Get one of those gizmos you see on TV to get your Christmas lights working again and see if that gets the section working again.

Jim

CindyLou,

I just put up my prelit tree today. It is only one year old, and still works. However, I told DH that when I buy a new one (next year, because I really need a taller one), I don't think I'll get a pre-lit. I have so many ornaments that I can't see because with so many lights it is too bright!

I know I'll be in the minority, wanting fewer lights, but I have a rustic style and most of my ornaments are not shiny. I have warm white LED lights on the mantel, and like them very much. They're not so spotlight-bright.

My DH's mother strings lights on her tree (12 ft!) every Christmas and she's in her seventies. I figure if she can do it so can I.

- Magpie

I am buying a new tree for my parlor this year and I have decided on no lights for that very reason. It is much easier to just string on as many lights as I want and if a string goes only a few dollars to replace. And as said above some have so many lights on them you can't see the decorations.

We just gave our 5 yr. old 6-l/2' - 1000 light tree away because it was so heavy to tote upstairs (about 50 lbs.) & awkward...even tho in 3 pcs. DH & DS spent hrs. last yr. finding where the bulbs needed replaced & then it worked fine again.

Anyway, before 5 yrs. ago, we always had a REAL tree! So we went back to that this yr. It is very lovely...but, we were so used to the 1000 lite tree that with 200 LED lights we bought to put on this one, makes it seems dark. We are getting used to the LED lights tho...and yes, our LR is not lit up so bright! It is a much softer, old-fashioned atmosphere...and works well with 40+ yrs. of hodge-podge ornaments!

So...I'd recommend the REAL THING again to you! And then put the tree outside after Christmas for the birds til nice weather gets here in the Spring. :-) Happy decorating! Jeanne S.

I love my prelite tree but I do understand there is some frustration. I think I will buy another one when they go on sale this year after Christmas in case I have an issue with lights.

I will never go back to a real tree. I just don't like the mess. They only seem to last 2 weeks in the house and I like mine to be up for a month.

Punk

We had a pre-lit tall full tree but went back last year & bought another slimmer tree that wasn't so heavy to pick up. DH says he is getting old & his face turned red when he picked up the tree....ha! It isn't as heavy as it doesn't have lights on it. The pre-lit one was in 2 sections & that was it. I think we will probably stay with the regular tree since we had the same trouble with some sections of the lights going off as you are having. Lowes put the trees on sale long time before Christmas now. Keep checking daily.......that was what we did last year & snagged a great tree for 50% off. Good luck!
Bonnie

When I bought my tree, very few were prelit. I love the shape of my tree for all my ornaments. I have vintage candle lights & clip one candle on each branch. So it's not a big deal for me to put lights on the tree.

My sister got a tree from QVC. It has the motion lights & steady burning lights. It was beautiful the first year. But the top & middle were joined by the lights harness. It takes two of us to get these two sections up & down. The next year was the nightmare. The top two sections the lights failed. I found the broken bulb when it shocked me. The top section of steady burning lights, the wire into the plug pulled out. She called QVC & got a $15 credit to buy a string of lights. This was a better idea than mine to cut the lights out of the tree. It's on the sixth year with the extra string of lights laid in the top.

So if you love the shape of your tree, cut out the old lights & buy new lights. If you see a better shaped tree then get a prelit one & donate the old one.

Magpie,
I know what you mean about too many lights! I would look at the pre-lit tree and just see lights, the ornaments really don't show until daylight when you have the room fully lit by sunslight.
Something to think about when I get another tree.

I put up 3 trees, 2 artificial ones and I ALWAYS have to have a real one, can't beat the feel and smell, it's just so nostalgic. But I don't put that one up til 2wks before.

We have never had a pre-lit, because I'm afraid of the light problems, plus I like to change my lights back and forth from colored to clear. This year on our big tree I have large round bulbs and programable twinkle lights. We had a real tree for the first 20 years, but I hate the mess and think it stirs up my allergies.
Syble

After the of experience of buying our real tree and having them dry out so quickly, I finally gave up and bought a faux tree. It's prelit with white lights, and since we have a little granddaughter who loves "rainbow" colors, I just added colored light strands to it. It worked great, because I had a choice between it white or multicolored or I could have both at the same time if I wanted! I figure if the prelit lights stop working, I could still use the tree by just putting my own lights on it.

To me, there's something special about a real tree--but the faux tree is so much easier in so many ways, no hassle of getting it home, getting it in the stand, remembering to water it, or worrying about it drying out and becoming a fire hazard. I will say that fluffing the branches is a hassle, but unless you have the space to store it without stuffing it back in the box--you gotta do it.

I read a post once about a lady who took the no longer working lights off her pre-lit tree and it sounded like a very difficult, time consuming project, much as I hate to be wasteful, I'd probably have just bought a new tree or as stated above, just strung more lights on it.

Yesterday, I stopped in a couple TS on my way home from helping a friend and both stores had faux trees for sale. I was impressed that at least two out of three of the trees were really nice ones and just needed a bit of fluffing--and the price was a fraction of what a new tree would cost. So if you're into recycling, saving money or both, don't forget to check those places also.

Luvs

Makes me glad we didn't get a pre-lit tree altho neither DH nor I like putting lights on our faux tree. We're only on our second faux tree in over 35 years! I just loved the look of the first one we had but DH gave up trying to put it together after about 30 years! The one we have now isn't quite as real looking but easier to put up. Bot it at an after Christmas sale for something like 75% off. I'm tempted to get a slim tree next to save space.

While I love the look and smell of a real tree we can't due to allergies. I also usually like to leave the tree up for at least a month.

We bought our first prelit tree last year at K-Mart - a Martha Stewart 9' Aspen. We got a great deal on the last one, which was the floor model, but it does you no good if you don't have the instructions! Hopefully the manufacturer will tell me tomorrow they can send them to us.

This tree is in four sections. I do love how you don't have to put each branch on and when you put a complete section in, the branches just fold out. However, we won't buy another prelit tree or one this tall because we are in our 60's and we have to stand on a ladder to put the last section on the top. The two middle sections are rather heavy.

I do like a lot of lights on a tree but I don't like to be blinded...so we'll see if this one ever gets lit, LOL!

I just gave our old tree to our son. They had a prelit tree that rotated and my DIL said never again...I believe she used a few choice words I won't mention here, LOL. The lights quit working and it quit rotating.

Downsouth, your post made me chuckle--I sympathize with your DIL, I've been in a few of those situations before!

All this reminds me of a comment a friend made when we were contemplating buying a new refrigerator once--he said "the more gadgets, the more chance of something going wrong". I've quoted him many times since! LOL

Luvs

I was afraid of the problem you are experiencing with a pre-lit tree. So I got a tree that is in three sections, strung lights on each section separately, and store them upright in the attic. My husband made a stand for each section. The branches are hinged and just fall open and stay that way all year. I can control how many lights and I don't have to put the lights on each year.

We (especially DH) love our pre-lit tree. It's about 5 or 6 years old now and if it went out tonight, I would be at the store buying another one. When we had the regular one, it took DH forever to get the lights on it. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE lights. I made him start at the trunk and go up and down every branch. It would have at least 2500 lights on the 7 1/2 foot tree. Then I load it with all my decorations - things the kids made, craft show finds, old things from my childhood - you name it, I put it on and it is beautiful. Now with the pre-lit tree, I have to be content with only 1500 lights. Took a couple of years to get used to it, but now I am so glad DH doesn't have to spend hours getting it just so for me. Makes him a happier Santa!