Hello, Mr. Christmas!

I just have to share what happened at our last Family Home Evening, two nights ago, that made us all giggle to pieces. But to tell the story, you need a little background information.

On our Christmas tree, we have a novelty light accessory.  It has two connected parts. The first is an ornament-looking control:

 

(That's supposed to be a music stand with a conductor mouse in the center.)

 

The second part is an in-line box:

 

 

You use your own tree lights, and instead of plugging them into the wall or into a timer you plug them into the green box, and that plugs into the wall. If you can see it in the photo, there are different settings. We have it on Voice Control.

 

So, the little book-looking ornament has a list of the songs it can play. On voice control, to activate it, you say, "Hello, Mr. Christmas."

 

It will answer (in a man's voice, with a proper British accent),

"Well-l-l, Hello!"

"To see what I can do, say 'Lights on!' or 'Play a carol' "

 

If you say, "Lights on!", it will turn the tree lights on and say, "Ta-Daaa!!"

If you have it play a carol, you can select from the list, say the title, and it will play the music and the tree lights will blink in time with the music.

 

If the lights are already on, then when you say, "Hello, Mr. Christmas", it will say,

"Well-l-l-l, Hello!!"

"To see what I can do, say 'Lights off' or 'Play a carol'  "

 

Even when it turns the tree lights off, the white LED light over its own music stand-ornament stays on all the time.

 

Remember, all of this is done in a British accent. And you can't interrupt it. If it's speaking, then it doesn't register anything you say, until it's quiet again. Hmmm.... I wonder if Brits are like that, too?

 

Anyway, it's rather a nifty little thing, but we didn't get it ourselves. Grandma Huffaker bought it for us a year ago, I think. She has one for her own Christmas tree, and she thought Emma would get a kick out of being able to control the tree lights by herself.

 

The ironic thing, is that the unit can't recognize Emma's voice. Maybe it's too soft, too high, or she just needs to speak more clearly. At any rate, she can't control it on her own yet. It just doesn't respond to her. It also has a motion-activation setting, but in our family -- we've got way too much happening around it for the tree to randomly turn itself off or on, or start music.

 

Ok, so .... having told you that.............

 

 

Two nights ago, during our Family Home Evening, we were sitting in the living room and discussing upcoming events and activities and obligations during our busy Christmas season. We were all talking, sometimes at once, sometimes one at a time.

 

We never heard anything from the tree that whole time.

It kinda makes you forget that Mr. Christmas is even there.

 

We had our opening song, prayer, discussion, ......

NOTHING from the Christmas tree, at all.

 

Cameron, who was sitting at the opposite end of the living room (farthest from the tree), was asked to give the closing prayer. So he began,

 

"Our dear Heavenly Father, ..."

 

"Well-l-l-l, Hello!!"

[Proper British accent]

I think we all gave a little jump, .... and then we all LOST IT!!

Nobody could keep from giggling all during the rest of the prayer.

It was like an Alma the Younger moment. In case you were wondering, Heavenly Father does answer prayers. And He does it in a proper British accent.

Have a great day, and enjoy this beautiful Christmas season!!