Review on 🎄 34 Inch National Tree Company Pre-lit Artificial Christmas Décor with White Lights and Ground Stakes - Reindeer and Santa's Sleigh by Andrew Gomez

This item was not easy to assemble and I am a veteran of many types of Christmas decorations that require assembly. Holes and spikes are either difficult to align or too easy to insert and need to be reinforced with cable ties. There are a few zip ties, but they're tiny - use your own and don't be stingy if you want this item to withstand the wind and December weather. Unfortunately, using cable ties usually involves drilling holes in the fabric - sometimes through multiple layers, and you can't always see what you're doing as the spacers that need to be connected are often sewn under those layers of fabric. Also, two pieces of the set were broken when it arrived - luckily neither of which mattered very much - Santa's belt buckle came loose and the green 'gift' box was almost torn in half. As for the real box, it's good that it broke; Assembling would have required forming a cube from a flat piece of plastic cloth with protrusions that, even if the object were intact, would constantly slip out of their slots. I doubt I would use it even if it were whole. The ground stakes provided with this item - and indeed all of the outdoor Christmas decorations I've seen in recent years - are woefully inadequate, and high winds would definitely blow the whole thing off the anchor if you relied solely on them. If you have real tent poles (thicker and longer) this is a much better solution. If not, you can buy a box of garden stakes and make double stakes at each ground contact point. Make sure the contact points are anchored at different angles - never straight down as different angles offer better wind resistance. I also used a rubber mallet to secure the stakes. I live in suburban Virginia, DC, so the weather before Christmas ranges from the 60's into the 20's, with wind gusts that can reach 30 mph on a windy day, or much more during a storm. I'm hoping there aren't any particularly big storms between today and New Year's because I don't want to blow that thing down the street. So it all sounds rather negative - rigid assembly, improper fixings and some broken parts. . But I would give the item 2 1/2 stars instead of 2 if Revain offered a half star option. Santa's belt buckle would be barely visible and I have a hot glue gun so I can easily insert it myself. And this "gift"-who cares? In fact, the item looks pretty good on my lawn. As we finished the assembly, we received several compliments from passing neighbors. I don't understand the reviewers complaining that the kit is only 12 inches. It's more than that. Santa's and reindeer's heads are about 3 feet off the ground, with the rest of the item being proportionate to that. It's easy to see from across an ordinary suburban street. The light is bright and the light but transparent fabric feels strong enough and well stitched at the seams. Of course, having to drill holes in this fabric to attach zip ties doesn't add to the durability of the item, but these things are designed to last no more than 3-4 years. A few years ago, the trend in backyard Christmas decorations were aluminum plates in the shape of Santa Claus, Rudolph, the words "Merry Christmas", etc. with small, pointed, multi-colored lightbulbs sticking out through round holes in them. We had several of these and now all but one are dead and gone due to large swathes of light going out. These 3D yard decorations are an improvement over the aluminum panels as the panels didn't have enough light to articulate how the decoration was supposed to look in the dark (it was just a blurry, colorful shape). But these new 3D sets use the exact same pointy lightbulbs. It's always difficult to control the voltage to avoid tripping the switch (at best) - I wish the manufacturers making these things had started using LED bulbs, which are much less flammable, so you can more illuminated objects can be lined up safely. Timer or in an outlet. I've had LED Christmas tree strings for about five years now and they still work great and you can string them together without risking a fire. I have year-round LED street lights over my porch, garage and backyard that are supposed to turn on at dusk and turn off at dawn, but they stay put (poorly) due to the way they were installed and the shade the turned on most of the day and the angle of incidence of the sun most of the year; Anyway, I installed the first of these LED lights on my porch over a year ago and have not had to replace them despite almost constant use. The halogen bulbs we used lasted no more than 6-8 months. Oh god I'm a little crazy. I am sorry. I hope that LEDs will soon find their place in outdoor Christmas decorations, but I doubt it because they are not designed to last more than 3-4 years. But Santa Claus cuts a fine figure on my lawn in 2015 despite the missing belt buckle and fake gift.