Lights out.

• Position: What's new? Toys galore & more; Christmas Light Company - Brief Article

Although we hold out as long as possible, sad to say, this is the month when the outdoor Christmas lights simply have to come down, lf there's anything more depressing than removing Xmas bulbs from the house, it's getting them all tangled up in the process. (Just what we need: numb, frozen hands and a knotted ball of electric wire.) Calm down; take a deep breath; and pull out the Wrap-N-Roll plastic reel ($4) from The Christmas Light Company, Mesa, Ariz., which stores and protects miniature and icicle lights. Actually, ending the season with the help of a practical product from The Christmas Light Company seems only fitting, since that's how it began, with the No-Ladder Light Hanging Kit ($25), Snap-N-Glow Letter Panels ($10), and Magic Color Caps ($10).

The No-Ladder Kit is comprised of a package of specially designed grip clips and a telescoping steel pole that makes hanging light strands from gutters, shingles, and eaves faster, easier, and safer. (Underline the latter, as over 200 people died and more than 200,000 were injured from falling off a ladder last year.) Simply screw a light clip to the end of...