How to Decorate Christmas Lights on Your Car

Decorating your car with Christmas lights is a fun and festive way to celebrate the holidays. Although decorating a car with lights may seem complicated or cumbersome, it is actually a simple and straightforward process. The tools you will need are readily available at most retailers, and the installation is fast and easy. Just be sure to take recommended safety measures to avoid accidents and serious injuries.


Things You'll Need

• Power inverter
• Christmas lights
• Star washer

Instructions

1. Check with local authorities whether installing Christmas lights on cars is permitted in your area. Local ordinances vary from area to area, and in some places decorating your car with Christmas lights may be considered illegal. This is because the lights might be considered a distraction for others on the road.

2. Buy a suitable inverter for your car. A 12v DC inverter, available at most hardware stores, changes12v DC electricity into 110v AC electricity, supplying usable power to the Christmas lights in the car. In other words, the inverter draws power from the car battery and changes it to a form the lights can use. Be careful not to confuse this device with a converter. A converter will do the opposite, changing 110v AC to 12v DC.
       
3. Install the inverter. You will need to draw at least 400 watts from the inverter, and therefore cannot use a standard inverter that supports loads of up to 150 watts. Because you are using a heavy duty inverter, you will have to connect it directly to the car battery, and not the lighter adapter as the standard inverter. To install, unscrew the nut from the positive terminal on the battery, and attach the power lead terminal over the bolt securing the terminal to the battery post. Replace the nut.
       
4. Ground the inverter. Choose a suitable small metal object, such as a screw or bolt, that is in direct contact with the metal body of the car and is near the inverter. Detach the screw or bolt and remove any surface deposits such as grime. Take the ground wire from the inverter, attach its end to a star washer, and slip it underneath the bolt or screw. Replace the screw, making sure the ground wire remains attached.
       
5. Buy Christmas lights. Once the inverter has been properly installed, you can choose virtually any type of lighting, from low budget standard Christmas lights, to elaborate electronically-controlled lighting that blinks different colors or lights that chase back and forth.
       
6. String the lights along the inside of your car. Some people prefer to string their lights on the outside of their car. If you choose to do this instead, be sure to string them on the outside of your car in dry weather only. Remove them if the weather forecast calls for rain, sleet, or snow.
       
7. Attach the lights to the inverter connector. When you string the lights, one end will have the input for power supply. Connect the inverter to the power input for the lights, and move the connecting wires so they are not exposed.

(courtesy of eHow)

Stocking Stuffers That Ease Any Drive

Christmas will be here before you know it. If you're like me, finding stocking stuffers is a last-minute scramble, and as my daughters recently pointed out, I buy way too many hair accessories (who couldn't use more ponytail holders?). To save you from shopping in the "As Seen on TV" aisle at Walgreens this year, here are a few car-themed stocking stuffer ideas for all the drivers and passengers in your life.

Spill-Proof Travel Coffee Mug: There are very few travel coffee mugs that are actually completely and utterly leak- and spill-proof. The Contigo Autoseal Travel Mug has weathered many early morning school commutes in my test cars without so much as a drip of latte on the leather seats. Bonus: They come in all sorts of cool metallic colors to enhance the morning mood. If you want to dress up the mug even further, check out these adorable handmade coffee cozies on Etsy.

Key Clip: I've tried many ways to keep my keys hooked onto my purse, all of them unsightly (a key ring threaded over my purse's strap, and a carabineer hooked to my key ring and my purse). The bobino Key Clip is a more aesthetically unobtrusive way to keep car keys from falling in to the dark and crumby recesses of a purse or computer bag.

Smartphone Dash Mount: For those who have given up on outdated and temperamental in-car navigation systems in favor of much-easier-to-use smartphones, this clean, simple and modern-looking dash-mounted smartphone holder will help the perpetually lost finally stay found. It also works with any other type of cellphone or tablet, even if protected by a case.

Never Lose Your Car: My mom, whom I dearly love, has trouble keeping track of her car in parking lots. Instead of purchasing your parent a new car in an obnoxiously bright color, you could procure this small key-chain GPS Homing Device. Mom can just push a button when she leaves the car, and the device will later direct her back to it.

Combat Dry Winter Air in the Car: If you live in a dry climate like my family and I, you may also constantly be suffering from dry winter air sniffles. This mini humidifier plugs into a car's outlet and fits in the cupholder, providing an on-the-go dose of therapeutic humidity.

Individual Windshield Wipes: If your significant other does a lot of nighttime driving, they might be familiar with how a small smudge on the inside of the windshield can illuminate and turn into a huge visual obstruction. These individually wrapped wipes stash in a glove box and can quickly eliminate grimy fingerprints, sneeze marks and more.

Moso Bag: My husband has a problem; his car stinks. It may be from leftover milk the kids forgot after a morning school run. Or, it could be from the really smelly ballet shoes in the backseat. The best way to get rid of smells in the car naturally is with a few bamboo-charcoal-filled Moso Bags.

Aromatherapy for the Car: This is perfect for the fragrance lover in your life who wishes to go beyond just a clean-smelling car. This gift creates a mobile ambiance for the season. Bath and Body Works' Scentportables attach to a car's visor or seat pocket and infuse the air with nature-inspired scents like leaves, autumn, mahogany teakwood, balsam, cinnamon stick, flannel or winter.

Portable Tire Compressor: Say goodbye to hunting for a working air compressor at the gas station or shelling out big bucks for a bulky unit that sits in your garage. This portable tire compressor is tiny enough to keep in the center console (and fit in a Christmas stocking), and is powered by a car's 12-volt outlet.

App-Controlled Racecars: While the driver in your life may not be able to let out his or her inner racecar driver on the streets, he or she can channel all that energy safely at home with these fun app-controlled racecars.

(courtesy of Kicking Tires)

Poll Question: What's Your Favorite Christmas Movie of All-Time?

Christmas is less than three weeks away, and that means we've officially entered holiday movie season! So just for a little Friday fun, we want to know: what is your favorite Christmas movie of all time?

What is Your Favorite Christmas Movie of All-Time?

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Elf

Miracle on 34th Street

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

A Christmas Story

It's a Wonderful Life

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Home Alone

A Muppet Christmas Carol

The Polar Express

Other

free poll

Feel free to let us know if there's a movie we forgot!

What Car Thieves Don't Want You to Know

Ex-con Steve Fuller, who has been convicted six times for stealing cars, has decided to reveal all to make amends for the hundreds of cars he stole in the past.

Fuller outlined to ABC News' 20/20 program what car thieves look for, what they know that we don't, and how you can best protect your beloved vehicle. Here are five of his tips:

1. Be careful where you park
It might sound obvious, but Fuller recommends avoiding dark locations, including carports, underground parking and apartment complexes. Of the latter, Fuller said that it was easy to steal from an apartment block because "all I really had to deal with was somebody coming down from their apartment to get in their vehicle, and at that time in the middle of night it's not usually that often."

2. Be aware that your car model might be a target
Fuller used to love stealing Honda, Toyota, Acura, and General Motors vehicles because "they have good resale value so the parts are in demand. It's as simple as that."

3. Don't keep spare keys in your car
It sounds so obvious, but people really do it - in fact, Fuller told 20/20 that for 90 per cent of the vehicles he's stolen he used the car's spare keys to do it.

"Glove compartment, center console, door, change tray, you name it, it's there. I found it in all those places," Fuller said.

4. Be aware of secret keys
"A lot of people don't know that they have a valet key inside their vehicle," said Fuller of the keys which can unlock the driver's side door and start the car. Your car manual will advise you of whether you have a valet key or not.

5. Don't leave your window open when you're not inside
This is the biggest mistake you can make.

"A window that has enough room for me to stick my fingers in, I can get out of its track by rocking it back and forth," Fuller explained.

"Then, I can pry the window out of the track enough to where I can get my arm down in there and unlock the vehicle."

The Most Beautiful Roads In The World

Chevy vehicles can take you down any road in any location of the world that you want to drive in. But if we had our pick, here are just a few of the roads that we'd love to travel on:

 

This desert pass in northern Iceland.

The Vasco de Gama Bridge in Lisbon, Portugal.

Turri Road, a five mile loop through rolling hills and cattle country in Los Osos, California.

Along the Niagara River in Ontario.

TF-21, one of four roads in the Teide National Park, Canary Islands.

The Apple Valley Road Bridge in Lyons, Colorado.

The Stelvio Pass, Sondrio, Italy.


Have you driven down any of these roads before? If not, what's the most picturesque road you've ever driven on? Let us know, fans!

How to See Forever on Your Dirty Car

Every year, almost 100,000 tons of space dirt falls on our planet. That's the equivalent of one U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier dropping from the skies every year. Of course, it doesn't all come at once. Each day, about a hundred tons of material hits the Earth. Most of it is in the form of interplanetary dust caught in the Earth's gravitational pull. But on any given night, you might also catch the bigger stuff: sand-grain-sized or even pebble-sized bits of the solar system flaring across our sky as meteors. After their fiery journey through the atmosphere, most of that material ends up as dust on the ground too.

So if you do the math, those hundred tons of inbound space stuff translates into about 10,000 grains of dust added to your car every day. And if you only make it to the car wash once a year, then odds are pretty good that if you write, clean me, on your car's rear window, it will leave at least a few tiny bits of dusty space dirt on your fingers. And it's right there, on your fingertips, that you can meet eternity up close.

(courtesy of NPR)

The Craziest Laws in Florida

Every state has its fair share of outrageous, crazy laws, and our state in particular is no exception. Some of the laws have been repealed, and some are still in the books, but at one time all of these were the law of the land in Florida. What law do you think is the craziest? Let us know, fans!

• Having a relationship with a porcupine is illegal.
• Florida law forbids rats to leave the ships docked in Tampa Bay.
• Hialeah: Ambling and strolling is a misdemeanor.
• If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
• Failure to tell your neighbor his house is on fire is illegal.
• It is illegal to fish while driving across a bridge.
• In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal.
• In Saratoga, Florida it is illegal to sing while wearing a bathing suit.
• It is illegal to fart in a public place after 6:00pm on a Thursday.
• Key West: Chickens are considered a 'protected species'.
• Penalty for horse theft is death by hanging.
• Pensacola: Citizens may not be caught downtown without at least 10 dollars on their person; It is illegal to roll a barrel on any street, fines go up according to the contents of the barrel
• Pinecrest: In order to operate a burglar alarm, a permit must be obtained.
• Sarasota: If you hit a pedestrian you are fined $78.00; You may not catch crabs.
• Tampa Bay: It is illegal to eat cottage cheese on Sunday after 6:00 P.M.
• Under a 1959 ordinance, stubborn children were considered vagrants in Jupiter Inlet Colony, Fla.
• Women can be fined for falling asleep under a hair dryer. The salon owner can also be fined for this horrible crime.

(courtesy of Crazy Topics)