Sorry to Be Such a Grinch

This was my first year stringing lights on a Christmas tree. We've used a small, pre-lit, artificial tree every other year except one since we got married. Marissa decorated the only other full-size tree we had, but it died when we went to Toronto for a whole week right before Christmas. So far our new tree has yet to wither, but putting up the lights almost killed me. First, I overestimated the effectiveness of a single string of lights. Then I found more lights but the plugs didn't match. Finally, I discovered that our bubble lights go all the way to both ends, so I had to run an extension cord up the tree trunk to make that look presentable. I could feel my heart shrinking to "two sizes too small." One tree, two adults, and three nights to get it right doesn't make much mathematical sense. The good news is it's done and I still have three weekends that should be an improvement over the last one. I eventually developed a rhythm and now I feel I could go toe to toe with anyone in a light-stringing contest.