Adam@Home by Rob Harrell for December 01, 2009

Are they solar powered? If so, do they only work during daylight hours?

I’ve never understood how people put away Christmas and then have so many problems the next yr. It must be the fact that my father’s a Marine and a very organized electrician. He showed me how to store lights that if you plug in before unwrapping you can find the burnt lights within seconds. After 14 yr on my own, my decorations are still packed away just like dad’s are.

I learned how to wrap lights (any long cord actually) at a technician job I had a while back. We always had to deal with these really long extension cords that got tangled if you looked at them hard enough, so we used a system of alternating loops to keep them neatly stored and easy to use. The method works just as well on christmas lights now as it did on extension cords.

You have to find ways to do this correctly so you don’t end up taking hours just to untangle the stupid things. But Adam isn’t that organized at all.

adam is adam, and anything he does will end up in confusion. it surprises me that he didn’t just shove everything into boxes or grocery bags and throw them in the basement

I prefer white lights. Bit classier to me than the garish colored ones, and it looks more like winter instead of a carnival. What I don’t understand is my daughter’s neighbor who does her bushes in ALL BLUE every year. BLUE?

nothing wrong with blue (especially if your a leafs fan) but for Christmas i would not prefer it.

oh, what a tangled web we weave…….

ds133 - Are those “alternating loops” basically like crocheting? I’ve watched a contractor do something like that with his extension cord once, and have been trying to figure out exactly how it is done.

I’m not sure about crocheting, but the alternating loops involve alternating between a ‘normal’ loop, and a reversed loop, achieved by twisting your wrist while looping. (Sorry that’s not more descriptive, its a simple procedure but the only way I’ve ever seen anyone learn it is by being shown exactly how to do it.)

You mean you’re supposed to take ‘em down?

Lewreader said: Are they solar powered? If so, do they only work during daylight hours?

Solar powered lights have built in batteries which charge in the sun by day and then glow several hours at night.

Provided you have sunshine…and if the collectors aren’t covered with snow or leaves. Not that I’m cynical or anything.

In Louisiana, he could leave the lights up and turn them on for Mardi Gras. And then, for Easter.

ds133 said, about 12 hours ago

I’m not sure about crocheting, but the alternating loops involve alternating between a ‘normal’ loop, and a reversed loop, achieved by twisting your wrist while looping. (Sorry that’s not more descriptive, its a simple procedure but the only way I’ve ever seen anyone learn it is by being shown exactly how to do it.)

That is the same way stored our our life ring rope when I was a lifeguard. The fire department showed us how to do it. Never once a tangle when throwing the rope.

Who says comics can’t teach you anything.