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Did you know?
  • The original Rudolph did not have a red nose. In that day and age, red noses were seen as an indicator of chronic alcoholism and Montgomery Ward didn’t want him to look like a drunkard. To complete the original picture, he was almost named Reginald or Rollo.
  • The Christmas wreath was originally hung as a symbol of Jesus. The holly represents his crown of thorns and the red berries the blood he shed.
  • The three traditional colors of most Christmas decorations are red, green and gold. Red symbolizes the blood of Christ, green symbolized life and rebirth, and gold represents light, royalty and wealth.
  • Tinsel was invented in 1610 in Germany and was once made of real silver.
  • The oldest artificial Christmas trees date back to the late 1800s and were made of green raffia (think grass hula skirts) or dyed goose feathers. Next the Addis Brush Company used their machinery that wove toilet brushes to create pine-like branches for artificial Christmas trees that were less flammable and could hold heavier decorations.
  • ‘Jingle Bells’ – the popular Christmas song was composed by James Pierpont in Massachusetts, America. It was, however, written for thanksgiving and not Christmas.
  • Coca-Cola was the first company that used Santa Claus during the winter season for promotion.
  • Hallmark introduced their first Christmas cards in 1915.
  • The first recorded date of Christmas being celebrated on December 25th was in 336, during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine. A few years later, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Jesus would be celebrated on that day.
  • Santa Claus's sleigh is led by eight reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Dunder (variously spelled Donder and Donner), and Blixem (variously spelled Blixen and Blitzen), with Rudolph being a 20th-century inclusion.
  • Outdoor Christmas lights on homes evolved from decorating the traditional Christmas tree and house with candles during the Christmas season. Lighting the tree with small candles dates back to the 17th century and originated in Germany before spreading to Eastern Europe.
  • That big, jolly man in the red suit with a white beard didn’t always look that way. Prior to 1931, Santa was depicted as everything from a tall gaunt man to a spooky-looking elf. He has donned a bishop's robe and a Norse huntsman's animal skin. When Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast drew Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly in 1862, Santa was a small elflike figure who supported the Union. Nast continued to draw Santa for 30 years, changing the color of his coat from tan to the red he’s known for today.
  • Christmas 2018 countdown has already begun. Will you be ready???
  • Why do we love Christmas? It's all about the traditions. In this chaotic world we can miss the "good old days." Christmas reminds us of that time.

Justin Smith

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Everything posted by Justin Smith

  1. Justin Smith
    As long as it's rated for the voltage it's perfectly safe. (300V for 120V systems) Keep in mind most of the dollar stores I've bought absorbed water through the insulation and became a GFCI nightmare. The only difference between a power strip and a surge protector is the surge protector contains a single MOV. I stopped using all power strips anymore because they make little contact with the prongs on a plug and almost caught fire a few times.
  2. Justin Smith
    Has anyone ever tried running their display on WVO instead if grid power? I'm considering doing this because it will save the $400+. electric bill my dad is stuck with, be independent of the power company, and great for the environment. It seems like a great idea!
  3. Justin Smith
    You can put a plug in the middle, just cut the ends off and dip them in liquid electric tape or use heat shrink caps.
  4. Justin Smith
    I made cords for my candycanes with THWN and vampire sockets.
  5. Justin Smith
    I tuck my lights into the J-channel around the window.
  6. Justin Smith
    This is Subpanel #3 (out of 4) that I own, #2 for the display.
  7. Justin Smith
    I set my connections on bricks.
  8. Justin Smith
    That's why I use parallel-wired (C9 or E27) strings.
  9. Justin Smith
    Fill them with expanding foam insulation!
  10. Justin Smith
    I'll use LED's when I see a LED C9 that looks just like a incandescent one.
  11. Justin Smith
    I use CREE 9.5W LED's in mine.
  12. Justin Smith
    I hole saw the hole bigger and use a porcelain socket mounted to a round bell box.
  13. Justin Smith
    One thing I don't like about this idea is lights between 2 sheets of plastic is going to be a huge water magnet.
  14. Justin Smith
    This time of year, I start running extension cords. All of the main feeders get run first, then the smaller cords go last. First turn is Halloween which is why I start so early then I put Christmas up as I take Halloween down. All of the wireframes, blow molds, etc. get done Black Friday.
  15. Justin Smith
    I get mine at my local electrical supply house.
  16. Justin Smith
    A used bucket truck in this area can be scored for relatively low cost. (1-3,000)
  17. Justin Smith
    Well that's why they make transformers If you only have 208-240V You can run them on opposite legs, which have 120V to neutral.
  18. Justin Smith
    Yes we do!
  19. Justin Smith
    Why would you want to run minis on 208-240V?
  20. Justin Smith
    You could always use parallel-wired strings.
  21. Justin Smith
    Burn them and recycle the copper. You'll have a pretty fire
  22. Justin Smith
    Here is unit 1 in the picture. You can see I have a timer on the side.
  23. Justin Smith
    I have three. Used Square D QO 8-space panels. Unit one has 2 20A GFCI receptacles, a L14-30 receptacle, and a 20A duplex fed with a 2-pole GFCI breaker. Unit two has three 20A GFCI receptacles, a 20A simplex fed off a singe pole GFCI breaker, and a L14-20 and 6-20 fed off a 20A 2-pole GFCI breaker. Unit three has six 20A duplex receptacles, each one fed off a dedicated 20A gfci breaker, and then 2 6-15's, L14-20 fed off a 20A 2-pole GFCI breaker. All three have a 25' 6-4 SOOW power cord, with a 14-50 male plug. Next year's unit will be a 200A panel with cam-lok connectors, in a steel cabinet made to look like a present.
  24. Justin Smith
    Why do you use separate meters? Put in a CTL cabinet by the road and run your own lines from there.
  25. Justin Smith
    I figured I'd share with you all that I found extension cords on Monoprice. They're way cheaper than the big box stores, black, and pretty decent build quality. Here's the link. I bought 10 10' 16/3 cords for my display and I'll probably buy quite a few more. http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10228 Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with the company other than being a very satisfied customer.
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