Christmas lights!

[kasha]

been trying to get some christmas shots and so far i am not pleased. theres something just not right with these photos, not sure what it is? maybe the white balance? i was struggling with decided which one to use. please help!!
thanks

EXIF:
shutter: 1 sec.
iso: 200
f/stop: 5.6
focal length: 55mm
program: aperture
white balance: tungsten
maual focus

Nikon D60
18-55mm kit lens

[kasha]

also not happy with the bokeh! any ideas on how to improve?

[RLucas]

They both look fine to me. I love the composition in the second one.
The colors look good too.
What about the bokeh are you not happy with?

[joeleszc]

I only see one photo and it looks great to me. Really like the colors and the bokeh.

[corvus2606]

I think you're doing well with the composition and colour balance.

with an 18-55mm kit lense, you cant expect a fantastic bokeh, unfortunately that is just a fact of life with those lenses, If you're after really great bokeh, your best value for money is the nifty fifty (50mm, f/1.8). relatively cheap for what it is.

your other option is to move the christmas lights further away, that gets them further out of the focal range, and will get a more wide spread bokeh effect. I think that is what is missing, there is too much space between the bokehs

[kasha]

thank you all very much! i see now that only one photo was posted, i'm not sure why but thanks for the critque all the same! i will deffenitly try moving the lights further back to improve the bokeh, i think the fact that they are so far apart is what is unappealing to me.. they just seem like blurred pointless lights and not the bright exciting, sort of a magical feel bokeh i see in most photos. thanks guys!