Ross Shaddick of Plymouth, England has been using Christmas Lights bought by his mother in 1969 for many years. At 38 years of age, the string of festive lights is 10 years older than he is and they came with a spare set of bulbs. However, not one single bulb has died in all those 48 years.

Mother buys Christmas lights in 1969

Every Christmas, Shaddick turns on the Christmas lights on his tree and is amazed at their longevity. A report by the Huffington Post states that his mother paid three pounds (worth around $58 nowadays) for them in Britain in 1969, including the spare set of bulbs and they’ve been in use every year since.

While there is a set of spares, not one bulb has died in 48 years. However, Shaddick told the South West News Service that two years ago, he bought a string of LED Christmas lights. He paid the equivalent of $25 for them and they have already been binned.

50th anniversary coming soon for the Christmas lights

As noted by the Express, Shaddick is planning on celebrating the 50th anniversary of those same Christmas lights soon, so he treats them with exceptional care. He says he stores them on the same artificial Christmas tree all year round to avoid having to wrap and unwrap them each holiday season.

The tree is carefully wrapped in plastic between Christmases. He added that he only uses the lights when he is in the room with the Christmas tree, so he can keep an eye on them and said, as the years go by, he is increasing his checks to make sure that everything is okay.

Shaddick’s mother is in a nursing home and he said he will be spending time with her on Christmas and Boxing Day (celebrated in the UK on December 26), but the tree will have to remain at home.

He’s unsure whether her care home would allow the Christmas tree and he doesn’t believe those lights would pass an electrical test. Shaddick noted that more modern lights come with an AC adaptor to change the current.

They don’t make them like this anymore

According to a report by the Huffington Post, those same Christmas lights have given approximately 30,000 hours of Christmas cheer, but Shaddick does realize that the time will come when they finally give up the Christmas ghost.

He added that the worst problem with those lights right now is the plastic coating the wire, which has begun to deteriorate. However, he still considers them to be a stable part of his life and he enjoys keeping the tradition going after all these many years. Shaddick noted that the lights have been with him his entire life and he will carry on using them until they finally die.

The story goes to prove that quality is lacking these days. While back in 1969, things were still built to last, these days Christmas lights have a shorter life, forcing the public to replace them, often on a yearly basis.
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