I rummaged through the garage until I uncovered our giant ball of glass lights. It felt like a WWF Smackdown event as I untangled the lights, breaking three bulbs in the process. Normally breaking a few bulbs wouldn’t be an issue but apparently I used all the spares last year. At any rate I got the lights up with little issue and didn’t even fall off the roof. This picture is the end result. It’s not a big theatric production like you see on YouTube these days but it fits our taste just fine.
This is one of the things I enjoy looking about winter and Christmas in the US. I like the warmth these lights exude in the chill of the winter.
Hi Eki. Over the next several weeks I will be going out around the city here taking photos of the different Christmas light displays. I’ll be posting them here and on my Flickr site. I hope I can capture some images that you will enjoy.
So, getting up the lights are really a hassle as you often see in the movies…(remembering many scenes in Christmas movies) lol…
@Fitri – yeah, it can be a hassle but the final result is often worth it. I always enjoy that scene in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation when Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) pulls out the giant ball of lights to decorate every square inch of their house. That is one of my favorite holiday movies (comedy-wise).