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Christmas Lights and Decor

10K views 64 replies 24 participants last post by  NautiG 
#1 ·
Tis the season,
A big part of living aboard is the "living" part. Since this is our first Christmas living aboard ... What ideas do you have for celebrating the season?

The wife just saw solar powered Xmas lights for sale for $20 per 15' strand on QVC. Not sure if the expense of these shorter strands meet the savings of using the (longer) standard AC powered strands for 6 hours per night?

Other ideas?:rolleyes:
 
#2 ·
For my boat, I bought a 3.5 ft tree at a dollar store for 5 bucks. I also have 2 strings of LED lites. I think they cost $7.00 each. Gold bells and red apples again at the dollar store.
 
#3 ·
Tis the season,
A big part of living aboard is the "living" part. Since this is our first Christmas living aboard ... What ideas do you have for celebrating the season?
laughing at the lemmings still caught in the money/buying/consumerist echo of an ancient pagan ritual.

the amount of $$$ north americans spend on themselves at this time of year is sufficient to end world hunger, provide schooling for everyone, and vaccinate the world against all the major preventable diseases. it's a tremendous influx of carbon into the atmosphere and generates mountains of residual waste. by any standard it is a moral, economic and environmental travesty. but that's what happens when capitalism becomes the major cultural ethic.
 
#4 ·
Actually, the capitalism isn't the bad part... it is the runaway materialism... big difference. :D
 
#5 ·
I assume you're going to the lighted boats parade? I think it's this weekend in DC and I know it's next weekend in Annapolis.

For decor, we swirl green rope lights around the split backstay and red lights on the bimini, and a red bow on the bow. {Huh, I just noticed how funny that looks, written out, they're two different words if you say 'em}. The LAs here have a nautical white elephant gift exchange that can be really funny - know anyone who needs 1982 charts of the Ches. Bay, or a knot-tying handbook?
 
#7 ·
On a cold winter day in Iraq I took a small, battery powered CHRISTMAS tree from foxhole to foxhole and celebrated Christmas with my men. I had a single bag of Oreos...each man received one oreo.

I don't know where "Hoffa Lives" but, I do know that the spirit of Christmas lives in many of us, no matter how far we are from those we love.

People risk thier lives to come here. If you can hate what we are so much, and do so little to make a difference. Go to those places...dig a well, replant the rain forrest, rage against the machine.

I say...spend what you have, on what you want, on who you want.

I know men who would have wanted to be alive...to be here...to be able to do just that.

No matter what it is...this is America...this is home...this is us.

Celebrate it...Merry Christmas!!!
 
#10 ·
On a cold winter day in Iraq I took a small, battery powered CHRISTMAS tree from foxhole to foxhole and celebrated Christmas with my men. I had a single bag of Oreos...each man received one oreo.

I don't know where "Hoffa Lives" but, I do know that the spirit of Christmas lives in many of us, no matter how far we are from those we love.

People risk thier lives to come here. If you can hate what we are so much, and do so little to make a difference. Go to those places...dig a well, replant the rain forrest, rage against the machine.

I say...spend what you have, on what you want, on who you want.

I know men who would have wanted to be alive...to be here...to be able to do just that.

No matter what it is...this is America...this is home...this is us.

Celebrate it...Merry Christmas!!!
there is no relationship between men dying, placed in harm's way by the proven lies of a corrupt administration and a thousands-of-years-old tradition the roots of which aren't even american. and i think you do these men a great disservice when you suggest that they are dying for the right of americans to spend money on the materialistic binge that this season has become.

are there good feelings at xmas? sure. but you have to examine it deeper, look at the consequences, ramifications, and what it means on a greater context, rather then just liking the pretty lights.

the notion that this what we are so celebrate it, is too simple, and one of the reasons 'the season' has so thoroughly been co-opted by commercial interests. people don't question what and why they are doing.

are the western values worth preserving and even defending? absolutely - the right to think and question, to behave according to one's values, pursue truth and meaning as one defines them, critique those in power, seek equality for all, and on and on. there might even have been important values in christmas once upon a time, but today...

given the points i made about economics, values and the environment, the material traditions of this season have become diametric to the values it supposedly espouses.

besides, if those values are important, we should be living them every day, not just duringthe winter solstice. that's what i try to do anyway, and so i don't get all the hoopla about the season, much less the material orgy. i do practice love to all that i meet, and unfortunately i don't find a lot of reciprocity out there. folks are too stressed i guess from all the money they spend and the debt they racked up last xmas.

anyway, this is supposed to be a sailing thread so let's see...jesus was a sailor?
 
#8 ·
Dun - Thanx for your service, and for the reminder that the best gifts of the season aren't the ones that come from the mall.

AND that not celebrating materialistically DOESN'T mean "not celebrating." I'm gonna get an even bigger bow to tie on our bow, now.
 
#12 ·
"Hoffa Lives" I don't think you made a point. You voiced your opinion...good for you.

What have you done to make a difference?

Have you dedicated your life to a cause...are you willing to donate your boat to end world hunger...did you give a portion of your income to your faith....when did you last volunteer to teach someone to read...did you serve your country...

Have you put your efforts where your mouth...or keypad is?

Tell the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Alex's Lemonade Stand...or a thousand other non-profits that you want to be involved because you are tired of standing outside and looking through the window at others who have the courage of thier convictions.

...until then...raging against the machine without being involved...is simply rage.

Oh yeah, I think this thread started because someone wanted to buy lights for a boat to celebrate the season.

Do you know where he can get the lights...or don't ya'?
 
#16 ·
words can be more than an opinion; when they are the right words one can make a difference. asking people to think about what they are doing is insufficient but it's a start. i've spent a very long time dedicated to people, doing what i can to improve the world i live in, in many different ways.
if one's intent is to bring good into the world one needs to be aware of what isn't good. and awareness is not found on the worn path of cultural norms and stale ideologies.

i note that you haven't responded to any of the points i raised, just increased the heat towards the voice that raised them. my intent is not to offend you or anyone else who pursues a typical north american christmas, but to raise a few realities about what it means beyond the made-in-china glitter. that to me is a good.

and valiente: you said it better than me; i doff my cap to you. I love the notion of the sailor needing global consciousness. you've taught me something, and that's a good. gold star for you today.:D
 
#14 ·
So to tie this whole thread up in one event, how about everyone show up at the Fells Point Yacht Club in Baltimore this Saturday to watch the parade of lighted boats. Don't forget to bring a toy for the Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive. You get Christmas lights on boats, charity for the needy and a chance to meet some individuals who're both dedicated to defending the country and volunteering their time to help others.
I'll be there - the bald guy in Blues.
 
#15 ·
In a possible vain attempt to keep this thread on track or course, I would advise the following:

Skip Christmas aboard, unless you are seriously Christian. Celebrating the actual holiday (which is redolent in many a mind as a family occasion, featuring in the first part an orgy of gift opening, and in the second part an impractically large meal hard to replicate on a boat) in a cabin, no matter how well appointed, is rife with the potential for disappointment. Rather, keep the holiday close, make a really nice breakfast, and, weather permitting, get off your own boat to visit others, or perhaps to do some charity work, followed by what non-Christians do: go out for Chinese.

As a more nautical/pagan/useful observance, consider borrowing a sextant, if you don't own one of your own (and you really should, you know) and take noon sights from your deck or dock in the week leading up to the winter solstice (usually Dec. 21). Seeing the sun reach its lowest point on the southern horizon (or highest point on the northern, for certain Wombatish persons) really brings home the sort of global consciousness I feel behooves a sailor to possess. Yule is an important holiday for me, full of symbols and meaning that frankly Christmas no longer possesses. Also, having a sextant means you can literally go out the next day and PROVE by simple observation that summer, despite all indicates to the contrary, is coming in.

Happy Yule, and keep your wicks trimmed.
 
#37 ·
As a more nautical/pagan/useful observance, consider borrowing a sextant, if you don't own one of your own (and you really should, you know) and take noon sights from your deck or dock in the week leading up to the winter solstice (usually Dec. 21). Seeing the sun reach its lowest point on the southern horizon (or highest point on the northern, for certain Wombatish persons) really brings home the sort of global consciousness I feel behooves a sailor to possess. Yule is an important holiday for me, full of symbols and meaning that frankly Christmas no longer possesses. Also, having a sextant means you can literally go out the next day and PROVE by simple observation that summer, despite all indicates to the contrary, is coming in.

Happy Yule, and keep your wicks trimmed.
What a great idea, Val! I need the practice, too - last time I tried I plotted us 20 miles inland. :eek:
 
#17 ·
Ah Christmas.

I'm thinking of buying up a few copies of Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol for Xmas gifts but with everything after Scrooge goes to bed torn out. :):)

Not surprisingly this particular grumpy old curmudgeon is not a great lover of things Christmassy but unfortunately for me I have a mother who is a committed Christian and loves all things Christmas. So while I would druther just get out on the water and go for a sail I have to go and do my duty. What's more the damn woman lives hours from here so I can't even get seriously plastered. Not good, kiddies, not good at all.

As for dressing up my baby in fecking fairy lights ? Try it, I dare you. In return you too can experience the joy of Yuletide keel hauling.

Bah bloody humbug.



How come you never hear anything about the 10th reindeer "Olive"?
Yeah, you know, "Olive the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names"
 
#18 ·
Hoffa-

You make a very good point... too many times, the holidays bring a short burst of conscience... which seems to be lacking most of the rest of the year. Don't homeless need help all winter long, rather than just at the holidays?? Doesn't poverty and hunger exist year round... Ignore the trolls... keep up the good work, even if you are a dead teamster. :D
 
#19 ·
remember the tsunami xmas 2005? they couldn't give the money away fast enough. governments all over the world were tripping over each other trying to outdo the other guy in largess.
moral of the story is if you are going to have a disaster have it between dec 25 and jan 1

people really do care, they just forget they do.
 
#21 ·
Very, very cynical...but not completely inaccurate. :D
 
#20 ·
Back to Shack's original Q - Some utility companies are offering a rebate for every set of LED Xmas lights - on Long Island, you can get $2/strand if you mail your receipt to Long Island Power Authority. Are your slips individually metered? (Ours are flat rate so there's a tad less incentive here in Annapolis)
 
#25 · (Edited)
Should we all chip in and send Hoffa a hot little Elf?
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Back on topic;
Lowes Home stores has Green 40' garland strands w/ either white or multicolor lights lights built in for $24 and it's 25% off starting today. I'm thinking about wrapping it spiraled around the mast THEN, K-Mart has 40' Silvery/mother of pearl reg. garland that I would wrap or wire up the front and back stays (it should catch the reflected white light) and a few red bows on the lifeline stanchions. I'm also in a very visible location 150' from a heavily traveled bridge that also has lots of foot traffic. I always decorated my house outside so this isn't new to me.

Think it will look ok?
 
#27 ·
Hoffa-
I'm laughing at the overly cynical at life, straving-artist-wanna-be that shows his frustration in evey post. You always sound so disappointed and as if you have a chip on your shoulder. Somewhere down the road, someone obviuously pissed in your cereal bowl of life. I'm sorry about your disappointments and disillusionments (i.e. prop shafts, perceptions of exclusivity/ellitism, money, and all that). Possessing cash is not an evil thing, but refusing to part with it at all costs comes close (e.g. tight wad). I prefer to think of it as resource management.
Yeah, what he said.

We picked up a string of LED lights this summer in Nanaimo and lit them up in a few remote anchorages just for the heck of it. It was fun! This shot is in Nanaimo taken just before an evening walk.

 
#31 ·
What I do for Christmas on the boat

Every year I string lights along the the lifelines and up the back and fore stays. I put a wreath or bow on the fore stay, and I put some lights in the cabin too. I usually visit with others at the marina share a few stories have a few drinks.

Christmas eve and or Christmas night I go down to the boat to watch it for a while and think of the friends I have lost and my Father who loved boats and tall stories who passed on.

Life is to short enjoy now, enjoy the lights the music what ever makes your heart happy, it is later than you think. Lighten up and just float.:D
 
#33 ·
http://s220.photobucket.com/albums/dd268/eryka32/?action=view&current=litesatdusk.jpg

One of my neighbors who participates in the boat parade every year says he does it to 'give back' to our community. Me, I get cold just watching it - all the proof I need that he really must be motivated.

We've got an artificial tabletop-size tree decorated with micro-LED lights (chosen as much because tiny was the right scale, normal bulbs would have been grossly out of proportion, as for their eco-friendliness). Decorations include starfish spray-painted gold and seahorses in santa caps and capiz-shell snowmen. We bought 'em at a craft fair hosted by the Naval Academy Aux - so all the profits went to a scholarship fund - but if you were crafty I assume a walk on the beach would provide a lot of raw materials and a good outing for kids.
 
#34 ·
When we lived aboard in Canada, I always loved seeing the boats decorated with lights. Most of us left them up for a few months. On a cold winter night it was cheery to come home to a dock full of twinking lights.

Over here Christmas isn't celebrated (of course), but we decorate anyhow. We will drive inland next week and we'll stop at a pine grove somewhere along the way. I'll cut a few small boughs. Due to our warm weather, they don't last long, but I'll hang them over the cabin ports in the salon and tie a bright red ribbon in the middle. I found a site for making homebaked Christmas ornaments (really). I'll make a few and hang them too. Come Christmas eve I'll put on my Christmas CD, pour myself a glass of something festive and settle back to think about the spirit of giving.

Not everyone aboard our boat celebrates Christmas. We celebrate all sorts of holidays here. I don't think that matters so much and any chance to celebrate good will towards all people is worth taking in my books.

Robyn
 
#40 ·
Hoffa,

I am with you 100%! say it! think! question!

I see Christmas as an orgy of consumerism in the US. The few moments of reflection, stuck in traffic, is the only redeeming part of it. Lemmings, we are just lemmings... Christians should ask a simple question, what would Jesus do?
while waiting on line at the mall.
I see this time as the turning of seasons, the first sign of the coming spring, winter solstice. Having grown up essentially agnostic with early life pagan influences, Christmas time for me is magical time of reflection about the next cycle, the next year and what it might bring....
I did not mean to insult anyone...
 
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