I'm probably tempting fate here, but I've had a LV filament set of tree lights (3 x 80 in parallel/series) for so long I've forgotten how long - never had a problem. The lamps are the type which fail to a short so you never get a section going out.
Ditto. Though we did retire a set a few years ago that had been in use as long as I remember - so possibly 30 years or more. It had got to the point where it was literally falling apart - I recall many a time having to carefully push the MES lampholder out from it's plastic housing and resolder the single wire back in place (this set was a loop of single wire rather than a straight run with a return twisted as a pair with the light string).
Mind you, we ran them off reduced voltage. For a long time, I recall there were a couple of old indicator lights (no doubt rescued from some scrap control panel) wired in series, and for a lot of years now, and auto-transfor in a wooden box with several sockets on top for the lights.
But isn't that part of the whole ritual : The ritual untangling of the lights (you carefully coiled them but they still come out tangled. The ritual going down them all because half of them have inexplicably unscrewed themselves. Then the ritual process of going along with a spare fitting the spare in holder 1, then bulb one in holder 2, and so on until they all light.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree
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IMO the bit about red globes on the tree we use nowadays represent apples from the garden of eden and the bread of the "host" being represented by first wafers and then carboard and to boot the fact that the candles that represent jesus that have been replaced by Led's is a complete and compeeling history.
But it doesn't say why it's traditional to put a fairy on the Christmas Tree - but I happen to know why
One year, Santa had industrial relations problems with the elves, so in desperation he had to employ some fairies. Since they were unskilled, he gave them the simple task of popping down to Norway to collect the Christmas Trees. But they dillied and dallied, stopped to gossip, and didn't get back until boxing day.
When they arrived, Santa told them (in no uncertain terms) that they were too late - Christmas was over. "But what do we do with these trees ?" the fairies asked. Santa told the fairies where to put the trees, and that's why it's traditional to put a fairy on top of the Christmas Tree