LED Christmas lights still annoy me. Let's try some more fixes.

(sigh) here we go again
Links!
That one where I made those IKEA lamps better:

Videos from years past:

Oh right, I did one on neon flicker flame lamps, too
And bubble lights!

Technology Connections on Mastodon:

(I'm also trying out BlueSky on the same handle, if you've managed to get invited there)

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My favorite Christmas tradition is watching Alec slowly lose his sanity over the non-existence of such an obvious potential product. 🎄

[ilajoie]

It's always good to see Alec end "No Effort November" by putting too much work and going crazy in his attempt to get the perfect LED lights

[PG-zvmf]

It just doesn't feel like Christmas until we watch Alec meticulously handpaint hundreds of Christmas lights. I hope this tradition never dies!

[davidgustavsson]

In Sweden, all lighting around Christmas is either actual candles or made to imitate candles. I didn't realize how deeply this matters to me until I went to Lithuania for a December choir gig and everything was a cold blue. The entire point of December is to feel that you're fighting Darkness itself armed only with fire and a deeply rooted hope for another spring.

[maertzierast]

"I've never had a need for an airbrush, I just use a comb" is one of the most wheeze summoning lines I have heard ever; excellent work!

[cirkutpersonal]

My mother-in-law bought a new tree with LED's and nearly returned it last year until I told her I had watched the video from last year JUST the day prior. She put clear nail polish on each LED and it IMMENSELY reduced the hard light spots from each LED. So seriously, thank you for the legitimately useful experimentation!

[poke]

Hobby mini painter here: you will 100% want to put at least some clear, if not gloss varnish on any acryllic-painted lights. It'll do yeoman's work protecting them from yellowing and weather, and gloss coats can help avoid sun bleaching. A hair dryer should be enough for heat-treating most paints. If you want to get the most out of that airbrush, pick up some acryllic thinner and medium and experiment with different thinner/medium/paint ratios (thinner and medium can also replace water and PVA glue with potentially better, more consistent results compared to your milk glass method, done correctly).

[seasonsreflectionco]

Hey Alec!

We fixed your problem, our VintaGlo line of Christmas lights are what you are looking for... And our Yule Multi Mix is your preferred 4-color Multi :)

[metroidfan]

Pointing out the true tone is not a sponsor just made me realize the shocking lack of sponsorship is channel has. I think that's part of why I find them such a joy to watch.

[ksteblenko]

I’ve never felt so validated in my entire life. I HATE new Christmas lights and I’m so glad I know why now

[XIIchiron]

You honestly have no idea how soothing this channel is to me. The way you care so much about stuff like this validates me so much lmao, I always feel alone otherwise

[ChristianWillis]

It's SO refreshing to know I'm not the only one who's been in search of LED equivalents to the classic incandescent Christmas lights! Tru-Tone really did it. They have a lifetime customer here.

[KelsomaticPDX]

The “storefront with a chasing LED sign letting you know they have CBD oil” dig might be the truest thing you’ve ever said 😅 The shameful, lazy ways LEDs get used drives me insane, you make me feel just slightly less neurotic and I thank you for it.

[BG_MillerPhoto]

Alec, can you please put all the Christmas lights videos into a playlist? The should be together so we can easily watch all of them as a holiday tradition. 😊

[Brutus_Buckeye]

Who else looks forward with joy to the annual Christmas lights video? 🙂
Please don't ever stop this tradition!

[CarlTheGoatDad]

I've never had a need for an air brush.... I use a comb.

I laughed for well over a minute at this. These little gems of humor thrown in are one of the reasons I love watching your videos. Keep it up!

[mp]

Alec oozes personality and has such a refreshingly honest and relatable voice. He can make a 20 minute video on lights and dishwashers entertaining as well as educational. <3

[Seicz]

YES to all of this. I was driving home last night and I saw what was on display and literally asked myself "what the heck?". I remember the blue incandescent lights on our Christmas tree in the 90s and it's absolutely not the same. Glad I'm not the only one!

[abby]

modern christmas lights drive me INSANE with their coldness, thank you so much for raising awareness about this problem and taking action!!

[canadiancritter]

YES. THANK YOU.
I can't stand how all the colours are shifted so far over to the cool side of the spectrum.
It is SO nice to see another human being who feels the same way about these terrible lights.

The "warm" colours look SO entirely wrong, and the "cool" colours are unbearable eye stabbers.
Then, on top of that, I can often see their flicker. The flicker is always either super blatant to me, or hangs out just at the edge- where I can't quite "see" it per se, but I can still notice its presence.
Which is also maddening.

My boyfriend shakes his head at me, whenever I go off about these things- but I go off on those tangents because we have the technology to fix it! This doesn't have to be an issue. It is TOTALLY rectifiable, yet almost nobody is bothering to do it. Gah!