[blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Sun Dec 9 01:08:11 UTC 2012

Jeri, yes I am completely blind.  I am like you, a silly wrapper.  But no
one would ever guess what I give cause if it doesn't fit in a box, I've been
known to put a towel around it before wrapping.  Of course, the towel isn't
part of the gift, but it makes for a great disguise.
Where did you find that tape dispenser?

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jeri Milton
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 8:56 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Hi V. Are you totally blind now? I miss seeing the lights too. Christmas is
a very visual holiday. No, it's not just the visual aspects of it that make
it so joyful, but it is a large part of it. The true spirit of Christmas is
always in my heart, but having the kids is so much fun. Every time I put
something else on the tree or another decoration around the house, Katlyn
says to me "Mommy, I just really want to go to that Christmas." Then, the
other evening Dylan was looking at lights outside and it's like it suddenly
dawned on him that his mommy can't see them. He ran up to me and gave me a
kiss, then started to describe everything that he saw. it was great. I do
still love to wrap presents, although the paper is rarely straight and the
tape is different lengths. I'm thinking about asking my aunt to wrap them
this year, because the way I wrap is a dead giveaway. My son is going to
catch on to me. Smile. Speaking of tape, has anyone tried the new tape
dispensers that makes each strip of tape the same length? I was so excited
when I found them! 

Jeri

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Veronica
Smith
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 5:18 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

I have RP, so have lost my vision slowly over many years.  Probably when I
was 29 is when I finally admitted that I could not see enough to read print
and I didn't know Braille. I am almost 53. 
I miss seeing the lights, but Gab is wonderful at describing them.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jennifer
Jackson
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 10:19 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

I had a car accident when I was 16 and damaged my optic nerves.

Jennifer

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jeri Milton
Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 10:07 AM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Hi Jennifer. How old were you when you went blind? I lost mine 3 days before
my thirteenth birthday. Now here I am turning 39 in a couple of days. I
remember looking at Christmas lights. Christmas lights are so different now.
Meaning with the LED lights or the lights that do different things. Growing
up we didn't have much. A very small house that was barely standing, but my
mom sure did make it up pretty. I love to hear the excitement in my
children's voices when we drive around and they see all the different homes
all decked out with lights or the big blow up characters. It sort of makes
me feel like a kid again. So ya, it's been a long time. I've been blind
longer than I could see. It keeps things interesting. Like for example, the
other day I told Dylan to get his socks on. I reminded him that there was a
folded pair in his drawer. He came running out laughing. He said, "Mom, I'm
not going to wear those! They have pink heals!" Oops, I put my socks in his
drawer. It happens. My husband loves it when he comes out in the morning and
I'm in the kitchen making his lunch for work and I'm in total darkness. When
we first moved in together 12 years ago, it took him a bit to get used to
it. Smile. 

Jeri

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jennifer
Jackson
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 6:22 AM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Hmm, that is a long time. I hit the 25 year mark for my own loss of site
this past July. Sometimes those memories of things I saw are so clear and
others it seems like I have been blind my whole life.

Jennifer

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jeri Milton
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 8:03 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Topper? What topper? Just kidding. Smile. I forgot to put the topper on. My
son just asked me where the star is! If I remember right the one we had
doesn't work anymore. Guess I had better go buy one. I know they look really
pretty. I remember the one we had when I was little. All twinkly. Oh,
tomorrow is the 26th anniversary of me losing my site completely. it's been
a long time. 

Jeri

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Veronica
Smith
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 4:41 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Too funny, you know if my topper was ever crooked, no one has ever told me.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Robert
Shelton
Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 7:20 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

>He almost became the new tree topper in that moment.
Funny!

Blind folks are by no means alone in struggling with tree decoration.  When
I was young and could see, I remember my Dad, an engineer, never could get
the star on straight.  There was one year that the tree had a pronounced
tendency to tip to one side, and he actually used monofilament fishing line
in an attempt to correct the tip.  It still looked, for lack of a better
word, tipsy.  Of course, this was a natural tree, and they can be a bit more
interesting to put up.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jo Elizabeth Pinto [mailto:jopinto at msn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 8:53 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

It was awesome.  Do you have any ideas about how to make sure the topper is
straight?  Years ago, I decorated our little Christmas tree while my then
husband was taking a nap.  He woke up and came out, said the tree was nice
but the topper looked like a drunk had put it on.  He almost became the new
tree topper in that moment.

Jo Elizabeth

Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; nay, you may
kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at
evening.--Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
-----Original Message-----
From: mary jo hartle
Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2012 7:13 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Thanks.  I hope it was helpful.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jennifer
Jackson
Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2012 10:56 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Mary Jo, I just wanted to tell you what a great explanation this is for
decorating a tree. Thanks for taking the time to write it all out.

Jennifer

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of mary jo
hartle
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 11:33 AM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] [blaring] Christmas tree

Hi,
We just put up our tree last night.  WE actually have a pre-lit tree, just
because they are so convenient whether you are blind or not.
But, I used to have a regular tree and would put the lights on myself.  My
husband, who is also blind, always helped me.  It's really not that
difficult to decorate the tree as it's all hands-on.  Usually, we can just
feel the branches and decorations to make sure they are placed correctly.
But, there are a few things I've found that can help.
Hanging Lights:
With strands of lights, we would take turns passing the strand of lights all
coiled up in a strand so you can pass it and hold it.  One of us would stand
on one one side like the front, and one around the back.  Then we could wrap
the lights and pass the coil of lights to each other and move the strands
around the tree together.  You want to make sure the strands are evenly
spaced out, which you can do by feeling where the strand is running.  You
can put the strands back deeper in the branches close to the trunk of the
tree (or pole if it's artificial) so that the strands aren't showing that
much.  Before you put the lights on though, run your hands down the strands
to make sure there are no bare wires exposed, no freying, and no broken
bulbs.  It is probably a good idea to have a sighted person check the strand
before too if you can't see the lights just to make sure the light bulbs are
all working and that none have burned out.  Sometimes you can run your hand
across each bulb and feel if they are hot, but this takes a lot of time or
if they are small lights, sometimes the heat from the lights on either side
can make a burnt out bulb still feel warm.  It can also be a pain to keep
strands untangled, so having someone look at the whole strand briefly to
make sure it is working can be helpful.  When putting the strands of lights
on the tree, you just make sure you space each strand out and move it up the
tree a few inches at a time.  You can do the same thing for garland.  Just
go back around after you've wrapped the tree either with lights or garland
and make sure you weave the strands in and over and under the branches some
with your hands so that it doesn't look like you just tied the tree up.  You
want the lights and garland to look more draped or looped over the branches.

Hanging Ornaments:
These are a lot easier to put on the tree than the lights and garland in my
opinion.  With these, I usually divide the tree into sections and decorate a
section at a time.  This way you can make sure not to over decorate a part
of the tree and make sure your ornaments are evenly spaced out.  It doesn't
have to be perfect, but this seems to help keep our tree from looking really
crowded in one place and bear in another.  I tend to divide my tree into
four sections like a front, back, right, and left side.  I then work from
the top to the bottom in each of the four sections.  I've even divided up my
ornaments so that I have the same (roughly) amount of ornaments in each
section.  WE tend to have bulbs and then some specialty ornaments, so by
dividing the ornaments into piles or groups first, I then have better
chances of distributing them evenly around the tree.  I then decorate one
section, like the front for example, with one of the groups of ornaments.  I
tend to put our favorite or most special ornaments that I want to be seen
better into the pile that is going on the front of the tree--the part of the
tree that is facing out to your living room the most, or wherever most
people will see.  If you are displaying your tree in a window where your
neighbors will see it, you might want this to be your "front" section.
Anyway, this strategy has seemed to work well for me.  Then, as I'm
decorating each section, I can feel where I hang ornaments and then place
them a few inches apart.  It's not a perfect measurement, but I spread my
hand out like as if I was making a hand print, and then touch one of my
outside fingers to an ornament and then where the other outside finger is is
where I place the next ornament.  This way, I can kind of guide my placing
of ornaments down the tree.  I start at the top and work down to the bottom
rather than just randomly hanging the ornaments so that I don't miss a spot
or put too many ornaments in one place.  If it's helpful, you can even place
a chair or something around the tree to use as a border to mark off your
sections while you are decorating so that you don't go over a section while
you are working on that section.  AS you are also hanging the ornaments, you
want to make sure that the ornament isn't resting against a wire from the
lights, or a light bulb so that you can minimize your risk of the ornament
melting or causing a fire--worst case scenario.  Same thing with garland.
You can feel what is around your ornaments as you are hanging them so that
you can make sure they aren't touching a lightbulb pretty easy.  , I hope
that makes sense.  I actually don't put garland on our tree anymore, but
instead, I use this idea I got from a craft store display tree where they
draped long ribbon down the tree instead.   This design has also proven to
be helpful in decorating our tree as it provides a marker or divider on the
tree itself which I now use when decorating to divide the tree while I'm
hanging ornaments.  I have four curled strands of thick Christmas ribbon
coming down from the top of the tree and cascading down the tree.
Basically, it is two long strands of thick ribbon (the kind with the fine
wire on the edges so you can shape it) which I divide in half.  Where the
fold in the middle is, I make a loop and place it around the tip of the top
of the tree (where your tree topper/star/angel/etc. will later go.  Then, I
drape one side down the front, and one side down the back.  I do the same
thing with my second strand of ribbon and put it on the left and right
sides.  When I hang ornaments, I used these ribbons as my dividers.  Then,
when we put our tree topper on, the ribbon kind of looks like a bow on a
package, except the bow is the tree topper.  It looks pretty good apparently
as I've had lots of complements on using the Christmas ribbon instead of
garland.  Since our tree is pre-lit, there are so many lights that I think
the garland could look cluttery anyway if not done the right way.  Using the
ribbon is really easy too.  It's kind of hard to explain but I hope this
makes sense.  I just mentioned this as one way you could divide your tree.
Again, I did this because visually it looks pretty, not to help me decorate
though, or to get out of using garland which can be hard to space around a
tree nonvisually.  .  Since Christmas trees are supposed to be visually
appealing, it may be helpful to have a trusted friend or family member check
out your tree when you're finished decorating it just to make sure things
look visually pleasing --ornaments are spaced out well and wires are hidden,
etc.  I've even Skype called my mom before and showed her the tree to get
her opinion and have her point out any things I need to fix to make it look
better.  AS far as safety issues, I think if you are proactive and checking
where you place things as you go, you shouldn't have any problems.  Just
make sure your strands of lights aren't frayed (you can run your hands down
a strand to check for any bare wires being exposed) or burnt out or broken
before you put them on the tree too.  IN any case, I hope this has been
helpful.
Merry Christmas!
Mary Jo Hartle

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf of Dianna
Alley
Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 10:45 AM
To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: [blparent] Christmas tree

Hi I was wondering how do people decorate trees when they are blind parents
and do not generally have sighted help?  I also would like to know how are
lights handled?  I do not like risk of fires.
Windows live dianna24 at mchsi.com skype dianna41
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