WE all know the frustration of Christmas tree lights, and tracing the failed rogue suspect.

I have a set of 80, wired in a series of 10, each with its own flash-bulb... it's a fantastic set and I have had it for years.

Each Christmas, one of the series of 10 fails, but it is just a matter of time and patience to test the bulbs not lit... a process I spent this New Year;s Day morning with nothing better to do.

Standing on a chair testing one of the top bulbs, I dropped the tester, which disappeared into the very thick and numerous branches of my 6ft faux-spruce tree.

Rummaging to find it, I had no success... wrecking a quite nice decorative set-up (I think!). Given my New Year's Day hangover I decided to undress the tree from the top... no tester!

Having already searched the floor around, the only place left for it to be was the base.

Imagine my surprise (and relief), when I found the tester had fallen end-wise (the space was just big enough) between the stem of the tree and the decorated box it stands in.

I'm told all these ‘light-problems’ will be solved with the new LED bulbs, but like energy-saving bulbs and the town decorations they are, to my mind ‘dead’ light... there we go. Happy New Year!

GEOFF BEARD, Withermoor Road, Winton