I've become a holiday lighting enthusiast due to LED's. I started out about 3 years ago, when I first stumbled on the LED Museum, and read about the Forever Brights. Back then, they only had those bare straight edged LED's in red,amber,green strings, and supposedly a blue and white string. I began searching the Rite Aids and Tru Values, which were listed as the dealers, but none carried them. I It was only Harrow's in Long Island that had them, but not the blue and white. I didn't bother with them that year, but did find a small C-battery operated red-orange-yellow-green string at the local K-Mart (I even ued it for a bit during the blackout. Now, my wife uses it on her little table Christmas tree). This began an annual tradition of going out into Long Island during November and December, and seeing all the decorations on the homes; many of which fill the yards. (they do that here in the city as well, but LI looks more interesting).
So the following year, the Forever Bright came out with its new C6 sets, and I got one multicolor (red,amber,blue,and the unChristmassy yellow-green), and the slightly lavenderish white, which when placed outside venetian blinds, makes it loo like daylight outside. I placed that in one window, and the other in the other window.
The following year, they were supposed to come out with newer brighter ones, with pure green, and an artificial purple made by coloring a white bulb, but I never saw these anywhere.
That year, I did hunt down the cool red and white fiber optic pointsettias that were displayed on 34th St. (Macy's Herald Sq, area), where the edges glow. I pounded the pavement looking for them, and the closest I could find were these flowers with butterflies in them in the oriental stores; but then finally found them online at christmaslights.etc
This year, Forever Bright came out with a whole bunch of new items, including frosted C7's and C9's, but I still could not find any of these in the stores. I did see the new faceted C6's, C7's and G25's in the city's new Lowe's; but I wanted to see the frosted. I wound up having to order the white anc multicolor from two different online companies. In the meantime, I decided to try out Carpenter's Intellishine RGB C7's, and found my mother's unused Dept.56 6 bulb light string, and got a voltage converter from a Radio Shack and hooked it up. This kept the color window full while I waited for the Forever Brights.
I also looked at ColorKinetics' RGB MR16 for one of the pointsettas, but after seeing one at a dealer, I concluded that it would not be bright enough compared to the halogen, and since this bulb uses separate Red, green and blue LED's (with four reds in the center, surrounded by four blues and greens spread out on opposite sides); it would not even mix the colors well. I guess it would act like the color wheel in which different solid colors would shine through diferent parts of the plant; but then once again, it would's be as bright. (I even tested it with one of those cheap LED pens that contain a red, blue and green).
So far, last year, I saw one house in Massapequa Pk. LI (near Sunrise Mall) that was completely decorated with Forever Brights. I want to pass by again to see if they have them again, or have the new ones. Elsewhere, I would see a bush or two, done with the whites or blues. One card store near me has the new C6's in their window, and a pizza parlor a couple of blocks from there has a string of whites mixed in with incandescents outside over the sidewalk. On
Davis CA to light Community tree with LED's, I discuss how LED's are becoming more prevalent in Midtown Manhattan (Christmas Central, to me! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
For next year; hopefully, it will be the holy grail of Christmas lighting. Individually addressable LED lights where I can completely mix and control the colors. I discovered Color Kinetics' iColor Flex this past Summer, which is more commercial oriented, and not particularly a Christmas light, but can be used for any exterior decoration, including graphic signs. So it is about $450, and I was still tempted to press to get it, until I found a good "excuse" not to. In the spec. sheet, I see that the primary red color is a 617 "amber" (orange, actually). That would throw the colors off, and I would want at the lowest, 625.
Another company says they may be coming out with a similar product, and it would be better and cheaper. This is what I am looking forward to. I will also be looking into festive_lights.com, which someone here linked too, because they have a lot of nice LED stuff, such as those spiral or branch only trees.
