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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To hate this about Christmas tree lights?

136 replies

GardenAnarchist · 14/12/2025 08:41

Picture the scene: You've spent ages trimming your Christmas tree with strings of fairy lights, sparkly baubles, shiny tinsel. Gorgeous! Then you switch on the plug socket... and your tree turns into a flashing strobe beacon visible from space. After rescuing any epileptic family members in the vicinity, you grope around the light plug for the control button and it takes 8 (eight) presses through a series of barely distinguishable but eye-watering flickery-flashy-blinky settings, to achieve the steady state of... ON.

Just why??

Why isn't ON the first default setting?
And while we're on that, why is there a setting of "pretend I'm ON, then just as the user withdraws their finger from the button, fade everything to black"?

I have multiple sets of tree lights bought over the last 10 years and they all do this. Some need 8 presses, some 7, some 9 😫 If I put my tree lights on a timer to save electricity, I come downstairs in the morning to a scene like a Star Wars laser battle and have to crawl on the floor to press all the buttons the requisite number of times.

YABU - Only a boring stick in the mud wants a steady glow on the tree. Clearly, at least 8 times more consumers prefer all the other blinky-flashy settings giving the electric storm-cum-Laserquest-kids-birthday-party vibe!

YANBU - Surely there must be a market for tree lights that just have OFF and ON? And maybe a third setting of gentle twinkling?

OP posts:
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caramac04 · 19/12/2025 18:04

This drives me mad! It’s 7 presses to a slow fade but I still haven’t found the steady on!
I hate flashing lights, a twinkle is nice, a slow fade ok but flashing? A big fat no from me.
The new lights described above also, supposedly/hope not, will flash in time to music!!!! Thus far I have avoided playing music in that room but what fresh hell awaits???

soupyspoon · 19/12/2025 17:56

Late to this thread, yes yes yes

And I never know what setting its on because you think its 'full on' and then it goes onto something else and then you dont know where you are in the sequence

RainBow725 · 19/12/2025 17:52

See also doorbells when the last chime of 1000s of stupid annoying sounds is the ding dong. And woe betide if you press the button by mistake and then have to keep pressing it a thousand times to find the ding dong again. 😫

WingsTingle · 19/12/2025 07:33

TeenToTwenties · 14/12/2025 08:44

YANBU. We only use 'steady burn' too.
At least they remember the setting so you don't need to do it each time.

Mine don’t even remember the programme choice so it’s the same palaver every bloody day! 😭

FlyingCatGirl · 19/12/2025 06:37

Last night I went to sleep and immediately had a really horrible nightmare and I'm suspicious it's because of the fact my bedroom was flashing from my neighbours strobing lights that go on til after midnight! Thank god Christmas is nearly here!

FlyingCatGirl · 19/12/2025 06:35

deeahgwitch · 18/12/2025 20:44

If anyone comes across a brand of fairy lights that just gently twinkle could you let us know on this thread please.

I bought some app controlled lights from Amazon last year, they are rainbow colours and a far softer light and have much gentler motions. I can control them from my phone and set timers up etc. you can actually adjust the lights themselves to in terms of coulour and brightness.

This is the sort of thing I bought https://amzn.eu/d/iD9vX69

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk

https://amzn.eu/d/iD9vX69?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-am-i-being-unreasonable-5459692-to-hate-this-about-christmas-tree-lights

rockstarshoes · 18/12/2025 23:01

Hooray I’ve found my people! I have mine plugged in on one of the remote plugs so I can switch everything on from one remote control.
So I can sit on the sofa and turn on all the lights but have to get up to perform the 8 clicks to get the Christmas tree lights to static!
it’s infuriating!

deeahgwitch · 18/12/2025 20:44

If anyone comes across a brand of fairy lights that just gently twinkle could you let us know on this thread please.

SwirlyGates · 18/12/2025 19:36

@lilkitten I quite like a slow fade. But no wild flashing!

lilkitten · 18/12/2025 11:33

Glad it's not just me. I go through the 8 settings to ON, alternatively the slow on and off one. I'm glad I'm not opposite the neighbours who keep theirs on flashing. Why is flashing even a thing, does anyone like it?

LionelMushroom · 15/12/2025 21:06

I’m completely with you, so much so I sent the multi-function lights to the charity shop and bought some replacements which are either on or off - they’ve saved my sanity!

kiwiblue · 15/12/2025 18:18

I have a pre lit Christmas tree and it only does on OP, I've tried to find a gentle flicker or something but it doesn't do anything else!

Chinsupmeloves · 15/12/2025 17:33

Lol I thought the exact same thing, so many bloody settings when all I want is the constant! X

GardenAnarchist · 15/12/2025 13:15

Well currently 7% of people who've responded appear to disagree with you op, but that can surely only be because they've been blinded by the aggressive chaotic-disco-lights setting and couldn't see the YANBU voting option.

@Timeslides GrinGrinGrinGrinGrin

OP posts:
ImogenBrocklehurst · 15/12/2025 12:03

Said that very thing yesterday.

LilacReader · 15/12/2025 10:49

Yes, another one here that hates the necessity to have lights flashing and that's not even just the Christmas tree. I like to take my dog for a walk most evenings but having to walk past numerous houses where one flashes on and off, the other some other routine, the one next door completely different to the others - I just end up walking with my head down to drown them all out. Don't get me wrong I love Christmas lights but please can they be ON or just a gentle twinkling. Christ, I sound a right moany old cow - Bah humbug!!!

Timeslides · 15/12/2025 10:00

GardenAnarchist · 14/12/2025 19:14

There must have been a period of madness, somewhere between 50 years ago and within the past couple of years, when the gimmicky "the more 'functions' the better" sodding migraine-inducing flashing strobing rave Christmas lights were in the ascendency... which happens to be the exact time window that I've bought all my strings of lights in 😭

So far nobody on this thread has owned up to preferring the hyperactive mad flashing settings or the fading-house-into-pitch-darkness-every-10-seconds settings. Because I would really appreciate an explanation of why!

Well currently 7% of people who've responded appear to disagree with you op, but that can surely only be because they've been blinded by the aggressive chaotic-disco-lights setting and couldn't see the YANBU voting option.

An extra annoyance is that we've got a few sets of identical lights for our windows yet incredibly none of them seem to have the crappy sequence in the same order so I can't even learn that it's 8 presses to get to the sane option.

CatBooksWineInThatOrder · 15/12/2025 09:28

I bought new Christmas lights for the tree this year. Thankfully, just on is the first setting. But I decided I’d see what the other settings were like. I think I had to press the button 73 times to get back to just on, all while wedged under the tree with lights flashing in my eyes because of where the socket is. Oh well, at least I won’t do that again.

CraftandGlamour · 15/12/2025 09:03

Sparklesandspandexgallore · 14/12/2025 09:04

Completely agree. I don’t know a single person who uses the wild, frantic flashing mode. Only constant or gentle fade.

My DH. If left to his own devices. Drives me mad when lights give you manic flashing plus a dizzying array of strobing options first - just no. It's the fairy light equivalent of this: !!!!!!!

PurpleThistle7 · 15/12/2025 08:53

Oh gosh I complain about this every year. My daughter is autistic and light sensitive and I have aural migraines so it’s total carnage if we hit the button the wrong random number of times. Whyyyyy

Mydadsbirthday · 15/12/2025 08:51

Oh my god! This annoys me so much as well. Mine is also 8 presses to go through to get to the static option. I cannot bear the mad flashy options and there are so many of them!

DH likes them though so if he puts the lights on in the morning I'll have to go and fix them. I can't believe so many people feel the same!

EasternStandard · 15/12/2025 08:16

We go for the soft warm light no flashing ones so no pressing, but it does sound annoying.

FlatWhiteExtraHot · 15/12/2025 07:49

GardenAnarchist · 14/12/2025 19:14

There must have been a period of madness, somewhere between 50 years ago and within the past couple of years, when the gimmicky "the more 'functions' the better" sodding migraine-inducing flashing strobing rave Christmas lights were in the ascendency... which happens to be the exact time window that I've bought all my strings of lights in 😭

So far nobody on this thread has owned up to preferring the hyperactive mad flashing settings or the fading-house-into-pitch-darkness-every-10-seconds settings. Because I would really appreciate an explanation of why!

I’ll be the first to own up then! I love them. The brighter and flashier the better 😂. My Christmas tree looks like a manic disco.

Strangely, although I have chronic migraines that I’m medicated up to the eyeballs for, the flashing lights don’t bother me at all. They affect my daughter though, so I can only have them in full rave mode when she’s out. Remote controls save all the hassle of button clicking.

Miaminmoo · 15/12/2025 01:00

Drives me insane 🙄 just when you’ve got a lovely setting you like it’s actually on some sort of ‘go through all the settings’ setting - honestly, it’s just too fucking hectic. Let’s start a fairy light business 😂

vipersnest1 · 15/12/2025 00:19

The ever changing sequences of flashing / fading etc is the ‘demo mode’ to show all of the ways that the lights can be annoying, irritating and aggressive all at the same time.
One of my sets remembers the setting, but another one takes 7 presses to get it to show constantly.
Guess which set is connected to the most difficult to reach socket under the tree? I can’t change it unless I completely redecorate the tree (so I can make it easier to reach by turning the tree). Angry