Adventures In Decorating

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see this on a neighbor's house

I hung up my lights early this year, like I always do. I prefer to hang the lights in late October / early November, because I don't like freezing on the top of a ladder. Heck, one year I actually hung the lights in shorts and a t-shirt.

We tested the lights before putting them up. All worked. We tested the lights after they went up. They all worked.

Weeks passed. Thanksgiving passed. Time to turn on the lights for real! The inflatable Santa rose like the mighty Phoenix. The bulbs glowed. All was well. "We're done with the lights!", I declared.

A half hour later, my wife looked out out window and said a surprising word. She followed that up with, "Some of the lights are out."

Both of these died on me this year

We lost half a string of icicle lights. Right in the middle of a big run of lights around the gutter. Naturally, the section directly above the landscaping, which requires a tall ladder and some interesting acrobatics to get near. Swell.

I got that string of lights replaced. It was cold, but I dared not complain. All of the lights came on. "We're done with the lights!", I declared.

That very night, the lights came on. Santa rose from the ground, and then fell over again a half-hour later.

We fried my Santa.

The new Santa!

So, now we've replaced Santa. I usually put outlet covers on the ends of all the light strings, just as an extra precaution against water and ice (overkill, I know). I took one off and brought it inside.

"We're done with...", my wife began. I cut her off.

"No! Don't say that. We're not done until I put this outlet cover on the end of the last string of lights."

I put the cover in a box. I figure, if we're never actually *done* out there, then nothing else will pop.

Wish me luck.