Me? Wordless?
Exactly.
This was supposed to be my first Wordless Wednesday post ever, but I couldn’t do it. And so, coming up: some words.
I had a little trouble motivating myself to decorate this year, but the spirit of the season finally caught up with me last weekend. We got the outside lights finished, and all of the inside decorations unpacked and placed. We popped popcorn, made hot chocolate for H, and got the kitchen tree, where the kids’ artwork hangs, up and decorated in no time.
H, working on the kitchen tree, where we hang all of the kids' creations.
Our Kitchen Tree.
With the kitchen tree done, it was time to decorate the big tree. And this happened.
This is not working for me. Picky, picky.
Then some of this happened.
Medicinal use.
Mark, my very useful and talented live-in handyman, fixed the lights. So we started to decorate.
It's a German tradition to hide a pickle ornament on the tree.
Regarding that pickle, by the way: in our family, the adults participate in this tradition solely because it provides them an opportunity to say, “Wanna play hide the pickle?”
The pickle and most of our other ornaments were on the tree when guess what? Yep. Dark again. I didn’t take another sad, dark, half-decorated tree picture because who wants to see that?
Today we’re calling the tree hotline. Apparently this is a “known issue” in Costco trees. Wish I had known about the issue before buying.
In fairness, the tree gave us two and half good years. This light issue happened once last year, but we jiggled the cords and like magic, all was good. This year, no amount of jiggling works.
I wonder…
:: Do you have a tree fail story?
:: If we can’t fix the tree, do I take off all the ornaments and re-decorate a new tree or do we just rock the half-lit tree this year? The thought of starting over is not exactly Christmas spirit-inducing.
The good news: Our tree is under warranty and we actually sent in the warranty card (a Christmas miracle, right there).
The bad news: The free fix involves us dismantling the top section of our tree, taking out that entire section of lights, and redoing it ourselves with a new section’s worth of lights, provided by the manufacturer. The thing is, I bought a pre-lit tree so I don’t have to string lights.
Hmph. On the one hand, yes, they offered a solution to our problem and it’s not costing us a thing. On the other hand, I think this solution stinks. My options, according to Costco’s tree manufacturer, are to a) live with a dark tree (and I’m with the Chalupa here – see her comment below), or to b) spend valuable, limited holiday time restringing my pre-lit tree.
Am I being ungrateful? Should I just get over it?
Lapsed homemaker. Looking to hire a full-time housekeeper who will work for the sheer joy of a job well done and free coffee. Interested parties, DM please. 
We have a Costco tree too! It has lasted us 4 years but there is a strand out that we face toward the back.
I say, string an extra string of lights up top and call it a day 🙂
Also? Love the idea of the kitchen tree where the kids can hang their artwork, brilliant!
We also have two trees — one in my pretty room and one in the family room. The pretty tree is fake and I am constantly jiggling the lights to make it work. Last year we went weeks with the top quarter out, but I just couldn’t deal with it. The family tree is a real tree so we can easily replace a strand if something goes wrong.
And this year something went very, very wrong.
We decided to save the $60 delivery fee this year {yes, in years past the hubs always seems to be out of town so I pay someone to bring the tree to my house and install it properly in the stand}. We brought the tree home on top of the suburban. Brought it in the house, installed in in the stand, added lights and decorations. We talked about all the ornaments we collect and those the kids made over the years. We discussed how special it all was (even though it is no where near as pretty as my pretty tree) Everything was marvelous.
Until 3AM when we hear a loud crash and the house alarm was triggered — blaring sirens!
The distinctive sound of broken glass. That’s what triggered the alarm.
Of course, it wasn’t a window, but all our precious ornaments hitting the ground when our entire 8 foot tree fell to the ground. Glorious!
I cried like a baby cleaning up those shards of glass. Of course, it was all our favorite ornaments hanging on the front of the tree. Most of the kids’ homemade ornaments survived but we lost more than a few precious collectibles!
Note to self: even when hubs is in town, I’m now forever paying the $60 to have the tree delivered and installed in the stand. My marriage is worth far more than $60!!!
Of course it’s for medicinal use. It’s alcohol, right? Used to sterilize and clean to prevent infections?
OMG, classic. My ultimate tree fail was when I was uder the real tree to water it and the ENTIRE tree (decorations and all) fell on top of me.
That was the very last time we had a real tree. 😉
Where there is decorating, there should always be wine. I decree it.
no advice with the tree. i’m the woman who got dizzy stringing the lights around it this year. on the plus side, our tree is 8 years old and we haven’t had a problem with the lights yet. 😉 (because we replace them every year with a couple new strings…)
we have a pickle too!
First, I like words, words are nice.
Second – the tree – two options, 1. can you buy some more lights and put them on? 2. or maybe turn them all off – a Christmas tree without lights can look really nice too 3. leave it as is and it will be a story you can tell for a lifetime, or two, or three.
Me, no tree fails. Aside from the cutting of the base of the live tree – a little more to make it even – no a little more – no one more time – and ending up having to cut off a few bottom branches to make a new base – ok – guess that’s a fail. Sorry.
Merry Christmas
Okay, first of all I hope when I grow up I can have two trees in my house. Holy cow that 2nd one looks enormous.
We too hide the pickle each year. Ha,ha, she said pickle.
No, no, no. You cannot rock the half-lit tree. Ain’t no way. I know your perfectionist tenancies and it will kill your soul every time you look at it. Take a day – and another bottle of wine – and regroup. Blast the music and power through. You can do it.
Effing Costco.
Missy, I feel your pain. We have more Tree Fail stories than I can recount in this comment space. All I can say is thank the good Lord for pivoting tree stands. That revolutionized our Christmas tree experience. 🙂
I would be rocking a 1/2 unlit tree and then when it comes time to dismantle it after the holiday season is over that’s when I’d re-do the lights provided by the manufacturer. That being said I really wouldn’t be the one fixing the tree either, I’d make my electrician of a husband do it.
Well, after the update I guess I’m with Samantha above. Except I say no lights, just green and ornaments – maybe backlight the tree for a cool effect, if the wall behind the tree is all bright the tree might really pop. And then fix it later.
And a lump of coal for Costco and that manufacturer.
Problem 1 with your motivation is that you have more than 1 tree.
Overachiever.
🙂
Hmmmmm….the half-lit would drive me bonkers.
Our tree is not pre-lit but as Jim put the lights on we found that some strings blink and some do not and it’s never the same lights all the time. Luckily, it seems that none of them are blinking. *knock on wood*