Share Your Christmas Decorating Rants/Raves Here

[JRNYMAN]

Every year we go through our respective rituals, traditions, routines, madness, and perhaps for some even fits of rage when it comes to getting the house ready for the holidays. Aside from the general pain in the ass of lugging all the boxes and the tree down from the attic, the only part I really dread is dealing with the lights. Whether it's tangles, partially lit strands, non-lighting strands.... whatever, it always seems that somehow, every year, no matter how carefully and methodically I stow the lights away, there's always issues the next year to some extent. Christmas lights have come a long way in recent years - thank God! It wasn't that long ago that they were designed to make you lose your mind, like the ever popular feature where if one light went out, they all went out forcing you to examine the entire strand to find the culprit! Awesome.
Several years ago, we stepped up and bought one of those real-looking artificial trees which eliminates the fire-hazard as well as the mess from the dead needles. It really is a gorgeous tree (8' tall Noble Fir) but in retrospect, I don't know that I'd spend that kind of $$ again for such an item.

As far as decorating, I'd say we do far more decorating for Halloween than we ever do for the holidays. The tree, a few nick-knacks/trinkets here and there and other than a wreath on the front door, nothing outside.

I'm sure some of you go absolutely nuts with the decorating and some keep it fairly sparse so, just for grins, I thought I'd throw the question out there, What does your holiday decorating routine entail?

[Rip Rokken]

Here's one for ya, fresh from just last week... the Mrs. was attempting to string X-Mas lights up on our shrubs, and had run my 50' orange extension cord out the door. Problem was, I'd had new doors with a very snug fit installed a year ago and they seriously threatened to sever the cord if she pulled the doors to (it was already obviously being pinched). I had a really hard time convincing her why this was dangerous, and that disturbs me...

[G.I.Jim]

My gripe with Christmas, is that I undergo near-death experiences every year when I have to hang our outside lights!!! We have a roof with a pitch so steep that I really need toe boards to stand on up there, but who's going to fuck up their shingles once a year just to hang some damn lights?!! So I get the ladder up to one side of the house (which is crooked because of the hill we live on), climb up, walk all the way across the house to the other side, and work my way back. I have to actually lean all the way over the edge of the house (while looking down at all of the shit down there that could kill me) to clip them on the edge of the shingles. I then have to change my drawers afterwards every freaking year!!! DAMN I hate getting up there.

[Duncan]

One thing I've noticed this year is the lack of outside lights in our street. By this time the street normaly looks like Las Vegas, but hardly anyone has bothered this year.

[steveo777]

Call me scrooge, but I no longer decorate, send cards or send gifts. I will call those close to me and tell them I love them, wish them a merry christmas, etc., but I no longer want to be caught up in the commercialism....or stress. Life is better.

[JRNYMAN]

Here's one for ya, fresh from just last week... the Mrs. was attempting to string X-Mas lights up on our shrubs, and had run my 50' orange extension cord out the door. Problem was, I'd had new doors with a very snug fit installed a year ago and they seriously threatened to sever the cord if she pulled the doors to (it was already obviously being pinched). I had a really hard time convincing her why this was dangerous, and that disturbs me...

I hear ya Rip. It's that kind of mindset that "innocently" leads to accidents and worse. Most of us here are old enough to remember the days before the nice, bright, cool-burning LED's that are the standard for today's lighting needs. I can remember as a kid helping my dad string the outdoor lights (you know the old-school bulbs I'm talking about... the ones that are a little bit bigger than a nightlight bulb...) all the way around the house and the tree in the front yard and the front walkway, etc. all of which culminated in about 12 or so piggy-backed plugs in one lowly outlet in the garage. And those suckers burned HOT! too. It's a wonder he didn't burn the house down or blow up something!

[JRNYMAN]

My gripe with Christmas, is that I undergo near-death experiences every year when I have to hang our outside lights!!! We have a roof with a pitch so steep that I really need toe boards to stand on up there, but who's going to fuck up their shingles once a year just to hang some damn lights?!! So I get the ladder up to one side of the house (which is crooked because of the hill we live on), climb up, walk all the way across the house to the other side, and work my way back. I have to actually lean all the way over the edge of the house (while looking down at all of the shit down there that could kill me) to clip them on the edge of the shingles. I then have to change my drawers afterwards every freaking year!!! DAMN I hate getting up there.

Okay, I realize the following is going to sound like I'm just being a smartass so with that said....
THEN WHY THE HELL DO YOU DO IT?! It either looks so fucking awesome that the end result outweighs the means of getting it there or perhaps you're subconsciously trying to actually fall off your God damned roof! Just kidding... I'm willing to bet it's the former and not the latter or in your case "ladder".

[JRNYMAN]

Call me scrooge, but I no longer decorate, send cards or send gifts. I will call those close to me and tell them I love them, wish them a merry christmas, etc., but I no longer want to be caught up in the commercialism....or stress. Life is better.

Hey there Steveo... it's been a while!

I totally and completely hear ya about the commercialism of it. By the time the actually day arrives, I'm so fucking sick of everything Christmas-related that I can't wait to stuff everything back in their respective boxes and toss it all back up into the attic. The bombardment of "Christmas" in everything you read, hear, watch on TV,, etc. becomes sensory overload of unequaled proportions.

That said, I also hold dear to the premise that this time of year is for sharing time, love, and life with friends and family - especially those I haven't seen as often as I'd like over the past year and for whatever reasons I may not get to see during "the holidays". For that reason, I feel cards are a most effective way to convey the message to those I want to reach with more that just a simple "Hey, Man...Thinking of you!".

As for the rest of it, I believe the Angry Australian Elves sum it up best...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2ncqIlF7AI



Sorry for the muti-posts. I realize I should have multi-quoted but was just too lazy to do so.

[G.I.Jim]

My gripe with Christmas, is that I undergo near-death experiences every year when I have to hang our outside lights!!! We have a roof with a pitch so steep that I really need toe boards to stand on up there, but who's going to fuck up their shingles once a year just to hang some damn lights?!! So I get the ladder up to one side of the house (which is crooked because of the hill we live on), climb up, walk all the way across the house to the other side, and work my way back. I have to actually lean all the way over the edge of the house (while looking down at all of the shit down there that could kill me) to clip them on the edge of the shingles. I then have to change my drawers afterwards every freaking year!!! DAMN I hate getting up there.

Okay, I realize the following is going to sound like I'm just being a smartass so with that said....
THEN WHY THE HELL DO YOU DO IT?! It either looks so fucking awesome that the end result outweighs the means of getting it there or perhaps you're subconsciously trying to actually fall off your God damned roof! Just kidding... I'm willing to bet it's the former and not the latter or in your case "ladder".

Maybe you're on to something here... Maybe I'm tired of living? As much as I hate getting up there, the end result is really cool. We put them up (okay, I put them up) on Thanksgiving weekend, and leave them up until the weekend after New Years eve. Good stuff!

[JRNYMAN]

My gripe with Christmas, is that I undergo near-death experiences every year when I have to hang our outside lights!!! We have a roof with a pitch so steep that I really need toe boards to stand on up there, but who's going to fuck up their shingles once a year just to hang some damn lights?!! So I get the ladder up to one side of the house (which is crooked because of the hill we live on), climb up, walk all the way across the house to the other side, and work my way back. I have to actually lean all the way over the edge of the house (while looking down at all of the shit down there that could kill me) to clip them on the edge of the shingles. I then have to change my drawers afterwards every freaking year!!! DAMN I hate getting up there.

Okay, I realize the following is going to sound like I'm just being a smartass so with that said....
THEN WHY THE HELL DO YOU DO IT?! It either looks so fucking awesome that the end result outweighs the means of getting it there or perhaps you're subconsciously trying to actually fall off your God damned roof! Just kidding... I'm willing to bet it's the former and not the latter or in your case "ladder".

Maybe you're on to something here... Maybe I'm tired of living? As much as I hate getting up there, the end result is really cool. We put them up (okay, I put them up) on Thanksgiving weekend, and leave them up until the weekend after New Years eve. Good stuff!

I'm sure you have a very good and justified reason but I have to ask.... Why do you take them down? H.O.A.? Unsightly...? Just curious.

[Michigan Girl]

NEVER, use the same lights two years in a row ...donate the old and
purchase new ...save yourself, your neighbors, and most of all ... the sweet
little family who resides in the house being decorated!!

[JRNYMAN]

NEVER, use the same lights two years in a row ...donate the old and
purchase new ...save yourself, your neighbors, and most of all ... the sweet
little family who resides in the house being decorated!!

It's a little difficult to abide by that reasoning when you're dealing with this situation like Jim is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfz1pyq3EhE

[scarygirl]

This year was the first time I decorated the oustide of my house, but every Thanksgiving/Christmas for the past three years has involved a "mishap". December two years ago, I dropped a two liter "Sam's Cola" bottle on my big toe. Besides bleeding all over my hardwood floor, the impact nearly tore my toe nail off. I wound up at the Medac for stitches. Last Thanksgiving, on my way to Thanksgiving Dinner, no less, I just got out of the car and instead of walking to the side walkwalk I ended up slamming face first into it after tripping over not one, but two fences. Luckily the tortilla chips and jar of salsa I had in my hands broke my fall. You should have seen my roommate's face. She thought the salsa was blood spurting from my head. I wound greeting her friends at covered in blood. Which leads me to this past Sunday. I was putting up Christmas lights for the first time ever, when I slammed a ladder on to the same big toe that I had killed in Christmas past! And that's why Christmas is just TOO DANGEROUS.

[JRNYMAN]

This year was the first time I decorated the oustide of my house, but every Thanksgiving/Christmas for the past three years has involved a "mishap". December two years ago, I dropped a two liter "Sam's Cola" bottle on my big toe. Besides bleeding all over my hardwood floor, the impact nearly tore my toe nail off. I wound up at the Medac for stitches. Last Thanksgiving, on my way to Thanksgiving Dinner, no less, I just got out of the car and instead of walking to the side walkwalk I ended up slamming face first into it after tripping over not one, but two fences. Luckily the tortilla chips and jar of salsa I had in my hands broke my fall. You should have seen my roommate's face. She thought the salsa was blood spurting from my head. I wound greeting her friends at covered in blood. Which leads me to this past Sunday. I was putting up Christmas lights for the first time ever, when I slammed a ladder on to the same big toe that I had killed in Christmas past! And that's why Christmas is just TOO DANGEROUS.

First, let me say Holy Shit, that had to have hurt! Which part....? All of it! Moving on... Your story is rife with all the stuff the Final Destination movies are full of! The pattern/link I see here is holidays and food which, apparently in your case should NEVER under any circumstances be combined! And regarding your roomate's face.... I can only imagine the horror she must have gone through even if only for a split second!

Many years ago, when I was still a kiid, my dad was walking from the kitchen to the living room (this was back when soda still came in 16 oz. returnable bottles...) and somehow along his path, his feet fot tangled in the long-ass phone cord my folks had on the wall phone which enabled them to walk just about anywhere in the house while on the phone, and he lost his footing completely, and went ass over donuts face first into the floor with the bottle between his face and said floor. The bottle shattered against his face and forehead severely cutting his face, breaking his nose and lodgind glass in both of his eyes! His nose bleed from the broken nose was so severe they had to give him shitloads of liquid cocaine, lydocaine and some other clotting agent. It was really, really scary and without question the most horrific thing I've ever witnessed still to this day. I literally thought my mom was going to stroke out or have a heart attack. It was bad! So when you were describing your incident with the salsa, I can completely sympathize with your roomie! And truly..... you could have come out of that particular mishap a lot worse! Now, be careful damit! There's only two weeks left of this holiday madness. You'll get through it!

[scarygirl]

This year was the first time I decorated the oustide of my house, but every Thanksgiving/Christmas for the past three years has involved a "mishap". December two years ago, I dropped a two liter "Sam's Cola" bottle on my big toe. Besides bleeding all over my hardwood floor, the impact nearly tore my toe nail off. I wound up at the Medac for stitches. Last Thanksgiving, on my way to Thanksgiving Dinner, no less, I just got out of the car and instead of walking to the side walkwalk I ended up slamming face first into it after tripping over not one, but two fences. Luckily the tortilla chips and jar of salsa I had in my hands broke my fall. You should have seen my roommate's face. She thought the salsa was blood spurting from my head. I wound greeting her friends at covered in blood. Which leads me to this past Sunday. I was putting up Christmas lights for the first time ever, when I slammed a ladder on to the same big toe that I had killed in Christmas past! And that's why Christmas is just TOO DANGEROUS.

First, let me say Holy Shit, that had to have hurt! Which part....? All of it! Moving on... Your story is rife with all the stuff the Final Destination movies are full of! The pattern/link I see here is holidays and food which, apparently in your case should NEVER under any circumstances be combined! And regarding your roomate's face.... I can only imagine the horror she must have gone through even if only for a split second!

Many years ago, when I was still a kiid, my dad was walking from the kitchen to the living room (this was back when soda still came in 16 oz. returnable bottles...) and somehow along his path, his feet fot tangled in the long-ass phone cord my folks had on the wall phone which enabled them to walk just about anywhere in the house while on the phone, and he lost his footing completely, and went ass over donuts face first into the floor with the bottle between his face and said floor. The bottle shattered against his face and forehead severely cutting his face, breaking his nose and lodgind glass in both of his eyes! His nose bleed from the broken nose was so severe they had to give him shitloads of liquid cocaine, lydocaine and some other clotting agent. It was really, really scary and without question the most horrific thing I've ever witnessed still to this day. I literally thought my mom was going to stroke out or have a heart attack. It was bad! So when you were describing your incident with the salsa, I can completely sympathize with your roomie! And truly..... you could have come out of that particular mishap a lot worse! Now, be careful damit! There's only two weeks left of this holiday madness. You'll get through it!

I know what you mean . Luckily the bag with the salsa fell in front of me. If I had landed just so I probably would have impaled myself. Funny thing you mentioned the phone cord. I had an incident myself as a kid. I was walking across the living room and had left the phone out with the long wire sticking out in all its glory. I somehow tripped; actually, my dad kicked me because he was mad that I left the phone out. In doing so, yes, you guessed it the same big toe got caught under the wire and I came darn close to ripping my toe nail off.

Last year, in another string, of what the.... I received two speeding tickets in a week, the second of which occured while on the way back from an impromtu late night, McDonalds's apple pie run. A couple days later, I am sitting at a red ligt minding my business when the tractor trailer in front of me suddenly decides to change lanes and proceeds to back up on the hood of my car before speeding off. Oh this was less than a month after my Thanksgivibng blood bath.

Oh in another case of you can't make this up, last month I was changing the light bulb out of my microwave oven and shocked myself The old bubl had become coroded and broke off. My roommate said, oh, use a potato to pull it out, only I forgot to turn off the electricity....

[JRNYMAN]

This year was the first time I decorated the oustide of my house, but every Thanksgiving/Christmas for the past three years has involved a "mishap". December two years ago, I dropped a two liter "Sam's Cola" bottle on my big toe. Besides bleeding all over my hardwood floor, the impact nearly tore my toe nail off. I wound up at the Medac for stitches. Last Thanksgiving, on my way to Thanksgiving Dinner, no less, I just got out of the car and instead of walking to the side walkwalk I ended up slamming face first into it after tripping over not one, but two fences. Luckily the tortilla chips and jar of salsa I had in my hands broke my fall. You should have seen my roommate's face. She thought the salsa was blood spurting from my head. I wound greeting her friends at covered in blood. Which leads me to this past Sunday. I was putting up Christmas lights for the first time ever, when I slammed a ladder on to the same big toe that I had killed in Christmas past! And that's why Christmas is just TOO DANGEROUS.

First, let me say Holy Shit, that had to have hurt! Which part....? All of it! Moving on... Your story is rife with all the stuff the Final Destination movies are full of! The pattern/link I see here is holidays and food which, apparently in your case should NEVER under any circumstances be combined! And regarding your roomate's face.... I can only imagine the horror she must have gone through even if only for a split second!

Many years ago, when I was still a kiid, my dad was walking from the kitchen to the living room (this was back when soda still came in 16 oz. returnable bottles...) and somehow along his path, his feet fot tangled in the long-ass phone cord my folks had on the wall phone which enabled them to walk just about anywhere in the house while on the phone, and he lost his footing completely, and went ass over donuts face first into the floor with the bottle between his face and said floor. The bottle shattered against his face and forehead severely cutting his face, breaking his nose and lodgind glass in both of his eyes! His nose bleed from the broken nose was so severe they had to give him shitloads of liquid cocaine, lydocaine and some other clotting agent. It was really, really scary and without question the most horrific thing I've ever witnessed still to this day. I literally thought my mom was going to stroke out or have a heart attack. It was bad! So when you were describing your incident with the salsa, I can completely sympathize with your roomie! And truly..... you could have come out of that particular mishap a lot worse! Now, be careful damit! There's only two weeks left of this holiday madness. You'll get through it!

I know what you mean . Luckily the bag with the salsa fell in front of me. If I had landed just so I probably would have impaled myself. Funny thing you mentioned the phone cord. I had an incident myself as a kid. I was walking across the living room and had left the phone out with the long wire sticking out in all its glory. I somehow tripped; actually, my dad kicked me because he was mad that I left the phone out. In doing so, yes, you guessed it the same big toe got caught under the wire and I came darn close to ripping my toe nail off.

Last year, in another string, of what the.... I received two speeding tickets in a week, the second of which occured while on the way back from an impromtu late night, McDonalds's apple pie run. A couple days later, I am sitting at a red ligt minding my business when the tractor trailer in front of me suddenly decides to change lanes and proceeds to back up on the hood of my car before speeding off. Oh this was less than a month after my Thanksgivibng blood bath.

Oh in another case of you can't make this up, last month I was changing the light bulb out of my microwave oven and shocked myself The old bubl had become coroded and broke off. My roommate said, oh, use a potato to pull it out, only I forgot to turn off the electricity....

Ahhhhhh.... I'm getting some clarity now regarding what I believe to be the common denominator in most of your mishaps. But, before I commit to anything for sure, I must first ask you one question and don't read anything into it..... Do you, by chance, wear a clown shoe on the foot with the toe in question....? I'm thinking this toe's gotta be ginormous (and/or hideous!) Just razzin' ya!
And, regarding your microwave incident, I remember reading your post about that. Reading about it again made me realize I've literally never had to change the bulb in any micro's I've owned - and I've been married for 26 years so we've had at least a couple of them for a significant amount of time but nope, no bulb outages. Weird....

My recurring mishaps have been with sliding glass doors. I'm guessing the average homeowner will have to replace a shattered slider which was caused by them, once, maybe twice in a lifetime. Over the past 4 or 5 years, I've shattered the main slider (from the family room to the backyard) 6 freakin' times! Twice by rocks launched by the weedeater, twice by rocks launched by the lawnmower, once by slamming it (and I wasn't even mad. Go figure...) and once for reasons I'll never know - just came home and it was shattered! The lawnmower-caused incidents happened the same summer about 1.5 months apart. And, they're not cheap to replace either! Idiot!

[scarygirl]

This year was the first time I decorated the oustide of my house, but every Thanksgiving/Christmas for the past three years has involved a "mishap". December two years ago, I dropped a two liter "Sam's Cola" bottle on my big toe. Besides bleeding all over my hardwood floor, the impact nearly tore my toe nail off. I wound up at the Medac for stitches. Last Thanksgiving, on my way to Thanksgiving Dinner, no less, I just got out of the car and instead of walking to the side walkwalk I ended up slamming face first into it after tripping over not one, but two fences. Luckily the tortilla chips and jar of salsa I had in my hands broke my fall. You should have seen my roommate's face. She thought the salsa was blood spurting from my head. I wound greeting her friends at covered in blood. Which leads me to this past Sunday. I was putting up Christmas lights for the first time ever, when I slammed a ladder on to the same big toe that I had killed in Christmas past! And that's why Christmas is just TOO DANGEROUS.

First, let me say Holy Shit, that had to have hurt! Which part....? All of it! Moving on... Your story is rife with all the stuff the Final Destination movies are full of! The pattern/link I see here is holidays and food which, apparently in your case should NEVER under any circumstances be combined! And regarding your roomate's face.... I can only imagine the horror she must have gone through even if only for a split second!

Many years ago, when I was still a kiid, my dad was walking from the kitchen to the living room (this was back when soda still came in 16 oz. returnable bottles...) and somehow along his path, his feet fot tangled in the long-ass phone cord my folks had on the wall phone which enabled them to walk just about anywhere in the house while on the phone, and he lost his footing completely, and went ass over donuts face first into the floor with the bottle between his face and said floor. The bottle shattered against his face and forehead severely cutting his face, breaking his nose and lodgind glass in both of his eyes! His nose bleed from the broken nose was so severe they had to give him shitloads of liquid cocaine, lydocaine and some other clotting agent. It was really, really scary and without question the most horrific thing I've ever witnessed still to this day. I literally thought my mom was going to stroke out or have a heart attack. It was bad! So when you were describing your incident with the salsa, I can completely sympathize with your roomie! And truly..... you could have come out of that particular mishap a lot worse! Now, be careful damit! There's only two weeks left of this holiday madness. You'll get through it!

I know what you mean . Luckily the bag with the salsa fell in front of me. If I had landed just so I probably would have impaled myself. Funny thing you mentioned the phone cord. I had an incident myself as a kid. I was walking across the living room and had left the phone out with the long wire sticking out in all its glory. I somehow tripped; actually, my dad kicked me because he was mad that I left the phone out. In doing so, yes, you guessed it the same big toe got caught under the wire and I came darn close to ripping my toe nail off.

Last year, in another string, of what the.... I received two speeding tickets in a week, the second of which occured while on the way back from an impromtu late night, McDonalds's apple pie run. A couple days later, I am sitting at a red ligt minding my business when the tractor trailer in front of me suddenly decides to change lanes and proceeds to back up on the hood of my car before speeding off. Oh this was less than a month after my Thanksgivibng blood bath.

Oh in another case of you can't make this up, last month I was changing the light bulb out of my microwave oven and shocked myself The old bubl had become coroded and broke off. My roommate said, oh, use a potato to pull it out, only I forgot to turn off the electricity....

Ahhhhhh.... I'm getting some clarity now regarding what I believe to be the common denominator in most of your mishaps. But, before I commit to anything for sure, I must first ask you one question and don't read anything into it..... Do you, by chance, wear a clown shoe on the foot with the toe in question....? I'm thinking this toe's gotta be ginormous (and/or hideous!) Just razzin' ya!
And, regarding your microwave incident, I remember reading your post about that. Reading about it again made me realize I've literally never had to change the bulb in any micro's I've owned - and I've been married for 26 years so we've had at least a couple of them for a significant amount of time but nope, no bulb outages. Weird....

My recurring mishaps have been with sliding glass doors. I'm guessing the average homeowner will have to replace a shattered slider which was caused by them, once, maybe twice in a lifetime. Over the past 4 or 5 years, I've shattered the main slider (from the family room to the backyard) 6 freakin' times! Twice by rocks launched by the weedeater, twice by rocks launched by the lawnmower, once by slamming it (and I wasn't even mad. Go figure...) and once for reasons I'll never know - just came home and it was shattered! The lawnmower-caused incidents happened the same summer about 1.5 months apart. And, they're not cheap to replace either! Idiot!

[artist4perry]

I was cutting the hundreds of paper strips for the children to make Carolina Snowflakes with...........sliced the tip of my finger off instead. Just the skin mind you........but it hurt! Put a bandaid on it and kept going........ It has healed quite nicely though, the skin is growing back.

I am making ornaments and gifts this year. I do every year. I get kind of carpel shoulder from it all, but everyone likes the home made ornaments and gifts.

I refuse to hang lights this year. I will put greenery with red ribbons and electric candles in the windows. But not lights. I have the same problem Rip about the cord being splinched by the door. Not worth it! And Dan did not have to convince me.

[JRNYMAN]

I was cutting the hundreds of paper strips for the children to make Carolina Snowflakes with...........sliced the tip of my finger off instead. Just the skin mind you........but it hurt! Put a bandaid on it and kept going........ It has healed quite nicely though, the skin is growing back.

I am making ornaments and gifts this year. I do every year. I get kind of carpel shoulder from it all, but everyone likes the home made ornaments and gifts.

I refuse to hang lights this year. I will put greenery with red ribbons and electric candles in the windows. But not lights. I have the same problem Rip about the cord being splinched by the door. Not worth it! And Dan did not have to convince me.

[artist4perry]

I was cutting the hundreds of paper strips for the children to make Carolina Snowflakes with...........sliced the tip of my finger off instead. Just the skin mind you........but it hurt! Put a bandaid on it and kept going........ It has healed quite nicely though, the skin is growing back.

I am making ornaments and gifts this year. I do every year. I get kind of carpel shoulder from it all, but everyone likes the home made ornaments and gifts.

I refuse to hang lights this year. I will put greenery with red ribbons and electric candles in the windows. But not lights. I have the same problem Rip about the cord being splinched by the door. Not worth it! And Dan did not have to convince me.

I am still trying to figure out what I said that was funny. Oh well.......

[JRNYMAN]

I was cutting the hundreds of paper strips for the children to make Carolina Snowflakes with...........sliced the tip of my finger off instead. Just the skin mind you........but it hurt! Put a bandaid on it and kept going........ It has healed quite nicely though, the skin is growing back.

I am making ornaments and gifts this year. I do every year. I get kind of carpel shoulder from it all, but everyone likes the home made ornaments and gifts.

I refuse to hang lights this year. I will put greenery with red ribbons and electric candles in the windows. But not lights. I have the same problem Rip about the cord being splinched by the door. Not worth it! And Dan did not have to convince me.

I am still trying to figure out what I said that was funny. Oh well.......

DOH!! Sorry, I meant to embolden.... (is that the right word?) the part I thought was funny. I liked how you ended your post by subtly standing up for yourself and your belief in your abilities and intelligence. "And Dan did not have to convince me." It was more cute than fumy but we don't exactly have a smiley for "cute".

[artist4perry]

I was cutting the hundreds of paper strips for the children to make Carolina Snowflakes with...........sliced the tip of my finger off instead. Just the skin mind you........but it hurt! Put a bandaid on it and kept going........ It has healed quite nicely though, the skin is growing back.

I am making ornaments and gifts this year. I do every year. I get kind of carpel shoulder from it all, but everyone likes the home made ornaments and gifts.

I refuse to hang lights this year. I will put greenery with red ribbons and electric candles in the windows. But not lights. I have the same problem Rip about the cord being splinched by the door. Not worth it! And Dan did not have to convince me.

I am still trying to figure out what I said that was funny. Oh well.......

DOH!! Sorry, I meant to embolden.... (is that the right word?) the part I thought was funny. I liked how you ended your post by subtly standing up for yourself and your belief in your abilities and intelligence. "And Dan did not have to convince me." It was more cute than fumy but we don't exactly have a smiley for "cute".

Got it. Actually my husband and I think alike when it comes to safety. What good is the beauty of the lights if your family is burned to death in the middle of the night!