Finding the chase and cutting to it

If you’ve ever watched “Deck the halls” with Matthew Broderick and
Danny Devito (alphabetic order of surnames), you will understand how seriously out of hand outdoor Christmas lights can get.

Thankfully, our neighbourhood is significantly saner than that movie
suggests it can get. It does lead to the question – how do you make the task of setting up next year an enjoyable job rather than a miserable chore spent on a damp late November or early December Saturday untangling never ending cables and drops of LEDs?

I know some favour cable ties or bread ties for the task, but I have found an old-fashioned approach works for me.

Don’t be tempted with a “wound coil” approach. Split the light run
into three sections and “concertina” them into a bundle.  Fix the top of each with either a simple granny knot and bow, or if you’d really like to make the job easy for next year, do a clove hitched “spine” – three or four clove hitches make it easy.  Repeat for the rest of the lights.  You should have three bundles tied together.  (I leave the gutter ties on it, again so it’s
easy for next year, but that’s definitely your choice).

Then put the far end of the lights in the box first and the end with the plug last.  Seal the box up ready for next year.

Always test the lights before you uncan the worms – nothing worse than laying them out in situ and finding they don’t work which happened to us last year!

Thankfully, our neighbourhood is significantly saner than that movie
suggests it can get. It does lead to the question – how do you make the task of setting up next year an enjoyable job rather than a miserable chore spent on a damp late November or early December Saturday untangling never ending cables and drops of LEDs?

I know some favour cable ties or bread ties for the task, but I have found an old-fashioned approach works for me.

Don’t be tempted with a “wound coil” approach. Split the light run
into three sections and “concertina” them into a bundle.  Fix the top of each with either a simple granny knot and bow, or if you’d really like to make the job easy for next year, do a clove hitched “spine” – three or four clove hitches make it easy.  Repeat for the rest of the lights.  You should have three bundles tied together.  (I leave the gutter ties on it, again so it’s
easy for next year, but that’s definitely your choice).

Then put the far end of the lights in the box first and the end with the plug last.  Seal the box up ready for next year.

Always test the lights before you uncan the worms – nothing worse than laying them out in situ and finding they don’t work which happened to us last year!