To hate this about Christmas tree lights?

[GardenAnarchist]

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?

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

I’ve often moaned about this. There is absolutely zero need for anything other than on/off/gentle flicker.

We have at least two maybe three settings that start with a gentle flicker, lulling you into a false sense of security and then after a few minutes they go nuts. It makes me unreasonably cross. Also there’s slow fade to on and off to black, I do not want or need my room going dark every 6 seconds.

Totally agree!! Mine needs 7 presses on 2 sets of lights we have on the tree. Surely somewhere sells and on/off set?

Pretty sure mine are just on (not put tree up yet). Possibly on/twinkly/off.

My hate is why tree lights are in a loop, such a PITA to put on. A single line would be so much easier.

YES!!!

I couldn’t agree more OP, this infuriates me aswell!

How can anyone enjoy sitting in a room with the tree on that awful stress inducing fast flash setting. Impossible to relax with that going. Worse still if the lights are blue or ice white.

I think if you search for 'static fairy lights' it should bring up the none disco ones.🎄

I just have normal lights with no flashing option!

I hate modern tree lights they are too bright. We went to a national trust house that had lots of beautifully decorated trees but you couldn't see the decorations as the led lights were so bright.
They are also too blue which sometimes gives me migraine.

YANBU OP.

I put my tree up this week and the experience was exactly as you described!

And there’s the utter chaos one which is a combo of all of the previous options. Who has ever willingly selected that? Static lights all the way here.

What?!
Are you sure the end hasn't just got caught?

My lights are just on, no twinkle or strobe setting, just on.

OMG yes this setting, why does it even exist?

"Look at all the crazy shit I can do, when you'll already have seen all the crazy shit I can do because you've had to press through all of them to even get here!"

After three years of similar. Imagine my joy that this year mine have broken and one set are fixed permanently at 'steady on'. Unfortunately another set appears to be fixed at 'twinkle flash'. which is better of course than 'slow fade' as I was at least aware from the testing stage rather than after spending time jiggling them believing them to have a loose connection. They are now in the bin.

I was discussing this with DH lastnight. We too have them on a timer, but I then go upstairs where I have them around the windows and also a tree on the front patio and flick through the various options. PITA.

I suppose I could chuck my existing lights away and buy a new set that just has ON/OFF but I'd feel bad about the waste - in all other regards there's nothing wrong with the existing lights and they aren't even that old, maximum 10 years.

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

🤣🤣 Totally with you on this. Mine are also 8 presses.
I also have fairy lights in my lounge all year round and every single morning it's 7 presses of the button, so it's not even consistent. Just take a guess. Half the time an accidental extra press has the place looking like a rave, or as you say you think they're 'on' but then comes the fade. I don't know why I do it to myself, well I do, I just love twinkly lights ✨
But fgs just make steady on the first one!

I read this chuckling while thinking 'yes how ridiculous, that would be annoying' then looked at my tree and realised that mine are on the combo setting. I've obviously become blind to it!

We have this!!!!! Drives me insane!! We have lights round every window at the front of the house and they’re all individual sets. We have a timer we can’t use as you have to be there to press all the sodding buttons to get them to stop flashing. I hate them!!

YANBU.
I understand people are different from me and most people are less prone to migraines but I still don’t see how anyone can LIKE the fast flash.

I rebelled against our coloured lights yesterday because I realised I find the blue ones actively unpleasant, and went out and got the smallest set of warm white I could find. The only thing in
their favour is that the list of settings is printed on the battery pack so at least it was easy to find out you have to press it 8 times.

‘Tis the season of asking cafe and restaurant staff if they mind changing their lights to a different setting or sometimes just doing it ourselves or even unplugging them.

I agree, particularly with the setting that looks like it’s on and then when you come back to the tree the lights are dimming themselves. Who even uses that setting??
Then there’s one that looks like it’ll be nice and twinkly. I set my outside lights to that one for a change. Came home to find the gentle twinkle speeds itself up to flashing that would keep the whole toad awake.
They should make it very clear on the box whether the lights you’re buying are for Christmas or only suitable for a rave 😂

The worst part is I did actually want to have twinkling lights once, but none of the 7 other twinkly settings was right! All way, way too fast, the fade was just about bareable, but the total blackout at the end of it was too annoying. Why have 6 frantic settings and not one slow twinkle?!?

the house directly opposite me have Christmas lights on their outdoor window that’s EXACTLY like this - crazy flashing, it drives me insane 😅