Weds 24 Jan 2024 post begun 0915hrs GMT

 

Well, I've done it - Christmas season lighting is now all converted from battery (OH MY GOSH EXPENSIVE, those batteries!) to solar for outdoors and USB for inside. One only exception is the front window display which will remain a battery powered item but everything else is now solar and USB. 

 

No rush (hahahahahahaha!) but I am looking forward to Christmas 2024, God willing I'm here to see it. The multi-colour solar powered lights for the front garden promise to be the best light display we've had ever - 300LED micro lights means a much larger coverage (ok, yeah, 300 lights doesn't sound a lot unless the reader understands my frontage is two 'postage stamp' beds with the entry door between the two beds). On arrival of the new lights, we charged the solar battery then did a test run - WOW - plenty of lighting to cover both beds AND over the doorway, and bright enough to give a good display without going over the top. Space station crew will not be able to see our lights from space and the neighbours will not have to get a public nuisance order owing to any annoying excess light.

Speaking of neighbours and our annual Christmas lighting, several expressed some disappointment our formerly traditional blue lights on the evergreen hedge went missing this past 2023 Christmas. Our little cottage is at the side bottom of a popular dog-walking lane and they all said they missed the blue lights but understood the cost of batteries has risen so shockingly high as to preclude battery lights. 

 

Rechargeable batteries have always been ouchie-priced but this past year even the cost of non-rechargeables sky-rocketed. The blue lights took a total of twelve AA batteries twice during the lights-on season (Advent Sunday through 2 Feb)...ouch ouch ouch.

 

So Christmas 2023 saw us using a five pack snowflake stake lights - one set of three AA batteries and so far we're on the initial set. OK-ish but not great, the snowflakes can be seen from the lane but just aren't as pretty as the blue lights were. And not at all as cheery as the blue lights were. Everyone, from DH Paul to neighbour dog walkers, said the same thing - 'If ever we needed a cheery Christmas light display, it is this year' and they were spot on. 

I knew there had to be a better way...

The multi-colour set is very very good - great coverage, can easily be seen from the lane, and is quite charming. Did I mention the lights are solar powered? WINNING!

 

We used a 2ft 'snowy' (flocked) tree indoors, another set of three AA batteries to feed a 20LED micro wire string and I had to change out three times to get from Advent Sunday through Epiphany. grrrr! Worse, the battery power light set I used seemed to have too many green lights overpowering the too few other colours. 

I knew there had to be a better way...

 

I went looking and discovered USB light sets - well hell, who knew?! BONUS: I found JUST the right set (blue, snowy trees demand something tastefully special) in a number of lights (50LED USB power) that will be perfect for the snowy tree - AND best of all, I found, from the same seller, two more 50LED USB sets to be tucked away for when we want to use the 3ft green tree. One set each 'warm white' and multi-colour with the right number of green (meaning not many, lol!). I'll hang onto the battery sets but the USB ones will be our go-to sets. 

Perhaps to some all this fuss about Christmas lights is silly, I know I had difficulty motivating myself to decorate in or outdoors for Christmas 2023 and I don't anticipate feeling much motivation for 2024, all things considered. The world we live in has become so terribly fraught.

 

But Paul (and the neighbours) nailed it - 'If ever we needed...' - when the entire world teeters geopolitically so dangerously close to the edge, we need cheering up, we need traditions that cheer us up. 

 

Post published 1001hrs MT

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 2 Jan 2024 post begun 0650hrs GMT

 

Good-bye 2023, hello 2024. 

 

Our 'festive season' has another four days to run and so far I have to say despite the turmoil the world is enduring, we (Paul and I) have enjoyed a lovely time. The food turned out quite well, the tree is a proper little stunner, and we even received several Christmas cards - bit of a surprise to have done considering the eye-watering cost of domestic post (price rise just before Christmas card sending season with first class having risen to over £1). Gifts elicited genuine gratitude - he loved his and I loved mine. Winning!

 

The little flocked Christmas tree (2.5ft) went over far better than I'd expected - Paul surprised me no end when he said it is too small and expressed his hope we find a flocked 3ft'er for Christmas 2024. He is as surprised as I am that he likes a 'snowy tree' but like it he does and so do I. 

 

I've never cared for flocked trees before, I only bought this one on a whim when I saw the size and quality priced for clearance. But for a tiny tree, it is a proper little beauty. I dressed it with vintage style glass baubles (none over two inch drop and width) and laser cut MDF wood shapes (reindeer, stars, gingerbread men). Multi-colour lights were very pretty against the 'snow'. Paul didn't care for the mix but said he does like colour on a flocked tree so can we have ice blue next year? 

 

God willing we'll still be here for Christmas 2024 and have decided we'll use one colour baubles and lights plus the MDF shapes (lightly gilded rather than full-on painted). I cobbled together a 6ft silk holly and berry garland to dress the mantel with large gilded stars hanging from the garland and Paul said it was so pretty he hopes we use it every year.

Paul's Asperger's means he's not the greatest company and prefers his Christmas decor to be low-key to avoid sensory overload. 

I don't have Asperger's and prefer the full Father Christmas Grotto look. 

 

As noted in an earlier post, he's scattered my Christmas collection (there are times I really hate Asperger's. Love him, hate the condition) so I had to replace everything plus fight off a strong lack of Christmas Spirit. Apparently he feels I managed the replacing nicely. He's apologised (repeatedly) for scattering Christmas Past but says he loves the way the living room looks this year.

I managed to get the halls decked in a way that satisfied us both. I put on a lovely Christmas Dinner (chicken crowns, stuffing, button sprouts, cranberry sauce and a Yule Log cake) with enough leftover for Boxing Day grazing. New Year Dinner yesterday was a smaller repeat of Christmas (no leftovers and I'm glad - bangers and mash for dinner tonight and I am quite looking forward to that!).

Finally, it was 2200hrs GMT NYE and we watched the GB News NYE Live programme through to sign-off. The GB News show was great, London fireworks 15 minutes beginning at midnight (shown live as part of the GB News programme) was a huge disappointment. Little goblin Citizen Con ruined it with his 'Presented By The London Mayor' drone banners and oh so bloody woke music and voice-overs. The fireworks seemed random, no style or design to the display. All in that was 15 minutes of the New Year we'll never get back.

 

The 7th looms - the day I pack away everything but the Nativity (that stays up through 2nd Feb, Presentation of the Infant Lord in the Temple, and Candlemas). Two weeks later it will be Ash Wednesday and Lent begins. 

 

And now it's the second day of 2024. Hopefully this year will be less fraught than 2023 was - but I'm not holding my breath.