We put out the Christmas decorations a week or so ago, doing it in dribs and drabs as its easier to pick at things than do it all at once. Such different decorations now than there were when we were kids.
We really only had strings of lights, and these were the old fashioned ones with screw in bulbs that burnt your fingers when they were hot. And rather than patterned fancy blinks and things like today, if you wanted blinking lights you had to buy a “blinker” and plug the strings into it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4NlR5KQLQ8
And of course, the worst, as noted in the song linked above was “One goes out they all go out!” A lot of the old strings were wired that way. If a bulb blew, the whole string went out and you had to test every damn bulb till you found the right one.
Also, who remembers going to the Chain Store and buying replacement bulbs? Only to find some savage had taken all the green ones? Or pulled apart the assorted packages to make up their own assortment! Bastards!
A few years later we got the “mini” lights. These were neat in that they had a “blinker” bulb you could take out and replace if you didn’t want blinking. But they were still one goes out they all go out, and even worse, there were about forty leven different sizes! Getting replacements was a pain in the butt! And, and and…. the little wires! They’d bend and twist and make it impossible to get them right, plus on top of that, some of the bulbs would just not stay in!
The lights are much fancier now, and leds to boot, not burning half the electricity. I used to imagine the meter man rubbing his hands in glee come December and January!
We used to put them out on our old front bridge, and sometimes on the little (or not so little over time) fir that grew out of the rock wall by the old gate. Even with the freezing cold, the old fashioned clips, and driving many staples through the wires, it was still kinda fun, and part of the season.
Think I’ll take Mom out this weekend to look at all the lights. Love to see pictures of yours too!
Raised in outport Newfoundland in a town of 65 people, I pursued a post secondary diploma in Information Technology right out of High School.
I’ve always been a geek at heart, but yet I love the rural life I grew up with. Fishing, hunting, camping and the great outdoors are still loves of mine, even if I don’t pursue them as often as I once did. Sports were always a big part of our lives, and I played many (badly) and loved them all.
Lots of fond memories there. As you might expect many–especially the Chain Store one–brought a familiar chuckle.