A very interesting ornament. I don't find the other lights that distracting. Perhaps a little but without the lights there would be not context. You might compare it to a shot without lights and longer exposure in which you could see the tree. I'm not sure which would be better. Good luck this week.
Dave, it falls in the middle of two possibly more effective approaches. You could isolate the ornament against a dark background, or you could make the structure of the tree more apparent (even if it's very blurred). Your shot is not bad, but I do find the other lights distracting precisely because there aren't enough of them to be a positive element. Just an opinion, but if it fits with your own feelings, don't give up on the shot. Keep working it until you know you've hit the magic balance!
Thank you all for your comments they are really useful and the whole reason why I started doing the weekly assignments. I will re shoot tonight with your suggestions.
Much better Dave! It's usually a lot easier to make some seemingly sensible suggestions for someone else than it is to pull off a shot that makes them work. Good job!