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Newcastle, Ontario
Hubby and I have had a 40 year argument about which lights were nicer - white or coloured lights on our Xmas tree. I simply love the white lights. For the last 25 years I've used white lights since I do all the decorating. Last year he bought a replacement tree as our old one was getting shabby. It was 7 1/2 feet tall and it took me half the day to get the lights up and I guess I did my share of complaining. Well, he got tired of my moaning, I guess, as he went out and bought another 7 1/2 foot tree with lights already on it, when they went on sale before Xmas and put the box in the spot where the empty box was for the first tree. I walked by the box for the entire holiday and never noticed it was a full box - hubby and our son were making bets on how long it would take me to notice it!
I was not a happy camper because it said "coloured lights". On Friday, he insisted we get the tree out as it was "his turn" for choosing lights and our grandson was coming to help decorate the tree. I reluctantly agreed, but when we got it together, he surprised me with a remote control which gives three options -just a click of a button and I can have coloured lights or white lights (YIPPEE!) or coloured AND white lights - who knew!!! There are 1000 lights on this sucker and I'm sure glad I didn't have to put them on LOL! Here's pics of the different settings. All I have to do now is find room for the 3-400 ornaments that we have and then find a place to hide the remote haha!
hugs,
Brenda
DoodlebearsGreat story Brenda, I too like white lights but the kids like the coloured ones so that's what we usually get. This year it's going to be fun as our new lights have many different settings.
Brenda I think you meant to post pictures...am I right?
Hugs, Jane. 
Newcastle, OntarioJane, I'm still trying - they won't load for some reason. I finally got it - has anyone else had trouble loading photos even though they are smaller than 250 size limit?
hugs.
Brenda
Mutz's Tootsz Bears & BudsBrenda,
That really is a cute story! I myself love the colored lights & because I am the one to string the lights, I get to choose. What we do though is fold our tree up with the lights still on. We use shrink wrap or old panty hose to tie up the tree & put a plastic mattress bag on it & store it in the basement. We have found that storing it that way the lights stay from year to year & still work. Next tree though will be a pre-lit.
Have a beary merry!
Amy
Brenda, I never knew such a thing existed! I went through the agony (ok, a bit of exaggeration) of new lights this year. I've always had the mini whites and was getting a bit tired of them. But, I didn't know if I was bold enough to go for the colors. I finally compromised by buying larger whites. I like them better but and still wondering about the new retro big 50's lights they're selling once again. I think next year I may do a tree like that. But, you got the best of all worlds! I love it. Good husband, pat on the back.
Dolls N DreamsThat is cool!!! I too love the white lights, since I decorate the tree white lights win! To please hubby, I do use some colored lights outside on the shrubs! LOL
Newcastle, OntarioCathy,
Did you say the big retro 50's lights are making a comeback? I'm actually thinking that might be nice - I'm so tired of trying to fix dinky lights that always seem to go out just after you have put them up! LOL!
hugs,
Brenda
Yes! You can now buy those huge, primary colored ones we had in the 50's. I was soooooooo tempted, but I stuck with the white. Now I kinda wish I had gone color. I'm going to go after Christmas and maybe stock up on some for next year. I think it was Target and Lowe's where we saw them. Both GE and Philips is now making them. I'm like you - I've had white now for about 20 years and I was looking for a change. The bigger white ones are very, very nice and I'm pleased. I have a snow machine on the tree as well, although it's hard to see it snowing in still photos - ha. I hope you can see the lights in this photo.
Dances With Teddy BearsBrenda, your grandson is adorable! And I loved your tale of woe. Too funny!
I'm off to start digging Christmas out: from closets, under beds, and out in the well house..where our tree lives for 11 1/2 months.
It's starting to look a lot like Christmas!!! :dance:
Newcastle, OntarioLaura,
I'm like you - I keep gathering more and more Xmas stuff and it's a challenge to find a place to display it all. I now have 7 big boxes of ornaments and other Chrismas decorations! Have fun LOL! Yes, we think Corson is pretty cute and it always surprises me how a 4 year old child with the attention span of a flea, can spend an entire afternoon helping me decorate and loving it. I have trouble keeping up with him!
Cathy,
Fabulous tree! I really like the big lights - hmmmmm, don't think hubby would be happy if I asked for different lights after all of this hahaha! I might start looking for them for outside though. Thanks for posting your picture and what on earth is a "snow machine"?
hugs,
Brenda
Oooooooooooooooh, a snow machine is a must for those of us living in tropical climes! Its a little machine that makes snow (tiny white pellets) shoot out the top of the tree and it cascades down like real snow. Gets all over the branches and is quite enchanting. It even has the soft sound that icy snow makes. We just love it. I'll try and get a photo that actually shows, but it's hard. The tree sits in a big container where the little motor and the snow is. Then the motor blows the snow through a tube all the way up and out the top, where it snows back down to the bottom. A lot catches on the branches, so it gives the appearance of a snow-covered tree. An absolute mess to take down, but I guess no more than cleaning up needles - ha.
Here you go. You can see the snow coming out the top a little.
EJ's CraftsThose big 50's lights came back last year and we put them on one of our trees then. They used a lot of electricity! Then after Christmas last year we bought a 7 1/2 food prelit tree. Neither one of us liked to put the lights on the tree. We went with the white lights. The tree looks great and hubby put about 1/3 of the ornaments we have on the tree. I usually have two or three trees up but this year, one is enough. I don't have the Christmas spirit this year. I have so many decorations and most are still packed away and I just can't seem to go dig them out of the shed. Maybe next year.
Back Road BearsBrenda - I MUST have a tree like that!!!! Hubs and I bicker every year about if I get my white lights or he gets his colored lights. And we've always gotten a real tree but now that we know both of our dogs are highly allergic to pine I'm reluctant to bring a real tree into the house. We've spent so much money and come so far with allergy tests, shots and all, why ruin it, even for 3 weeks!!!!!!
With a tree like yours the dogs wouldn't suffer and we could have white lights one night, colored the next, white the next............ it would be heaven!!! And no needles to vacuum or getting tangled up in all the strings of lights.
Must tell hubby about this right now!!! 
:dance:
Newcastle, OntarioDaphne,
That's the way I felt, when I found out! No more arguing and no more stringing lights - Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cathy,
OMGosh - that is soooooo cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never seen or heard of them, but I guess it's like the snow machines they use for making snow in the movies? The ski hills use a snow machine, but they make REAL snow for skiing. It really looks lovely!
hugs,
Brenda
The funny part is, I'm the one wanting colored lights :crackup: I guess I want to relive my youth.
I remember the coloured lights and glitzy glass baubles from my childhood in the 60's ... yesterday I spent a pleasant half hour on Ebay walking back down memory lane after putting a search in for 'vintage baubles' ... I've promised myself one of these days I'm going to try and collect enough vintage baubles to make a beautiful big tree, bursting with colour! I used to love our childhood trees. Each year my own kids (adult kids!) plead for multi-colour madness, but we always use what we've already collected over the years ... red, white and silver. Time to branch out perhaps!
YES! They seem so much more magical in a child-like way! I guess I just love them all - the elegant fancy decorations as well as the whimsical. I have so many Krinkles on my tree with their silly shoes and they have nothing to do with retro - ha. Isn't it all fun?!
WienWe won´t have a christmas tree this year; not enough space and a young dog.
But appart from that: here, in the middle of Europe Christkindl brings the christmas tree on 24th Dec evening. Usually after dinner, which is fish on 24th.
There is special bell, that moms are ringing hiddenly to make everybody know, that Christkindl had arrived, but oh- Christkindl is quick! So many kids to make happy, so, at the moment when the kids enter the room, Christlindl is gone through the window.
Can you imagine, what a stress it is for moms to decorate a christmas tree hidden, while the kids are usually veing taken care of my grandmo or are gone to a museum with dad. And then to make sure, that the window is open, BEFORE you ring the bell, in order to make it look realistic when the kids come in...
And we don´t have a Santa Clause- or rather HAD, because since some years this Mr.Santa Claus is trying to push our Sankt Nikolaus, who only comes to the good children on the evening of Dec 6th, out off business.
I am pro Sankt Nikolaus!:)
...and I love your beautiful trees!
And Brenda, I´m with you: white lights are nicer...
Gaby
