Story 19/24: I know I should love the Christmas trees that come with lights pre-woven around the faux pine, but I don’t.

Pre-lit give a false sense of security as if it will be ten to twenty years until you’ll have to wrap another Christmas tree with lights—and by then, technology will have undoubtedly made the ordeal even easier, right? Wrong. It’s a lie.

I bought a white flocked, pre-lit tree three-years ago. It was great. Instantly, there was a warm glow casting across white snow. Brian and I hadn’t gotten a new tree in a while, and this one was perfect.

We wanted this tree to don nothing but glass bulbs and sentimental ornaments—you know, the ones your kids made in elementary school with a glued school photo of themselves in the middle? (As a bonus, they are also a quick look at the past, a reassurance that yes, those expensive braces were needed, and yes, those braces did in fact work!) Brian and I added a string of lights simulating candles glinting off tree branches. It was magnificent!

About three weeks ago, I noticed that the top quarter of our Christmas tree wasn’t shining soft white, but seemed to be blaring miniature headlights instead. Bry saw it too. He stood behind the tree moving limbs, pulling up cords. Then the whole tree went dark.

After a moment, the tree glowed back to life…all except for the top quarter.

“I’ll be back,” Brian groaned.

At the beginning of this Christmas season, the tree we put up in the front room had also blown a fuse somewhere, and its pre-lit lights went out. Brian strung several lengths around the tree, and within hours, half of those had gone out. I tried figuring out which lights were faulty without luck.

I undressed the tree and unstrung the dead lights. I retrieved three boxes of new lights from the basement and restrung them as well as rehanged the ornaments. So, Brian was not looking forward to having to unmake and then remake another Christmas tree. Neither was I.

He went to the store. He purchased a short strand of twinkle lights, came home and wove the new over the old ones. Once again our tree was intact, until the next night.

When the sun went down, the Christmas tree went on—all except for that very top point! What-in-the-?

I know I could take down the newest spent lights and tear down the ornaments. I could then buy new lights and restring those and rehang all the ornaments, or I can go with Plan C; With less than a week until Christmas, give up!

Plan C sounds good to me!