graciebaby

I didn't mean to piss on your parade, to use the favorite expression at my new job. Holiday lights are pure crap for quality. But for $2 per string of 100 at Target, I am OK with replacing half each year. This year I spent about $35 on new lights because we're in a new house with new places to light.

When I did the Aquarium's holidaay displays, we chucked em all each year because new lights are cheaper than the payroll time to coil them up neatly or untangle them next year. Plus, if a string croaked during a catered holiday party (one of the aquarium's main revenue sources is renting itself out for evening parties), the customers would be ticked.

I used to get a kick out of the fact that it was all the Jews at the aquarium who had to stay late to put up & decorate the Christmas tree. One year it really was just six Jews working to eight at night, and we were all six of the Jews in a staff of 100 employees.

Two of us were the members of the Exhibits Dept who don't work a 6AM-3PM shift, two were artsy people who love to decorate anything and everything, one was the type who just pitches in whenever anyone has to work late, and one was a friend of one of the artsies. We decorated the tree in all white lights and silver sea turtles.

It sounds like your holiday lights might be the reason to buy rechargeable batteries finally. Rechargeables don't last quite as long, so you'll get to hear drunken santa more often