Blowing a Fuse

I think Travis, our Christmas lights and I all blew a fuse trying to get the tree and the house twinkling this year.

My wonderful husband graciously makes the effort to put up Christmas lights, which is so special to me and the kids. Travis enjoys Christmas just as much as we do!

Travis braved the cold Kansas wind as he put the Christmas lights up last year at our home in Hugoton, KS. Shining brightly, the lights were beautiful...until they mysteriously went dark after Travis plugged them in after only the third day of them being on display!

He fussed with those lights on and off for two weeks, before we finally surrendered to having Christmas lights that didn't light. Worse, the terrible snow and ice we had all through December and a good part of January prevented Travis from being able to take them down until about February!

Determined to have bright Christmas lights that work this year, Travis, got out the ladder and the same Christmas lights last Saturday. He went through each strand, making sure they all worked. Each strand worked, so, in his t-shirt and shorts and in the seventy-five degree weather, he put the lights up.

Dusk came and Travis proudly turned them on. They were beautiful. Simple, white lights can transform a place into "Christmas," with the flip of a switch!

Then they turned off.

I was inside getting our family meal ready and making preparations for decorating the tree when Travis came in.

"Dangit! They did it again! I checked every one of those stupid strands and they worked before I plugged them in! I plug them in and NOW they don't work!"

"I'm sorry, honey," I said, "Don't stress out about it. Life will still go on tonight even if the lights don't work."

"No," he insisted, "I'm going to go out and see what I can do."

One hour later my brilliant husband had the lights shining again. A nifty timer even turns them on at 5:00 p.m. and off at 11:00 p.m. so we don't have to go out and plug and unplug them!

My turn was next, I guess. Stringing the lights and ribbon around the tree is something I always do before allowing the kids to put on the ornaments.

I got out the lights and plugged them in. One strand didn't work, so I tossed it aside. I wound the working lights around the tree and then plugged them in. Only two of the four strands lit up!

Lets just say Travis was a little more patient than I was about the lights not working. I threw them all away after fiddling with them for five minutes and went to Walgreens to get new ones!

The tree was lit and ribboned and ready for the kids' ornaments within thirty minutes.

I got the star out, put it on top, and plugged it in. The star wasn't shining.

"Whatever," I said, tossing the star in the trash, too. No dark star was going to spoil a happy ending to the fun time I had with Travis and the kids decorating!

Madalynn and I took a mini girls shopping trip to Wal Mart the next day and bought a start that worked.

Our house and our tree are shining brightly as I type! Yay for lights!