Christmas decorating question!

[Miss Mary]

Re: Christmas villages

My daughter has been collecting knock-off ceramic buildings/village. She has at least 10 now. All have a hole in the bottom. We're not sure how to illuminate them! For next year, can we use a string of xmas lights, putting a light inside each building?

This is just one xmas decoration trend I never got into (have lots of other xmas decorations though!).

She keeps asking me how to light them all up and wants to put a candle in each one (there are open windows). I have said NO to candles - but it would be nice to know how to safely light these houses. They are cute. She's bought most at Walgreens, of all places. And now they're 50% off or more, she keeps coming home with more houses (some are just 50 cents now) She has them all on her bookshelves in her room - they look great all together. Laura just loves xmas.

Thanks to the women that respond - I know there have to be female members here that have their own village collection (but the real thing)!

Mary

[Terry]

I had not thought about using a string of lights, but that should work. If they are very small, use the tiny lights. Otherwise, try to find nightlight size.

My little Christmas Houses each have a cord with a switch and on the end is the recepticle thingie (electrical term) which holds a nightlight. There is a little clip that you pinch when inserting the light and then it holds the light in place inside the house. Hope that made sense.

I'd guess that you can find those in the electrical/hardware section of Walmart, Kmart, etc.

I use to set up my houses on top of an upright piano and drop the mass of cords behind the piano. But you can hide them under fake sheet snow.

The string of lights actually sounds easier and then you don't have all of those electrical cords to deal with. I think I'll try that out. Thanks for the tip.

[Stephanie]

I have a few of those houses that I bought from Kohl's and they all came with the cord that clips inside them with a bulb on it to illuminate it.

If you can't find them at Walmart, Kmart, etc, I'd look for the small electric candles as well.

[Miss Mary]

Terry and Stephanie - I know the cords with the clamps you're talking about. She found one house, larger than the others, at a consignment shop a few years ago. It came with a light. But even if these houses all came with one light and one cord, then what do I do with them all - LOL!!! Do I buy one of these outlet extenders with multiple plugs?

Ya know what, when I take down a string of lights, before I wrap them up, I'm going to just try them out. See if a string of lights works or not. I'll let you know. If I know Laura she'll keep these houses up for a while. She hates, just hates, to take her xmas decorations down. Her room is so cute!

Mary

[Stephanie]

I do use one of the outlet extension boxes with multiple plugs.

I'd be interested in hearing how the string of lights work!

[depotoo]

you can usually find the light with the clamp where they sell the houses each year. i had one from my mom that was missing one and found one at wal mart i believe.

[Persepone]

Be careful of the heat generated by the light bulbs. I think the miniature tree light strings would be best--and actually I think I'd go for the 10 light strings that are designed for the slip-on plastic covers--at halloween they sell them with slip-on pumpkins, for parties, etc. you can get them with slip on flamingoes, pineapples, etc. These come from party stores. They also should generate less heat than the 24, 50 or 100 light strings sold for trees. But they still use the miniature lights.

The houses sold with lights have enough "holes" (windows, etc.) to dissipate the heat of the small "night light" type bulbs, but the "knock off" houses may not be designed for lights.

In any case, I would light these only when someone is in the room with the lights. I would not leave the house, etc. with these things lit. Perhaps putting the lights on an automatic timer--2-3 hours on and then off, etc. and making sure they are "off" at times no one is home might be a good idea. But I would monitor them for heat.

Is there an electrician on the board who can comment on heat dissipation of various types of miniature light strings?

[MScoast]

actually, the mini lights work wonderful...we had a "town" a few years ago...it looks really nice with the mini lights. Especially if you use cotton and that angel hair stuff to create the look of snow on the ground. The lights coming through the cotton as they are strung from house to house look really nice and brightens it up.

[Miss Mary]

Persepone and MSCoast - thank you both for your input. I know I'd never leave these lit while we're not home. And this is a teen's room, so I'm careful about anything on in their rooms, for extended periods of time (they both leave their electric blankets on during the school day, grrrr, so I turn them off). I'll look for those lights at party stores Daria. Good idea actually. And low wattage sounds the way to go. When I say knock off, I just mean far less expensive villages that you'd normally seen sold at dept. stores or Hallmark stores, but sold at stores such as drug stores (she's bought her houses at Walgreens).

Mary