I love Christmas lights and love finding ways to use them creatively throughout the year. For years I’ve been planning a backyard display transforming my son’s play fort into a gingerbread house. This year, it just might happen.
A number of years ago I purchased some rope light palm trees. You see them pictured here.
For the first couple of years, I just put them out on special occasions and with the nativity. After all, there are palm trees in Bethlehem. I’ve seen them.
But I liked these trees so much I left them out on the deck for year round usage. They look great lit up in a snow storm, or add some cheer to a warm summer night on the deck.
Unfortunately, time and weather have taken their toll. Both of them have shorts in their wiring so that all of the rope no longer lights up. And the frames are starting to crumble.
Easy enough, I thought, I can replace them.
No so easy.
When I bought the first of these (the taller one), I bought in on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond for $19.00. I bought the second one at Lowes for $50, and felt that was a bit much to pay.
But apparently they either became too popular, or not popular enough. Sure there are other variations on the palm tree theme out there, but I like these.
The best deal I’ve found so far is Amazon, where the taller one would now cost $129.
That seems a bit frivolous and wasteful. So I don’t know if I can bring myself to do that. Not yet anyway.
The palm trees on my deck are not going to make it through another Christmas season. I suspect that before the plastic wise men come out of the attic that I’ll be getting a package from Amazon.
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