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My 2018 Display-and a story


DLH lites

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This is my second year using Light O Rama. Last year one controller and one musical sequence, this year , 32 channels and six sequenced songs, and 50% more lites, and a  FM tune to sign. OH and a motorized  waving Santa and a bubble machine, plus wire frame led snow flakes on the roof. OK I got it bad, spring sale here I come. There are two videos posted at the end of this story.
This year as I was putting the lites round our big bay window and I caught a reflection of my self in the glass, but it wasn't me, it was a nine year old little boy. Wearing his older brothers coat and one of those caps that have ear flaps that fold down and tie under your chin. He was struggling to put a string of C9's around the front door. It was very cold,I Remember.
As a small child Christmas was always magic and the lites were the icing on the cake.  I decided to make my own lites. I had saved money from cutting yards that summer and had put my eye on some parts at the local hardware store.   In the late fall I went to the store and with the help of Mr Smith the owner selected twenty feet of red and green twisted wire and twenty plastic screw on C9 sockets and bulbs. Mr Smith said ,David that will be $4.85. I pulled out  all my money only to find I was 35 cents short. As I stood there with tears welling up in my eyes, Mr Smith said here, he reached into his pocket and pulled out 35 cents , he put the money in the little box , handed me the bag with the parts  and said , Merry Christmas David, be sure to get your Dad to help put it together. Those lites lit up Dunn Rd for many years. As the years went by I got more and more and forgot about that one string.
The reflection returned to me, standing there with a string of C9's in my hand. Sixty years later, taller, balding, a pot belly in shorts and a tee shirt in the warm Florida sun.
In 2011  My MaMa was near her end and my brothers called and said come home, it was near then end of December, a few days before Christmas. She had been not talking and not eating so it was soon. I got to MaMa's on the 23rd  when I went in the house to see her, she opened her eyes and said very loudly my name-DAVID. The best Christmas gift I have ever gotten.  She passed on the 27th.
Later the next spring I went home to Memphis to help my brothers clean out the house and get it ready for sale. I got attic duty. There was a lot of stuff up there MaMa saved every thing.  I was going through a stack of shoe boxes and one old box had some writing on he top in her hand writing, it said ,David's Lites. Inside was the set of C9's I had made at the age of nine. They still work !
 
Many thanks to all the wonderful folks at Light O Rama and all the help I have received from the people on the forums. Please enjoy the videos.
   
 

David Hardin

 

 

 
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Thanks, I see I screwed up the links  there is supposed to be a space between them,oooooppps computers  not so much in my wheel house but learning

David

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