MORE Lights! – December 2023

The second tranche of 2023 Christmas lights is up at Sietch Willett!

Last week I did the lights along the roof line, which is typically the most time consuming and difficult. That was seven sets of lights, plus two on the ground (the candy canes) along the driveway.

Today, in about half of the time as I spent last weekend, I got ten sets of lights up on the ground, in the rose bushes, and in all of the plants along the front and side of the house.

Curiously, I ran out of lights to put up! This is due to the age of my supply of lights and the fact that there were nearly a dozen strings that I had to pull when they were failing. I test everything before I put it up and I won’t put up anything with a section (usually a 1/3 section or 1/4 section, depending on the style of lights) completely burnt out. By the time they all got weeded out, I had enough to finish today’s ten sets – but I’ve got at least four other sets that really need to get filled in and there are a couple more places where I can put some up if I can still find them in the store tomorrow.

Good thing that the Chiefs game isn’t until 17:00 local time tomorrow. There’s a time and priorities conflict that might just short circuit my frazzled brain.

One other thing that I’m going to be trying hard to get done earlier this holiday season is getting the Christmas cards out earlier. To that end…

• If you’re on the Christmas card list (i.e., you’ve gotten them in the past) and you’ve moved or changed your address and want to stay on the Christmas card list, please send me an email at pwillett@ix.netcom.com (or call, I’m easy!)
• If you’re not on the Christmas card list (i.e., you’ve never gotten cards in the past) and you want to be, please let me know and tell me where to send it
• If you see me posting a list on here in a week or so with high school friends or CAF friends or fannish friends who have dropped off the radar and you have current contact information for them, please either let them know that I’m trying to reach them or contact me with the current information

Social media is (sometimes) great and all of that, but I’m an olde phart and believe that there’s nothing better than a card, a couple of pictures, and the family newsletter from friends.

Especially given how many of them this year are being flagged as “deceased” in my mailing list database.

Life’s too short. I don’t know or care who “they” are, if “they” say that Christmas cards are uncool and passe, then I have a number of physiologically improbable suggestions for “them.”

Merry Christmas!