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Topic: Christmas Lights: LED vs Old School
CatsLoveMe's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:06 PM
Wondered what some people thought of these new LED X-mas lights. My mother a few weeks ago sent my father and I out to buy a few hundred lights for her newly purchased Christmas tree. She said she wanted white lights but did not specify she wanted the old style 9 watt lights. When we came back she was alarmed and dismayed when we started stringing the lights on the tree and turned them on. She said they were "too white." My dad and I were like "What the heck, white is white, what is the problem?" She got very angry over our purchase, and demanded we take them back and get the "old style" of lights. Don't know why she made a big deal about this, and we tried to tell her about the energy savings of using LED, but she wanted no part of it.

So what are your thoughts? Did you light your tree, and/or house with LED's or the old 9 watt kind? Do you think LED's look better or worse than the previous style? And looks aside, isn't it better to use more energy efficient and longer lasting Christmas lights?

Dict8's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:09 PM
The new LED light absolutely rock! :tongue:

CatsLoveMe's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:12 PM
I know. I think they're pretty cool, but it must be subjective and personal to a lot of people, despite the fact that they are popular, use less energy, last longer, and don't break as easily as the old kind do. I mean, it's just a light!laugh

JustAGuy2112's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:15 PM
How old is your mom??

Keep in mind that some thing are " sacred " to some people.

If she remembers the old school bulbs, the big ones, then even the smaller ones they started making would seem to be " not quite right ".

Going to LED lights would seem almost like blasphemy.

Some people are very set in " traditions ". Any change in those traditions represents change that some may not want to accept.

CatsLoveMe's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:23 PM

How old is your mom??

Keep in mind that some thing are " sacred " to some people.

If she remembers the old school bulbs, the big ones, then even the smaller ones they started making would seem to be " not quite right ".

Going to LED lights would seem almost like blasphemy.

Some people are very set in " traditions ". Any change in those traditions represents change that some may not want to accept.


Ah yes, she's from the Baby Boomer Generation, and recently turned 62. However set in her ways she may be, she seems to have no problem adapting to other new innovations like broadband, LCD HD TV, iTunes, and Facebook. The way she acted when we purchased these "evil" carbon friendly LED's you'd think we broke one of God's Commandments.laugh

JustAGuy2112's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:27 PM


How old is your mom??

Keep in mind that some thing are " sacred " to some people.

If she remembers the old school bulbs, the big ones, then even the smaller ones they started making would seem to be " not quite right ".

Going to LED lights would seem almost like blasphemy.

Some people are very set in " traditions ". Any change in those traditions represents change that some may not want to accept.


Ah yes, she's from the Baby Boomer Generation, and recently turned 62. However set in her ways she may be, she seems to have no problem adapting to other new innovations like broadband, LCD HD TV, iTunes, and Facebook. The way she acted when we purchased these "evil" carbon friendly LED's you'd think we broke one of God's Commandments.laugh


But that's not the point.

What you are missing is that new technologies are fine in everyday life. But when it comes to something that effects/changes your memories from childhood, that is a completely different animal altogether.

Jtevans's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:29 PM
i like LED's better for a few reasons.

1. if one bulbs goes out,the rest still work

2. you won't burn your hands if you accidentally touch them

3. they are brighter and they look better


:smile:

Italy0219's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:30 PM
I would tell her to "Get over it" and take them back herself!! I can't stand when people won't change for the better.

CatsLoveMe's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:31 PM
I see your point, JustAGuy, it's a childhood memory thing. For her, the old style of lights are more aesthetically pleasing and important to her. We did go out and buy the old kind of bulbs after returning the LED's. We just didn't think she would get so upset over them. Now we know.

no photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:33 PM
Grow lights work best.....smokin bigsmile

JustAGuy2112's photo
Mon 12/21/09 05:39 PM
Yeah. Your mom grew up with the C9 or C7 style bulb.

Then, along came the miniatures. That probably seemed like something radical to your mom when they came out.

Now, there are LED lights.

They just don't look right to someone who grew up with the big C9 bulbs.

They still, to this day, string C9 bulbs along the two main streets in the town where I live.

To me, it just wouldn't look the same if they changed the bulbs. I might not have the same kind of reaction to it that your mom had, but I know that it just wouldn't feel the same.


lilott's photo
Mon 12/21/09 06:01 PM
You don't have to replace led bulbs.

CatsLoveMe's photo
Mon 12/21/09 09:57 PM


How is this anything but cool?

Quietman_2009's photo
Mon 12/21/09 11:15 PM
I guess I'm really old school

I prefer luminaria (paper sacks with sand and candles)



no photo
Mon 12/21/09 11:22 PM



How is this anything but cool?



Very Cool!drinks :banana: drinks

willing2's photo
Tue 12/22/09 05:49 AM
I just use one yellow 40watt bug light.

no photo
Tue 12/22/09 05:59 AM
Around here if you don't get your lights up Thanksgiving Day week-end, forget about it. Too snowy, cold, ice on the ground, etc.

As for the lights, you want what you want. If your idea of Christmas lights are the C-9's then thats what you want. If you go to a restaurant and order stuffed pork chops, you're not going to be happy if they bring you a steak. It doesn't matter if it's a great steak, a perfect medium rare, you ordered stuffed pork chops

Mr_Music's photo
Wed 12/23/09 08:46 AM
I saw these things when they came out last year. I like them now as I did then. To me, they just seem "cooler" (not in the attitude sense, but in the esthetic sense). They still have the primary colors, but they're somehow different in the fact that they're not only a slightly different shade, but they don't seem as harsh or glaring, not so "in-your-face" bright. More of a softer glow.

Don't get me wrong, I still like the old-school miniatures too, just as much as I still like the old-school C7 and C9 lights (ahh, the childhood memories!), but I really do like these new LED's. A little bit more expensive per set at the initial purchase, but they save you money by offsetting the power usage, and they stay cool (they never get hot). Honestly, I couldn't really give a damn about the so-called "environmental benefits" of them, because I don't buy into any of that crap anyway, I just enjoy the look of them.

CatsLoveMe's photo
Wed 12/23/09 01:27 PM
I noticed that the LEDs come in more of a variety of colors than the old lights did, and to me they seem to shine further away than the old lights do. Our city municipal building has thousands of them put up. I also like the energy savings you get with them. I think I heard some where that they only consume 1% of the energy that the traditional lights use.

Holly4459's photo
Wed 12/23/09 01:37 PM



How is this anything but cool?
whoa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!noway love noway love




Beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!

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