History Main / ChristmasLightChaos

In fictionland, dealing with Christmas lights is extremely difficult. No matter how neatly a character puts them back into the box, they will be horribly tangled the next time they're taken out of it. There will probably be one broken bulb that makes all of the others (in a string of hundreds of lights) go out (something that can genuinely happen depending on how the lights are wired, though nowadays most lights companies know better than to sell strings of lights wired in series specifically ''because'' of this trope) -- woe betide the characters if they forget to check for that before hanging up the string of lights. They may also hang up the lights, only to find out that the cord is just a little bit too short. And when they finally plug it in, the whole thing may short out.

Christmas lights can even carry a risk of AmusingInjuries. Accidents involving the string of light -- and in some cases, the mere act of turning it on -- may lead to electrocution. If someone has to climb a ladder to hang up or try to fix the lights, expect them to fall at least once. Sometimes, a character will inexplicably end up covered in Christmas lights.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'': In "'Twas The Fight Before Christmas", the protagonists are preparing everything for Christmas with the Professor doing the tree. When it's time to light up the tree, the lights initially turn on then start turning off and on again. By the time the girls go to bed, the Professor is still trying to get them to work properly.

* Invoked in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS4E15TheFarnsworthParabox The Farnsworth Parabox]]". Professor Farnsworth has produced a new invention contained in a cardboard box, but doesn't want Fry and/or Bender messing with it. He prepares a decoy box containing [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny tangled-up Christmas lights]] and [[TheAlcoholic unlabeled liquor]] to keep them occupied.

* Invoked in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Recap/FuturamaS4E15TheFarnsworthParabox". Professor Farnsworth has produced a new invention contained in a cardboard box, but doesn't want Fry and/or Bender messing with it. He prepares a decoy box containing [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny tangled-up Christmas lights]] and [[TheAlcoholic unlabeled liquor]] to keep them occupied.

Christmas lights can even carry a risk of AmusingInjuries. Accidents involving the string of light -- and in some cases the mere act of turning it on -- may lead to electrocution. If someone has to climb a ladder to hang up or try to fix the lights, expect them to fall at least once. Sometimes, a character will inexplicably end up covered in Christmas lights.

-->[''in the last verse''] FINE! YOU'RE SO SMART, '''''YOU''''' RIG UP THE LIGHTS!!!

%% [[caption-width-right:300:Some clever caption text]]

-->[''in the last verse''] FINE! YOU'RE SO SMART, ''YOU'' RIG UP THE LIGHTS!!!

-->[''in the last verse''] Fine! You're so smart, ''you'' rig up the lights!

In fictionland, dealing with Christmas lights is extremely difficult. No matter how neatly a character puts them back into the box, they will be horribly tangled the next time they're taken out of it. There will probably be one broken bulb that makes all of the others go out -- woe betide the characters if they forget to check for that before hanging up the string of lights. They may also hang up the lights, only to find out that the cord is just a little bit too short. And when they finally plug it in, the whole thing may short out.

** The [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1992/12/18 1992-12-18 strip]] is about the classic "find the one bad bulb that makes them all go out" problem. In the [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1996/12/17 1996-12-17 strip]], Jon faces the same problem and manages to solve it, but electrocutes himself in the process. Similarly, the [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2017/12/10 2017-12-10 Sunday strip]] has Garfield being haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future... and the dead bulb on their Christmas tree, which scares the three ghosts.

** In the [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1997/12/14 1997-14-12 Sunday strip]], Jon gets electrocuted by the Christmas lights when Garfield flips the switch. The [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1997/12/15 following strip]] shows him injured and covered in Christmas lights. Similarly, the [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2009/12/08 2009-12-08 strip]] shows Jon covered in pine needles and Christmas lights.

** In the [[]https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1997/12/14 1997-14-12 Sunday strip]], Jon gets electrocuted by the Christmas lights. The [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1997/12/15 following strip]] shows him injured and covered in Christmas lights. Similarly, the [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/2009/12/08 2009-12-08 strip]] shows Jon covered in pine needles and Christmas lights.

** In the [[https://garfield.com/comic/1991/12/22 1991-12-22 Sunday strip]], Jon opens the box of Christmas lights and finds a tangled mess. He decides "screw it", and hangs them up without bothering to untangle them.
** The [[https://garfield.com/comic/1992/12/18 1992-12-18 strip]] is about the classic "find the one bad bulb that makes them all go out" problem. In the [[https://garfield.com/comic/1996/12/17 1996-12-17 strip]], Jon faces the same problem and manages to solve it, but electrocutes himself in the process. Similarly, the [[https://garfield.com/comic/2017/12/10 2017-12-10 Sunday strip]] has Garfield being haunted by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future... and the dead bulb on their Christmas tree, which scares the three ghosts.
** The [[https://garfield.com/comic/1992/12/20 1992-12-20 Sunday strip]] is about Jon rigging up a lot of lights, only to find out that the cord is a little too short.
** In the [[https://garfield.com/comic/1995/12/17 1995-12-17 Sunday strip]], Jon somehow gets tangled up in the Christmas lights and ends up hanging upside-down from the roof. The same happens in the [[https://garfield.com/comic/2014/12/01 2014-12-01 strip]].
** In the [[https://garfield.com/comic/1997/12/14 1997-14-12 Sunday strip]], Jon gets electrocuted by the Christmas lights. The [[https://garfield.com/comic/1997/12/15 following strip]] shows him injured and covered in Christmas lights. Similarly, the [[https://garfield.com/comic/2009/12/08 2009-12-08 strip]] shows Jon covered in pine needles and Christmas lights.
** In the [[https://garfield.com/comic/1998/12/11 1998-12-11 strip]], Jon somehow gets himself and the Christmas tree tangled up in Christmas lights. In [[https://garfield.com/comic/1998/12/12 the next strip]], Jon's struggle with the decorations is unseen, but obvious from the sound effects. Two days later, [[https://garfield.com/comic/1998/12/14 Jon successfully rigs up the lights. Unfortunately, turning them on blows a fuse.]]
** In the [[https://garfield.com/comic/2000/12/21 2000-12-21 strip]], it's shown that Garfield has been covered in Christmas lights after climbing someone's Christmas tree.

* The TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket sections of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuFvGDj-9Wc this Star Shower Motion Laser Light ad]] uses a guy having trouble with a traditional string of lights: First he has to untangle them, and then he spends hours hanging them, only to find out that they don't even work when he tries to plug them in.

In fictionland, dealing with Christmas lights is extremely difficult. No matter how neatly a character puts them back into the box, they will be horribly tangled the next time they're taken out of it. There will probably be one broken bulb that makes all of the others go out -- woe betide the characters if they forget to check for that before hanging up the string of lights.They may also hang up the lights, only to find out that the cord is just a little bit too short. And when they finally plug it in, the whole thing may short out.

OverTheTopChristmasDecorations is a common cause of Christmas Light Chaos, but those who prefer more modest decorations are not immune.

* Music/{{DDE}}'s "Det e ei lyspaer et sted som itj virke" ("There Is a Light Bulb Somewhere That Doesn't Work") is about people looking for and not finding the one bad bulb that makes them all go out, as well as a few other Christmas-related annoyances.