
Electric Christmas lights have been around since the 1880's. It is no wonder they are still around and being enjoyed by so many. Using lights at Christmastime is not only a tradition; it is truly what turns boring streets into winter wonderlands and plain houses into gifts for everyone who drives by. Lights are the easiest way to decorate with the most impact.
Lights give anyone an opportunity to express their personal style and festive mood. You can use them indoors, outdoors, even on your car or boat. A good place to start lighting things up is to start with your Christmas Tree. The general rule for deciding how many lights to use on a tree is to use 3 strands for every one foot of tree. Experts are now saying it is easiest to hang lights in an up-and-down pattern as opposed to the traditional wrapping around method. Either way you should start at the top.
There are several opportunities to display lights in your home. You can purchase pre-lit trees, wreaths and battery powered strands to use on tables, in dining rooms, and even bedrooms. Use battery powered lights in craft projects or to tuck into houseplants, and candle groupings. Don't forget doorways and inside the windows at the front of your house. Christmas lights can also include the use of candles and lanterns for an extra intimate touch. Using multiple types of lighting will give your home that cozy and traditional Christmas feel.
Most styles of Christmas lights are available for indoor or outdoor use. Just be sure you use the correct type of lights for the location you have chosen. There are so many types of Christmas lights; you will have a hard time choosing. They come in traditional bulb styles, fiber optics, rope lights, mini lights, icicle, LED, micro and novelty styles. All of these come in a multitude of colors and shapes. If you imagine your Christmas light fantasy, you can put it together with what's available today.
You cannot talk about lights without talking about safety. Buy only those lights approved by the Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Never connect more than one extension cord at a time. Always unplug your lights when you leave home or go to bed and keep a fire extinguisher handy, just in case.
For more ideas for decorating with Christmas lights, visit http://www.just-Christmas-decorations.com/Christmas-lights.html
Roxie Radford
http://www.just-Christmas-decorations.com
AP - The U.N. Security Council has approved a resolution calling for an immediate and durable cease-fire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces now fighting in the Gaza Strip. Thursday night's vote was 14-0 with the United States abstaining.
AP - A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.
AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.
AP - The many Bernard Madoff investors who withdrew money from their accounts over the years are now wrestling with an ethical and legal quandary. What they thought were profits was likely money stolen from other clients in what prosecutors are calling the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Now, they are confronting the possibility they may have to pay some of it back.
AP - In grainy cell-phone videos played over and over on the Internet, police officers force an unarmed black man to the ground and hold him face-down on a crowded train platform. Suddenly one of the officers draws his gun and fatally shoots the man in the back then looks up.
AP - U.S. policy to win in Afghanistan must recognize the poor nation's limitations and its neighborhood, especially its intertwined relationship with U.S. terrorism-fighting ally Pakistan, the top U.S. military commander in the region said Thursday.
AP - Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow and Sam Bradford traded touchdown passes to start the second quarter and No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Oklahoma were tied 7-7 at halftime of the BCS national championship game Thursday night.
Reuters - The U.N. Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on Thursday but Israeli warplanes kept up attacks.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama warned on Thursday the U.S. economy could stay mired in recession for years without bold action and he urged lawmakers to work day and night to pass a massive stimulus plan.
Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.
Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.
Reuters - The United States and its allies share some interests with Iran when it comes to stabilizing Afghanistan, Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, said on Thursday.
Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff had signed checks totaling more than $173 million in his office desk ready to be sent out before his arrest, U.S. prosecutors said in court papers on Thursday asking a judge to jail him.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama named Tim Kaine as head of the Democratic Party on Thursday, rewarding an early supporter with a high-profile political post even as he continues to serve as Virginia governor.
Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc and other top U.S. retailers delivered disappointing December same-store sales and profit warnings on Thursday, sparking fresh recession concerns that hit stock and currency markets.
AFP - The UN Security Council voted to call for an "immediate, durable" ceasefire in the Gaza Strip leading to the "full withdrawal" of Israeli forces, but the United States abstained.
AFP - Hopes for a quick resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe were rising Friday after Russia agreed on the terms for the deployment of monitors in Ukraine.
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