Friday, December 7, 2012

Pains of Christmas



Last night after the kids had finally gone to bed (and after numerous escapes and calls from their rooms), I am finally able to relax after another long day.  The fire is burning beautifully in the fireplace and I just sit down in my cozy chair when I hear a "POP" from the front hallway.  I turn my head and see that every single light on the extra large Christmas tree has gone out all at once.

"NOOOOooooooo!!!!"  I silently scream.

I slowly pull myself out of my chair and walk to the front hallway.  I unplug the tree and plug it back in.   It doesn't work.  I do this about 20 more times.  I am confused.

I walk downstairs to the basement, ignore Todd who is asking me what is going on, and head over to the breaker box.  I check the fuses.  Everything seems to be fine.  I flip a few switches back and forth for good measure.  I walk back upstairs to the still dark hallway.  Todd follows me.  No lights.

Todd proceeds back downstairs to the breaker box and continues to flip switches back and forth willy nilly.  I return to my chair, still not speaking, and zone out for the rest of the night.

I go to bed early.  No more thinking.

Today I woke up resigned to have a dark tree grace our hallway for the remainder of this Christmas season.  Like I'm gonna take off all the ornaments on the tree so that I can take off all the old lights and restring new ones and THEN put the ornaments back on.  Not gonna happen.

Todd tells me he will work on the lights this afternoon.  I ignore him.  I don't want to talk about it.

Because I am a tad obsessive I think about it all morning.  After the kids are at school and Grace is happily munching her cereal I walk over to the tree.  I plug it in and unplug it a dozen more times.  Still nothing.

I decide to check the fuse in the plug itself.  When I open the tiny little box I see that it is all askew, bent, and it looks crusty.  I pluck the little fuses out, attempt to straighten out the little metal clips and wires that hold the fuses in place, and then replace the old fuses with new ones.  It all sounds fairly easy but it took me an exorbitant amount of time because the stinking thing is so, so small.  After what feels like a million hours, probably more like 45 minutes, I close up the miniscule fuse box and say a prayer.

I hold my breath and plug the tree in.

Glory Be!  It worked!  I did it!  I fixed our tree!  Hallelujah!  

Joy, and Peace, and Christmas Cheer are restored!

I think I've had all the lights, Christmas tree,  and decorations drama that I need for one season.  I'm hoping we are done now.  Though the pains of the season do seem to come around each and every year I still love this crazy time of year.  It reminds me of one of my favorite holiday songs, and I share it with you now.



What pains are you suffering through this jolly Christmas season?


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18 comments:

Suldog said...

Well, no pains for me yet, but that's probably because we really haven't decorated yet. I've set aside this Saturday for putting up the tree, filling it with the decorations, candles in the windows, stockings on the mantel, all the other doo-dads scattered around the house, the dining room table bedecked in red and gold, etc., etc.

I'm sure I'll blow my own fuse sometime this weekend, but it will be worth it. It always is.

Anonymous said...

Christmas lights. They are so pretty, but SUCH a pain.

lime said...

ack, the thought of undecorating the restring and redecorate would not thrill me either. so glad you got it to work without that headache. and i have to say the 12 pains always cracks me up too!

Bijoux said...

There's a fuse box in the plug? You are an engineer compared to me....of course, you could very well be an engineer and I don't know it! Congrats on fixing it! It looks beautiful!

Kat said...

Bijoux- I learned all about the tiny little fuses in the plug last year when we went through our AWFUL Christmas light experience. I think I learned more about stringed lights than anyone should. I feel like I should have an honorary "Electrician" name tag or something.

dawn klinge said...

Wow! You deserve to take a lot of pride in that. I would not have been able to figure that out, and I would have been pretty upset too.

Lynn said...

good for you! I would never be able to fix it...and my husband? forget it. I would just have to live with a tree with no lights if that happened to me. I'm glad you saved the day!
and it's a pretty tree!!!

Unknown said...

This made me laugh. I love how your husband was following you around, being a guy, wanting to fix everything.
Good job, Kat. I am glad it was you who was able to get it done. :)

nbrsspot.blogspot.com said...

just trying to find x-mas presents for everyone. the girls got there presents bought today and i will bring them in later and wrap them. then i will finish my mils present over the week to come.

Cyndy Bush said...

Never underestimate the power of a determined mama!! Good for you!
and your new header photo made me gasp - GORGEOUS!!!

Riahli said...

Funny video! :) Awesome that you figures out the Christmas tree lights, that's always a good feeling to me when I figure out how to fix something, since Ryder is usually the fixer around here. :)

imbeingheldhostage said...

Impressive! We haven't had anything to complain about... Yet. Perhaps that it just doesn't feel like Christmas yet. There's still time though!

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

I'm so glad you got it fixed...that would bug me, too, but I wouldn't give up!

Case in point the lid for our steamer went missing for about two weeks but every couple days I'd look for it again and it finally showed up in one of the places I looked a zillion times.

So glad your tree is working again.

Rima said...

Wow, you're really resourceful! The tree is beautiful (and perfectly matched;)

momto8 said...

a little Christmas miracle just for you...
the lights are my favorite. I do love this whole season.

Karen Deborah said...

your adorable, none yet

Unknown said...

Look at you, SO handy! Great job, my friend. And that video is hilarious!

Mom24 said...

So glad you got it to work, I can't even imagine how awful that would have been.

Our pains? Mark has shingles which the doctor says will leave him sick and exhausted for up to another 4 weeks or so, but no way to know exactly. He's also picked up another viral infection and as his immune system is weakened it's hitting him harder than it normally might. Julianna came down with lice as her teacher is an idiot that has class hats for the kids to take turns wearing. The first two weeks of December have been consumed with Sunday School program practice and program (the program I did enjoy), 4 shows of the Nutcracker for Julianna plus a five hour dress rehearsal and Mark being sick. Why yes, I am a little grumpy about it all.

Rebekah comes home Saturday, hoping we can capture some of our holiday spirit then.

Words To Live By

Be grateful for each new day.
A new day that you have never lived before.
Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use usefully and profitably.
We can squander, neglect, or use them.
Life will be richer or poorer by the way we use today.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson