Gransnet forums

Chat

Christmas Lights

(50 Posts)
Beautful Fri 28-Oct-22 08:10:40

I do like Christmas, although this year will be very poor for many, no doubt some really dreading it, with the price of things, I will be cutting back on things I am sure, although not to my charities I support. What I love is going out seeing the pretty Christmas lights, in people's windows & gardens ... especially on dark & dismal days. Wondering if you will still be having on your Christmas lights, love the Christmas ?'s lit up, if so will you limit the time they are on or not ?

Oopsadaisy1 Fri 28-Oct-22 08:11:38

Most of ours are battery operated so it will be lights as usual.

Daisymae Fri 28-Oct-22 08:12:45

Yes, think that we need some brightness in our lives more than ever.

baubles Fri 28-Oct-22 08:17:26

Yes I love to see the twinkling lights in midwinter. We have a little park across the street from our house and we, along with neighbours, put battery operated lights on some of the trees, it’s so pretty and cheers me whenever I come home after dark.

paddyann54 Fri 28-Oct-22 08:18:50

I've had lights since May in the garden,all battery or solar all white lights I'll add some coloured lights before christmas .The battery ones are mainly rechargeable or they get saved and taken to the recycle shelf at the supermarket .

Witzend Fri 28-Oct-22 08:18:50

I love seeing everyone’s Christmas lights, and TBH, LED ones use very little electricity.
January always seems even more dreary to me after Twelfth Night, when they’ve all come down.

During the first lockdown, 24 houses in dd’s immediate area had an Advent Window scheme, where people decorated a front window for a particular day, for children to walk round go and look at every night. I thought it was a lovely idea, and AFAIK they’re keeping it going.

Beautful Fri 28-Oct-22 08:26:30

What a lovely idea an Advent Window ... no doubt adults love it too ... yes I agree about the twinkling & bright lights ... does cheer me up & yes we all need to try to have a bit more brightness in our lives to cheer us up ... how nice of you brightening up your local park ... no doubt many more ideas too ... more the merrier I say ... perhaps in December we could have a thread with people's Christmas lights on

baubles Fri 28-Oct-22 08:32:21

Witzend you’ve reminded me that we’ve done the same thing for the last couple of years. It’s becoming a tradition to have walk around the neighbourhood looking at all the beautiful windows. Some people are so creative.

Witzend Fri 28-Oct-22 08:35:55

We still have a string of white lights draped at least two winters ago through a very big house plant (more like a small tree really) in our front bay window.
I always meant to take them down once the clocks changed in March, but never got around to it. A neighbour asked long after Christmas why we’d still got our Christmas tree up!

baubles Fri 28-Oct-22 08:45:57

Here’s one of my Winter Wonderland Windows.

nanna8 Fri 28-Oct-22 08:52:04

Solar lights, not electric. I still have a few up from last year in the backyard because I like them so much and they are white so they just look decorative. Usually it is warm here at Christmas and we all sit outside and just come in for the Christmas tree presents.

Beautful Fri 28-Oct-22 08:54:04

Keep the photos coming of Christmas windows ... or decorations inside ... I know it only October but ... Beginning to Look a Bit More Like Christmas ... saying that ... I feel a lot of shops are not doing Christmas so early this year ... although I expect I can understand the reason why

Witzend Fri 28-Oct-22 08:54:21

That’s lovely, Baubles! Very cheering for passers-by. ?

Redhead56 Fri 28-Oct-22 08:55:18

Lots of people here have their gardens lit up at night in one way or another its the norm. I have solar lights and battery lights around our garden and sun house all year round. The same at the front of the house in the form of little fairy houses.

Christmas time I attach tiny LED lights to the gutters and run them along the front of the house. They are usually on timers along with the tree lights. If for whatever reason we couldn’t have electric lights I would buy more battery lights I love them.

HowVeryDareYou Fri 28-Oct-22 09:10:54

I passed a house yesterday which had Christmas lights on outside. It's October!

FannyCornforth Fri 28-Oct-22 09:45:01

Beautful

Keep the photos coming of Christmas windows ... or decorations inside ... I know it only October but ... Beginning to Look a Bit More Like Christmas ... saying that ... I feel a lot of shops are not doing Christmas so early this year ... although I expect I can understand the reason why

Here are some from me! Including the photo of my little dog that I used for Christmas cards.
You can see that I love my lights.
Gracie is going to the groomer’s next week, so, while she is looking her best, I’m going to do a photo shoot for this year’s Christmas cards

Grannybags Fri 28-Oct-22 09:58:36

HowVeryDareYou

I passed a house yesterday which had Christmas lights on outside. It's October!

Probably for Diwali - Festival of lights

Yammy Fri 28-Oct-22 10:09:09

I'm cutting down this year and using solar where I can. We have a long porch which I usually decorate as well as the house I will choose carefully with all the expenses and DH said it was like Bl...y Harrods last year.
I had wrapped the rather steep stair bannister in a swag that made it difficult to hold. Whoops.blush

Prentice Fri 28-Oct-22 10:10:41

Beautful

What a lovely idea an Advent Window ... no doubt adults love it too ... yes I agree about the twinkling & bright lights ... does cheer me up & yes we all need to try to have a bit more brightness in our lives to cheer us up ... how nice of you brightening up your local park ... no doubt many more ideas too ... more the merrier I say ... perhaps in December we could have a thread with people's Christmas lights on

That is a good idea!
Light is very important to well being, I have twinkly lights in the house in the evenings once Autumn arrives, just a string of 100 multicoloured and woven around twigs.

Witzend Fri 28-Oct-22 10:13:34

FannyCornforth, that card (and your little dog!) are gorgeous! A lovely Christmassy card! ?

henetha Fri 28-Oct-22 10:17:18

I love lights. I shall definitely be putting my little old strings of them up again this Christmas. And I don't suppose my old battery operated ones will damage the planet much at all.
In fact I've still got some along the mantelpiece from last Christmas which I deliberately left there to cheer me up now and then.
My outside lights are all solar ones.

Witzend Fri 28-Oct-22 10:19:00

We don’t do front garden lights, except for a small potted tree* with lights, that goes outside the front door on 1st December. Same day I usually make the first mince pies - with carols playing. ?

*We keep it in the back garden, usually lasts around 3 years before looking a bit too sad. Last year’s was on the small side but has grown quite a lot.

Zoejory Fri 28-Oct-22 10:20:32

I'm another who loves lights. We have quite a lot and we'll be turning them on this year.

Ànd fannycornforth! What a gorgeous photo of your lovely dog ?

BigBertha1 Fri 28-Oct-22 10:22:08

I love the idea of an Advent window I'll have to see what I can do. All our outside lights are solar. Indoor lights are usually battery (we have just purchased a large pack from Amazon) except for the tree which electric and it will be on all day while we are in from 1st dec to 31st December. We aren't cutting down on our usual Christmas we will reassess everything in the New Year as we usually do.

annsixty Fri 28-Oct-22 10:28:55

I have a pyracantha growing up the brick panel at the side of my front door.
For the last two years I have covered it with red berry lights, I love it but my live in GD says it looks like a “knocking shop”
I normally have only white lights but this gives a lovely contrast.
This year we all need some brightness in our lives.