Gregg got home from work late last night. I had the Christmas tree lit up along with all the other lights we've strung around the house for the holiday. We sat at the table after dinner, talking and enjoying the sparkle and shine of it all.
After a few minutes, Gregg looks at me and says, "Do some of the lights on the tree look...different...to you?"
I saw what he meant immediately. A whole section of lights around the upper middle portion of the tree were suddenly a brighter, whiter white than the rest of them. It looked really odd. Then he got up and went over and touched them.
They were burning hot!
The lights that looked normal were warm, but these were almost too hot to touch. We immediately unplugged the tree, let things cool down, and then tried plugging it back in. Same thing. Most of the lights were normal, but in that same area the bulbs were a brighter white again and they immediately got hot to the touch again.
So much for our pre-lit Christmas tree. We can't risk a fire!
Gregg suggested leaving the tree unplugged and covering it with separate strings of lights. The only problem with that idea is that we'll have to take everything off the tree, add the lights, then re-decorate it. That's an awful lot of trouble. But I'm not sure what else to do if we want to have a lit Christmas tree this year. And if it's not lit, what's the point?
Sigh. What a pain in the ass. Part of me doesn't even want to bother, but I'd probably regret it on Christmas Eve.
What would you do?
How weird. I'd just string some lights on the tree without redecorating it. It might look a bit makeshift but it would get you through.
ReplyDeleteSo many of our ornaments are delicate glass that I'd be afraid to try to string lights on it without removing them first!
DeleteBy pre-lit I assume it is a fake tree and then, you are right, what's the point. Go to the nursery, buy boughs or go through the park after a wind storm- gather boughs or if you live where trees are not part of the landscape , use tumble weeds, anything can be a christmas tree. I made one out of wire one year! It waas amazing but did not survive being stored.
ReplyDeleteMy tree came in sections, each section plugged into the lower section. If your tree is like this, just unplug the upper section, that way it will be mostly lit. You still have your holiday Ficus.
ReplyDeleteThat is a dilemma. I don't know what to suggest. If you leave your tree up a long time after Xmas, it would be worth it to take off the decorations and put new lights on it. If not, I wouldn't bother.
ReplyDeleteI would find a few single small spotlights and shine them on the tree from different angles to light up the tree especially from the bottom up through the branches to the top. This way your glass decorations will twinkle.
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda with Steve, though CAREFULLY string the lights so they don't break anything, and then take all the old lights off after the holiday!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit of a perfectionist, so I'd go with Gregg and redecorate.
ReplyDeleteIf it were in my house, despite all my best arguments, I would probably restring and redecorate the tree. In YOUR house, my best argument is to delicately, gingerly, and tenderly add a string of lights to the affected area while having to redecorate as little as possible. Come to think of it, I’d try and do that in MY house, too.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as a woman who hasn't even bothered to put my eighteen inch tree in a pot in the house, much less decorate it, I would say "leave it" but your tree was so beautiful I would hate to see it not lit.
ReplyDeleteIf lights can't be very carefully added without breaking something, I would redo it and put on safe lights because I'd be so disappointed not to have a tree with lights on Christmas. I would also complain to the company that made the tree and expect them to send a new one.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I would check the transformer rating.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRestrand. No blank holes allowed but what a hassle.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I would bother. You'll likely have to buy a new tree next year if the prelit bulbs are an integral part of the artificial tree. Maybe buy a couple more string of lights to put up around the sitting areas inside the house instead. This is SUCH a pain. I'm sorry.
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you, I cut all of the lights from our prelit Chrsitmas tree. I strung our own lights. How old is your tree? We got ours on an after Christmas clearance. The following year we unboxed it and set it up. Before the season was out the middle string of lights had burned out.
ReplyDeleteI would leave the bad ones where they and put the new ones over the top. Only you will know!
ReplyDeleteNo advice as to what to do, but it makes me glad that I insist on tree lights being switched off if we are out of the house!
ReplyDeleteI would cut the old cable (making sure not plugged in!) and carefully pull a small section at a time, that would probably cause the least disturbance, then gently wind a new cable around and just adjust the decorations that need it. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat would I do? I would stomp my feet, slam doors and then fall to my knees wailing, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" before heading to the pub for a pitcher of beer.
ReplyDeleteOMG! So glad you guys noticed it, and had no emergencies from it. I know what we would do, the whole she-bang. Take the ornaments and such off, cut the lights off, and put new LED lights on. We'd grumble and groan about it, but so dearly love the lights on a Xmas tree that we wouldn't be without them. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteHope you find your solution and enjoy a safe and happy Christmas!
ReplyDeleteCarefully put new ones over the top of the unplugged ones. Much better to do that than redecorate completely - unless you really feel in the mood to do so!
ReplyDeleteI think I would do what Steve suggested, but who am I to talk? I didn't even put up a tree this year!
ReplyDeleteI am with Debby cut the attached lights out so that you can use your tree from year to year. The tree can last you 10 years but the lights you are lucky to get a year. It sounds as if you were really fortunate to notice the change and averted a tragedy. If you strung working lights on top of the dead ones I don't think you would be happy.
ReplyDeleteI know I commented on this post, but I don't see it. Mistress Maddie said one of my comments on his blog went to spam. Anyway, I said I would take everything off and redo the lights because I wouldn't be satisfied on Christmas otherwise. That's the only course of action of you can't change the lights with the ornaments on the tree.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie