What are these strange strings in my house

[Hesnotlocal]

I recently moved in to a new (to me) house and am utterly confused by some strange strings that seem to have been put up by the last owner. I will be removing them but since I can't imagine any reason for them being there I'm starting to wonder if I've missed something and pulling them down will lead to disaster (sort of joking)?

They seem to be standard white string attached very close to the ceiling around 3 walls of the living room, attached to hooks that seem to have been screwed in to the ceiling for this purpose. There is also a (pretty old and not working) alarm system and I initially wondered if they were something to do with that, but they don't seem to be attached to it and do seem to just be string.

At first I assumed they must have been for Xmas cards/decorations or something but I can't see how that would work as they are so close to the ceiling.

Photo attached. Wise people- do you have any idea what these are?

Maybe they had stuff hanging from them? CHristmas decorations? fairy lights? or pegged pictures?

I have just realised that if I move, I too will equally confuse the hell out of someone! I have strategically placed nails very high up, and strings, so that we can quickly throw up sheets and lights when we want to build a den!

They're for Christmas cards. My parents have some like that!

I second Interfluvials comment that they are used to display xmas cards or lightweight 'hang down the wall' decorations.

They’re very high up for Christmas cards??

Thanks everyone. The general consensus seems to be Christmas cards/decorations. To everyone who uses

@Interfluvials How do your parents attach cards to them? They seem very close to the ceiling to fit some sort of peg. I feel like leaving them there a bit longer and giving it a go now.

@MangoBiscuit I also quite fancy hanging some sheets and making a den. Would need very big sheets for these though!

I'm still a bit confused about where they are though- round 3 walls including one wall that is almost entirely window and over a door, but not on the other wall with no windows or doors. We have put a curtain pole in exactly the same place as the previous owner had one and it's very close to the strings so it doesn't seem an ideal place for decorations.

Perhaps the previous owner inherited them too and was just as confused?

My suggestion would be that they were training hanging plants along them.

I suspect that whatever they hung from them they removed before having photos taken or they were for Christmas decs.

You don't hang using pegs. You do this.

I think there are tiny elves living in the ceiling and they get from a to b by shimmying along these zip wires. If you take then down, this theory will be confirmed when you find their tiny dead bodies in a week or so.

@ShowOfHands That makes some sense- but the strings in my house still seem very high. The cards would be right in the edge of the ceiling and I would need a ladder to put them up. Perhaps the people who put them up were unusually tall?

@SummerHouse- good theory. A house full of elves would also explain the missing biscuits/sweets etc that disappear from the kitchen and the terrible mess in the DC bedrooms when they have promised me they will keep them tidy.

To hang clothes hangers on to dry stuff?

My parents have them that high up. They stand on furniture to put the cards up. They take the string down for 11 months of the year though!

My theory (complete guess ) is that the previous owners maybe watched lots of DIY makeover type programs and used them to hang lightweight material from them to 'soften' the decor or to muffle a really loud TV.

It’s the Borrowers means of transportation. Look out for small things going missing.

Yep, Christmas cards. I made some hangers like this in my old house.

If you have them any further down, they sort of bisect the wall and look odd. Just under the coving was the only place I could hang them that didn't make them look as though they'd been flung up, and the string sort of dips under the weight of (hopefully loads of) Christmas cards, so they hang lower than you'd expect.

If guess cards too. I do take the strings & lights down between Christmases though, but always regret it on birthdays! I'm thinking about leaving the long one up this year! And as others have said, you'll be surprised how much they drop when you put the cards up.

I'm under 5ft, that's what the arms of the sofas are for!! 🤣

And they may not have them on the walls that don't have doors or windows on because that's where they stand the Christmas Tree!

Tightropes for fairies ?