Ok, here's the super duperest tip of the holiday season. Or at least to keep in mind for next year.  Last year when I took the lights off the Christmas tree and down from around the house I wound them around a cardboard tube from inside a roll of paper towels. Then I slid the tube out and gently placed the light rolls inside cardboard boxes, small enough to only fit one roll of lights...this way they don't wriggle around. I got the boxes from the grocery store. I thought this was pretty clever.
So this year I got everything out, prepared to put them up....and this is where Len said, "knitters are smart!"  I realized that I can pull the beginning of the strand of lights just like a ball of wool!! From the centre! It was awesome, no tears, no swearing, no tangling. I only need to pull out the lights from the centre of the ball as I needed them, to string them around the window. 

Yes, Len knitters are smart!!
When ever your stuck with a problem just think, what would a knitter do!