Are you ready for Christmas?

   / Are you ready for Christmas? #21  
A couple years ago we visited some friends out of state and they explained the way they do it after your 18th birthday no more Christmas or birthday presents and since I had been trying to trim down our Christmas buying I looked at my wife and she said NO don't even think about it, I did set a budget just so she could go over every year. The commercialization of Christmas sure makes it hard to be merry. But yes we are ready presents are bought and wrapped
 
   / Are you ready for Christmas? #22  
Geeze, our family gives gifts to everyone for about every reason, regardless of age. :ROFLMAO: Even the old geezers get gifts from the young ones.

We've done the math, and we get back about what we spend each year, so it's kinda just like trading folks for something you'd have bought yourself over the year anyway.

Although someone already gave me a shop press for Christmas this year.... oops. It was me. ;)
 
   / Are you ready for Christmas? #23  
The commercialization of Christmas sure makes it hard to be merry. But yes we are ready presents are bought and wrapped
People have been complaining about the commercialization of Christmas forever. Back in the late 40s/early 50s Stan Freberg did a comedy routine called Green Chri$tma$.
Fortunately, my wife and I are on the same page with this. She'll get a small gift for her grandchildren, and we'll exchange gifts but that's about it. Not a holiday either of us make much of an event of.
I use an old 40# pull Bear recurve bow I got when I was maybe 14 years old, and a metal fishing spool that is just taped to the handle area. I've got a couple hundred feet of heavy braided fishing line on it. Shoot it up over the top, untie the arrow, tie on a rope, pull it over the top, then pull up an inverted V of lights.
Curiously, how do you get them down (or do you just leave them there)? You'd think they'd catch and possibly break wires if you just tried to pull them down.
The only outside lights we do are on a couple dwarf cedars and another bush, all of which can be done standing on the ground.
 
   / Are you ready for Christmas? #24  
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Curiously, how do you get them down (or do you just leave them there)? You'd think they'd catch and possibly break wires if you just tried to pull them down.
The only outside lights we do are on a couple dwarf cedars and another bush, all of which can be done standing on the ground.
When they're in vertical strands like that, they don't get stuck. I just untie the rope from the opposite side and pull BOTH of the legs of the V that I pulled up. That pulls the rope back down and I'm good.

I used to pull one strand up to the top, then stand on the ground and cast the light string around and around the tree to wrap it in lights. That looks nicer, in my opinion, but you'll never get them all back off the tree that way.
 
   / Are you ready for Christmas? #25  
I'll add that if I didn't put that messenger string on the light strings, there's a good chance of breaking the wires. The string takes the brunt of the force now. Works great.
 
   / Are you ready for Christmas? #26  
When they're in vertical strands like that, they don't get stuck. I just untie the rope from the opposite side and pull BOTH of the legs of the V that I pulled up. That pulls the rope back down and I'm good.

I used to pull one strand up to the top, then stand on the ground and cast the light string around and around the tree to wrap it in lights. That looks nicer, in my opinion, but you'll never get them all back off the tree that way.
I'm sitting here thinking that would be a good use for a drone has anyone tried it?
 
   / Are you ready for Christmas? #27  
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   / Are you ready for Christmas? #29  
Even as a child I disliked christmas. As I got older it became the most hateful thing to me. After I got married I softened a bit through the years then a couple years ago my wife and I sat on the living room floor with our dogs head on my lap as she died on christmas day. So, yay, I am ready for Mayday.
 
   / Are you ready for Christmas? #30  
I'm sitting here thinking that would be a good use for a drone has anyone tried it?
Great and easy pictures. Of anything. However, understand the current federal law regarding flying and the use of a drone.
 
 
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