My new Raptor spared!

[Wfo]

<total thread-jack>

Oh yeah, I hear you. My wife is obsessed with Christmas, the secular side anyway. Gift giving is a well planned strategy to ensure she is the center of attention. No matter how much i illustrate we’re hemorrhaging money as a consequence, she insists it nets me gifts (that don’t add up to what we spend). It starts on Boxing Day, calms down for about a month, and slow accumulation of gifts commences, but some have to be spent on birthdays so it continues throughout the year. Things pick up in October and don’t slow down until the 15 minutes of unwrapping are completed.

Don’t even get me started on decorating which I end up doing 95% of. We won the ‘hood decorating contest 4 or 5 years running, had runner up the year before, then we started getting honorable mention. I’m down to about 6,000 outside lights this year though, it’s a lot of work and the wife just lays around watching Hallmark Christmas movies while I do it.

that’s enough threadjacking for now...

Nice work Clark...... Griswald. Happy wife = happy life. Right?

 

[smurfslayer]

It’s not Christmas until the lights in the house dim in rhythm with the Christmas music / light synchronizer.

The neighbor’s house lights.



I think the most I’ve run in a year was ~12,500, not long after converting to all LED. What convinced me to scale back was one year my wife convinced me to buy the 18’ inflatable Santa. My dumb @ss decided to rig it up on the lower roof deck. it worked great for about 2 weeks when a noreaster rolled through with 45mph winds. Literally tore Santa a new one. I pull the plug and the wife is calling everyone she knows complaining about santa being down.

yeah, I admit, I fell for it.

Up I go onto the roof, freezing temps, at least 20mph winds with a needle, thread and duct tape. it was only about 30 minutes but it felt like 3 freakin’ hours later, working 18’ Santa. That lasted a day. When I got some daylight and temps above freezing I was able to do the sewing job properly.

I hate inflatables.

 

[SZDZMTR]

It’s not Christmas until the lights in the house dim in rhythm with the Christmas music / light synchronizer.

The neighbor’s house lights.



I think the most I’ve run in a year was ~12,500, not long after converting to all LED. What convinced me to scale back was one year my wife convinced me to buy the 18’ inflatable Santa. My dumb @ss decided to rig it up on the lower roof deck. it worked great for about 2 weeks when a noreaster rolled through with 45mph winds. Literally tore Santa a new one. I pull the plug and the wife is calling everyone she knows complaining about santa being down.

yeah, I admit, I fell for it.

Up I go onto the roof, freezing temps, at least 20mph winds with a needle, thread and duct tape. it was only about 30 minutes but it felt like 3 freakin’ hours later, working 18’ Santa. That lasted a day. When I got some daylight and temps above freezing I was able to do the sewing job properly.

I hate inflatables.

I really feel your pain, brother. lol