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Another 12 Days of Christmas Spoof

Categories: Just for fun | November 16th, 2011 | by Maria | no comments

Twelve Days of Christmas 
(ITALIANO VARIATION)

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
A bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
three Pizza Pies,
two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Six pepperonis,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Seven canellonis,
six pepperonis,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Eight Uncle Tonies,
seven canellonis,
Six pepperonis,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Nine Cousin Ginos,
eight Uncle Tonies,
Seven canellonis,
Six pepperonis,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Ten glasses of vinos,
nine Cousin Ginos,
Eight Uncle Tonies,
Seven canellonis,
Six pepperonis,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Eleven Mama Mias!
Ten glasses of vinos,
Nine Cousin Ginos,
Eight Uncle Tonies,
Seven canellonis,
Six pepperonis,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and s bowl full of parmesean cheese.

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me,
Twelve dishes of spaghetti and cardoons.
Eleven Mama Mias!
Ten glasses of vinos,
Nine Cousin Ginos,
Eight Uncle Tonies,
Seven canellonis,
Six pepperonis,
Five pasta fazool !!!!
Four meatballs,
three Pizza Pies,
Two garlic cloves,
and a bowl full of parmesean cheese.

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DWF Christmas Lights on How to Light a Christmas Tree: Part 2 techniques

Categories: Holiday Tree Lights, Tips, Tree Ideas, Tree Lighting | October 12th, 2011 | by Maria | no comments

by Maria Bargellini
 If  you read part one of this post you should have a good idea of any considerations that have to be made prior to picking a technique. If you haven’t read part one of “How to light a Christmas tree” click here. 
The Scallop Wrap This is the most common or “old fashion” way of stringing lights on a Christmas tree. The lights are scalloped on the tree in the same way most people put garland on. Part your tree in 3-4 evenly spaced sections, ie every 2 feet on a 6 foot tree. Use the branches to hang lights and let them hang in between. Make sure that your wraps are not too tight as it may cause a problem when placing ornaments. Also make sure that they are not too lose, especially close to the ground were curious little fingers and paws can get tangled in them. Some people like to twin garland around the scalloped lights.
The Triangle Technique It’s not as common as the scallop style but it’s almost as simple. Separate your tree into 3-4 vertical sections. Each section will get a string of lights. You then start at the bottom with one end – go straight to the top then back down creating 2 sides of a triangle. Then you take the remaining lights and Zigzag the lights within the triangle from the bottom to the top. Connect the next string to the end and start making another triangle. Keep in mind that your next 3 triangles will be sharing a side with the previous triangle. You should have about 4 triangles on  your tree, but that may vary by the width of the triangles.
W Wrap: This isn’t a widely used technique and it is commonly used by Christmas Light installers. This technique is fairly simple and easy to wrap up when the season is over. To use it connect 3-6 (depends on brand and type) strands together and put the connections at the very top of the shrub or tree letting the full length hang all the way down. Space them evenly and wind the Christmas lights up and down the tree in a linear pattern in between the original strands. Make sure the linear runs are not rigid and are laid into the tree in a “wiggly” fashion.
Branch Wrap: This is the most commonly commercially installed style of wrapping trees, used most by professional Christmas Light installers and Christmas tree manufacturers, it  is more difficult but makes for a great looking Holiday Display. Starting from the bottom you will wrap your mini lights around the individual branches loosely to about 3-4″ from the end then loop back toward the inside of the tree and on to wrap another branch. Do not wrap the lights to close together as you will need space for lights when you double back. The branching structure of the tree will be apparent in natural trees and in artificial trees it will not show as much.
The Tornado: Tornado wraps are very common. It is usually used for shorter trees and when there aren’t a lot of lights available. You can start from the top and wind around your tree in a circular patter until you reach the bottom. Trees with dense branching structures are tough to do this way. This technic is best when used on a deciduos tree that is fairly short. A tall tree will be difficult as it will require you to move your ladder a lot- a whole lot.
No matter which technique you chose to light your Christmas tree I’m sure it will be a great display. No matter what color you use, how many lights you use or what you put on your tree, a Christmas tree decorated with  love is always a beautiful tree. Note: Wear gloves whenever you handle mini lights as they do contain lead. never let children handle or put wires in their mouths.

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DWF Christmas Lights on How to Light a Christmas Tree: Part 1- Where to start

Categories: Holiday Tree Lights, Tips, Tree Ideas, Tree Lighting | October 10th, 2011 | by Maria | no comments

How do you wrap a Christmas Tree with lights?

Well that depends on a few things;

How big the tree is: If it’s too big , say 12 feet, you might want to do a simple wrap. If it’s shorter you can try your hand at using a more professional type of wrapping like a branch wrap. In terms of the amount of lights 100 lights for every 1′ is the average amount used for a nicely lit tree. For less dense trees you can use 100 lights for every 1 1/2 feet and if you like lot of lights and you double the amount of lights, just be sure to use proper installation techniques.

How much time you have: Some techniques are faster than others and if it’s you first time you may have to re-do it until it looks right. After you install a string of Christmas Lights take a look and make sure you approve of how it looks. You can dim the lights to make them stand out more. Some people say to squint but i think that gives you wrinkles. Dim or turn off the lights and you should be fine. Make sure that the nicest part of the tree is facing the best viewing angle. Try to hide bulkier connections in the back. 

How much space you have:If your tree and power source are up against a wall you may opt to skip most of the back altogether if it’s not going to be visible why waste the lights. You can use those lights to load up the front. Some wraps might require additional space. If you don’t have the space to circle around the tree try a triangle wrap, which requires less space. If the tree isn’t to hard to transport you could also decorate your Christmas tree in another location and move it. 

What’s in the budget: Certain techniques will require more lights than others. Figure out how many lights you’ll need and how much they will cost before you decide on which Christmas lights to use. Keep in mind that you can always add more lights next year. Branch wrapping will require the most while a tornado wrap can be done with less lights.

Now that you have your tree, know how much time you have, have the space needed and a budget decided on. Lets figure out how you’re gonna wrap your Christmas tree. Please click on part two of this article to see the descriptions on the individual Christmas Tree lighting techniques. 

 

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DFW Christmas Lights on Icicle Drop Lights

Categories: Christmas Lights, Christmas Videos, Holiday Tree Lights, LED lights, Tree Ideas | August 26th, 2011 | by Maria | no comments

By Maria Bargellini, holiday lighting designer for DFW Christmas Lights

Icicle drop lights are fairly new and have been used mostly for large commercial holiday lighting displays – until now. Icicle drop lights are designed to give off the appearance of falling snow by using the LED lights (diodes) in the tube to “drip” down the length of the tube repeated. They look great in trees or over your entryway, breezeway or any type of archway. The tubes come in a variety of lengths and combinations. For example, you can get a 5 tube strand in 10 or 20 inches, a mixed strand of  (3)-20 inch tubes and (2) 40″ tubes, or (5) 40 inch tubes. The best tree displays will use a mixture of these strands. Make sure to use the shorter icicle drop lights if you are using them in an area where there is pedestrian or vehicle traffic. For a striking upgrade you can add colored light to the trunk of the tree like in the video below.

(The icicle lights are toward the end on the next video)

 

These LED Christmas lights may be more expensive than incandescent mini lights but you don’t need any where near as many mini lights as you would icicle drop lights, you definately wouldn’t use as much energy, and they surely don’t take as much labor to install or take up as much space in your storage room. So in terms of what the two different displays will cost – they should be about equal. Of course it will depend on the type and amount of mini lights you were using, it can in some cases be less or more expensive.

Icicle drop lights are also a great way to add movement to your holiday lighting display without making it look to busy or like the Griswalds, not that there’s anything wrong with the kind of thing, if you’re into it. If  you would like more information or have questions about this product please feel free to write or call us at 214-257-8813.

Icicle Drop Light Pros

You can add up to 10 sets together

Use less Storage space

Use less energy

Less effort to install

Low profile disappears during the day

Not your grandmas Christmas Lights

Icicle Light Cons

More expensive than other lighting options

Only comes in the pure white color

 

 

Related Articles    Stars and star burst Christmas decorating tool

DFW Christmas LightsThe Outdoor Lighting Expert, and Lawn Sprinklers Dallas are sites owned and operated by Dallas Curb Appeal Inc.

 

 

 

 

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Christmas decorating ideas: Stars and Starburst

Categories: Decorating ideas | August 22nd, 2011 | by Maria | no comments

By Maria Bargellini, Holiday Designer for DFW Christmas Lights

Want to add something special to your holiday lighting display this year? Take a look at these new items from Holiday Bright Lights. They look great on their own or with greenery. There’s a ton to choose from but this post is dedicated to one of my favorites– stars and star burst.  These stars will make a great addition to your Christmas lights this year. They add sparkle, interest and break up the monotony of the standard C9 clear lights without looking out of place. You can still have an elegant display and be a standout.

This 3D star is looks good from any angle, it adds dimension and can look good all on its own or be added to an existing holiday lighting display. It also looks great on a wreath. Let this star spark your creativity and use it anyway you like. Over a table, or in clusters of varying sizes or even the same size. You can use this 3D star in many ways and I cannot wait for next season to start adding them to my designs. Next up are the star burst. These are also pretty versatile.

Star Burst are great to add around the house. Most holiday lighting designs will have your shrubbery lit but these star look like they are floating along and give your house a great whimsical feel. These are on stakes but don’t let that limit your creativity. You can out them in trees, on top of large shrubs or trees, on wreaths, or over garland in your entryway. They come in a variety of colors. See the full catalog for this and other great decorating ideas or call us at 214-257-8813 more details.

Want to make your star a little more striking or unusual? Try adding a comet or shooting star trail. These are separate items that can be added to stars on wreaths or homes to make your Christmas lights really stand out in the neighborhood. I have done a ton of holiday lighting designs over the years and the typical request is clear lights on the house and everywhere else. Once in a while I have the chance to add color on the shrubs but for the most part our clietns have wanted to “keep” with the rest of the neighborhood. This is a great way to do that and be a stand out at the same time. Whether you want to do a little or do a lot, adding a star, star burst or trails can really step up your holiday lighting. They look great on their own or part of your Christmas display.

 

DFW Christmas Lights, The Outdoor Lighting Expert, and Lawn Sprinklers Dallas are sites owned and operated by Dallas Curb Appeal Inc.

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