To want Christmas lights without red

[ChristmasAgainWTAF]

Hi, first world problems I know. We decorated the tree with what I thought were traditional lights and put all of the baubles & ornaments on. It is bugging me having red, dark blue, green & yellow lights. I just went with it as I liked the shapes but now I'm finding them ugly.

I have found some great traditional lights online with orange instead of yellow, pink instead of red, no turquoise blue, but offerings are limited. I hate LED. The thing is I really don't want to redo the whole tree, it's 7 foot. I will get them for next year.

Does anybody know if I can do anything to make the red lights look pink, yellow ones orange? The bulb covers screw off but I wouldn't want to risk overheating. Does anybody know if there's anything I can do, a film or something to put inside round the lights?

I agree! My DH ordered coloured LED lights this year and the blue is sort of 'electric blue' and the yellow is crap. Overall they feel, as you said, cold instead of warm, and I've noticed the same thing with most LED lights. I would like a rich orangey yellow and a more turquoisey blue, and ideally some pink (although I don't mind the red).

Wrapping cellophane around them sounds like it might work but where to get it? Quality street wrappers have changed this year apparently so can't test it out using those.

I couldn't even tell you what colours are in our lights. They are multicoloured, I know that but I've never looked hard enough to care about what colours they are.

The only trees that ever look shit are the fully coordinated ones where everything is all precisely arranged. Anything else always looks fab in its own way.

Some of ours were too brite we out foil from quality streets over them and bubble wrap bubbles on others to dim them

We have these ones. Fake retro and they are lovely.

https://www.lights4fun.co.uk/products/150-multi-coloured-led-traditional-christmas-tree-lights?awaid=1531&referrer=awin&gclid=Cj0KCQiA67CrBhC1ARIsACKAa8RT238caMOCPbx5iaZBHSNfcgjzP0lG30eSnHh02i5Re50o3B7QsQaAlDSEALwwwcB&gadsource=1

Would scribbling on the plastic with the right coloured sharpie tone down the colours?

@GoingOffOnATangent

Because they don't have the twinkle of traditional bulbs -which are warm & lovely. They create a glow of childhood

LED are are cold & harsh.

I have used felt tip and highlighters to change led colours slightly in the past. Paint watered down with pva would also work

@GoatsareGOAT Thanks, I tried that on one, but it didn't do anything except block the light coming through .

@Siha345 did you do that directly on to the LED bulb? Is it safe?

@Doggymummar the quality street wrappers are a great idea. I haven't had them in years, so it wouldn't surprise me if they're changed the wrappers!

@Tiredkittens yes I hate electric blue too, nothing Christmas about it IMO! I have found some cellophane on Amazon, I'm just scared incase it traps the heat in even if they are LED. DH is telling me it is dangerous.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coloured-Cellophane-Colored-Transparency-Decoration/dp/B0BYZD1FNQ/ref=asc_df_B0BYZD1FNQ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=658839916943&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10985734973927672514&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046757&hvtargid=pla-2200640933492&psc=1&mcid=f714d8d676bd3e29bfea0e16acd6166f

Oh, I thought it was the bulb colour that made the cold/warm difference.

My cheap led lights have a remote control with colour options or just plain.

I hate LED

LED lights come in all colours and the plain LED lights come in warm white which is absolutely nothing like the cold white LED lights!

It is. Most of the 'warm' Christmas lights people see are, in fact, LED.

Would it be possible to put another, preferred, set of lights on the tree and just unplug the ones you don’t like (so you don’t attempt to take them off but just leave them unlit).

I realise this depends a lot on how many baubles, etc you’ve got on there and how easy it would be to get more lights over the top and around them.

We bought Twinkly lights in the JL sale last year and love them. You can choose colours and programme patterns to coordinate all over your house. Expensive but fab

@GoingOffOnATangent

well, once you have traditional lights, there's a variance too.

the best sets are the really old ones, but obviously you have to be careful of old wiring.

some of the newest 'traditional' lights have a lot of 'newer' colours and they aren't as nice.

im having a wee problem with mine. If I can get them working I'll post a picture.

i did used to put LED's on the the tree too, as I was happy to leave them on when I was out, but since that house fire that started with the LED lights I'm not sure I'm happy to do that now. So I might leave them off this year.

Not sure if there was more to that than first reported??

@Mumaway

traditional filiment or LED?

if they're LED it's not the same type of twinkle or glow, but it doesn't matter if YOU like them.

at 54, I just prefer the old fashioned glow & twinkle like the lights of my childhood.

looks like I'll have to keep nursing these ones along!!

Thank you so much for all of your great suggestions. Does anybody know if you can get a dimmer switch that would make them less in your face?
I'm thinking this may help alittle at least.

@WakeUpSpacedOut that's a fantastic idea, we have a ridiculous amount of ornaments on it so i can't, curtesy of my young dcs. 😍

The range and B&M have loads of different colors without red

@ChristmasAgainWTAF 😁 yeah, I thought that might be the case. We have a similarly decorated ‘more is more’ tree!

Anything other than soft white lights all over the house and tree are an abomination.

@JudgeJ I have young dcs so like some colours, might save the white for when they're grown.

Nah. White lights are like white walls, towels, bedding, clothes and crockery. All very dull and pointless!