We bought new lights on Ebay this year and love them. They are the LED 'fairy' lights. I think I got 4-100 light strands at 5.95 a strand. They run on regular house current and have push button controls that change the twinkle pattern.
I love the idea of an 'orphan dinner'. Sounds like so much fun for folks like DH and myself who don't have kids nor family close by. It would probably be hard to organize in our neighborhood as the Amish have family head counts 16 or 18. The next door non Amish have 15. On the other side of us we asked that couple what they were doing for Christmas and got a Bah Humbug! response from them.
Doesn't it make you sad for folks like that? I'm 65 years old and DH 67. We both enjoy the lights and decorations not to mention the cookies and treats and Christmas in general. Guess we are just kids in old bodies!
And now because they are just too darned cute not to watch again at Christmas:
I love the utube showed BF he got to laughing they are cute but cute when they live elsewhere