I cheated a bit by splitting the phrase this week! Well…..I always was a bit of a maverick!
I tested them all to make sure they worked. When I put them away I wondered what next year would bring. These lights reminded me of life. You could treat them gently, wrap them in soft tissue, store them in a sturdy box in a safe place but despite all your care and attention, you could find at the end of the year that they had mysteriously broken. The last twelve months had taught me that no matter how much care, how much love, how much playing safe you did, there were no guarantees that everything would turn out right.
Lynda's Blog 
Poor old lights…only fulfilling their destiny for a few weeks of every year!