7 years ago when we first put up our pre-lit tree, I thought it was the best thing EVER. How easy! How convenient! No stringing the lights around and trying to make sure it was even...just perfectly spaced lights as far as the eye could see!
The last couple years we ran into some trouble. Big sections of lights wouldn't work, so Josh would spend some time fiddling with it. WHEW, sigh of relief, the lights would come on.
This year...our luck ran out. Nothing would make those lights turn on. So Josh decided he would simply take the pre-lit lights OFF the tree. What's that you say? Why didn't we just go buy a new tree? Simple. 'Cause we're CHEAP!
But let me tell you, 10 man hours into un-clipping what turned out to be THOUSANDS of tiny clips holding who knows how many light strands on that tree, we were cursing our frugality. Yes, we may have saved 150 bucks, but the price of our sanity would have been worth it!
Those little tiny things on the floor are just a fraction of the clips that were all over our house by the time we were done. That big mess of lights? Josh thinks he's going to untangle that somehow! Yeah... I think I might sneak out to the garage and throw it away on trash day.
So we're back to decorating our tree old-school style. And I think it turned out pretty good!
YES. That is a baby gate around our tree. After not putting ornaments on the bottom half of our tree for 5 years, and me losing my mind trying to keep my 3 boys from dragging the tree down on top of them every year...I got smart last year. I picked that baby up off Craigslist and have never looked back! Last year I tried to put some tinsel-garland around the top but it ended up looking like barbed wire. This year, we're going with peppermint lights.
7 comments:
Looks great! Our tree is in the corner between the sofa and love seat with the pack and play in front. The pack and play also has a 30 lbs weight in it. Tis the season! Oh my friends got a 6 1/2 ft tree last year fro like $7! Just wait till after Christmas and go hit up Lowes!
Couldn't you have just strung the new lights OVER the dead ones? Might have looked a little tacky but would have saved tons of time. I don't even have a tree this year. So I applaud your dedication. That fence is the ticket if you have little ones. Merry, merry...
Jo - That is exactly what I wanted to do! But my husband didn't think it would be that hard to take them off.
Hit up the day after Christmas sale for a new tree. That's what we did and got ours 75% off! I love my pre-lit tree!
Hahaha @ barbed wire! It's like a tree prison!
Brilliant! You guys are crazy for picking off the lights and if they don't work why save them? Trash day! I have a feeling we will be in your boat soon though, we have a few sections that aren't working either, even with jiggling and finagling around.
I had to do the same with my pre-lit this year. Luckily it was only one section, not the whole tree. Except I was crazy enough to RECLIP the new lights to the tree to keep it a pre-lit.
I love your baby gate! That's what need!!! I have a large black dog that thinks the tree is his own personal back scratcher.
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