Day Two Hundred Sixty-Six: String Me Along

If you are like most people, you string lights on your Christmas tree by wrapping the lights toilet-paper style. You might be extra crafty and attempt to hide the green wire among the branches.  Martha suggests Stringing Lights by running the lights along the underside of each branch.  When you get near the end, loop the lights around the top of the branch and work back to the trunk.  This technique plays up the depth of the tree and also conceals the wires.

It also takes ages.

I've used this technique for years, but every year I'm surprised at how long it takes.  Don't try it if you are in a rush.  Start on a small tree.  In my actual job as a designer, I decorate at least twenty Christmas trees every December.  Last year, I strung lights using this technique on a fifteen-foot tree.

It took eight hours.

Tuesday I had my six-year old son help with one of our trees.  With my assistance, he strung the lights on the lower branches.  He was pretty persistent, but after a while he sighed and said he was "retiring" from stringing lights.

Where do they hear these things?