I don't understand people who say Christmas lights put them in a good mood. They obviously must be paying somebody else to do their light purchasing, stringing, and storing—because holiday lights are a major headache. But you can make the whole process a little bit easier if you keep a few of these easy tips in mind.
DON'T buy too many or too few lights. Plan ahead and get only what you need. If you have floorplans or blueprints of your home, use those measurements as a guide for how many feet of light string you will need outside. Inside on the tree, a good rule of thumb is 100 to 150 lights per vertical foot.
DO be a good neighbor. This guide to holiday light etiquette includes a few tips on keeping peace with your Christmas lights in a lit-up neighborhood this holiday season.
DON'T have an unpacking accident. When you're getting the old outdoor lights out of storage, watch out for broken bulbs with sharp edges and replace them right away.
DO get creative with DIY. Want to jazz up your boring light string? Get crafty! Use ping pong balls to get a globular glow, or use cupcake liners to turn your light string into a flowering vine.
DON'T overwork your extension cord. Splurge on heavy-duty extension cords (Gizmodo reccomends a 16-gauge cord for 25 feet or less, or 14-gauge for more than 25 feet) that are listed for outdoor use (they usually have a "W" on the package). To avoid overloading, only link five strings of lights together before plugging into an extension cord.
DON'T get caught off guard by high bills. Lighting up your home like Las Vegas doesn't come cheap. Use an energy cost calculator to estimate the extra cash you'll be shelling out in utility bills to fund your festive display.
DO go for energy-efficient lights. LED lights last longer, shine brighter and use less energy than traditional bulb strings. Solar-powered Christmas lights cost a bit more, but they have no wires to attach and they automatically turn on at night and off at dawn.
DON'T leave your lights on around the clock. You can cut your holiday power use even further with light timers. Have lights come on at dusk, and shut off in the early morning hours, after your family and any light-gazers have settled for the night.
DON'T leave your lights out too long after the holidays. Sun, wind, rain, and snow all take their toll on Christmas lights. The longer you leave them up after Christmas, the sooner you'll have to replace them.
DO store your light strings in a dark place when the holidays are over. Red, green, blue and purple lights, especially, will lose their color due to fading.
DO keep light strings untangled when not in use. The coffee can trick from Danny Seo is great for this, and will save your future self from headaches dealing with tangles when the holiday season rolls around again next year.
(Images: Shutterstock, AdvancedMischief/Instructables, EcoGeekLiving, Danny Seo)
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We like to store tree lights year to year by wrapping them up around the cardboard inserts that come in cases of wine :)
You can also wrap lights (for storage) around coat hangers.
If you are using the newer LED lights, read the packaging because many of those can now have more of the same string linked together than 3.
I remember seeing light storage comments a year or so ago from somewhere saying more about storage. Sunlight and temperature extremes can damage lights as much as weather can damage them. Lights in storage should be kept in a cool, dark place, not in attics.
The heat breaks down the wiring quicker while the sunlight fades the bulbs.
Lights should be replaced every X years, possibly 5-6 years.
I noticed this year that several stores carry the larger bulb count LED strings on reusable storage reels. No need to purchase the empty reels separately.
Extended family were surprised last year at how bright our LED tree lights were- they could be seen farther down the block. We like them for the lower power consumption [noticeable on utility bills from the previous holiday] and the lack of heat produced. I also like the more compact storage for the LED spare bulbs and fuses.
We'll be shopping in October next year for the LED version of the C9 bulbs we use for outdoor decorating. The C9 strings are at end of life and don't really fit the new location.
Pay attention to the circuits you use for your tree lights and outdoor lights. They aren't dedicated circuits, so they could all be on the same circuit together or shared on other breakers, depending on the age of your home.
DON'T throw out all your traditional lights and buy LED ones to replace them. Replace 'em as they die! Plastic in landfills. ah.
watch out for the ping pong balls. even low watts lights melt plastic.
We donated the traditional ones before we moved with all the replacement bulbs. I donate the old ones, IF they still work, don't get absurdly hot, etc., and they're in good physical shape. On the other hand, I DON'T want my donation to burn down someone's home. We've known some folks who lost a home or room because of holiday lights beyond their use date.
One highly defective LED string was trashed- bulbs would fail in sockets immediately- so pulled all the still live bulbs, then ditched the wiring. The extra bulbs work nicely in the remaining strings. Some strings require the same color replacement bulb in the socket.
I noticed several stores this year offering a discount on each new light string if you brought in your old dead ones.
*whispers* I am that person that holiday lights put in a good mood. Mind you I am not the one hanging them outside but all over the inside of the house. Ever try to survive a cold Canadian winter with grey and slush. Our cure is to hang small lights inside off the windows and mirrors. It keeps a great ambiance and makes for much nicer mood lighting.
Now if I had to outdoor lights I'd just ask for a bottle of whiskey before I even got out the door...
That woman in the photo could be me, except if it was me only half of the strand of lights would be lit up. Gahhhh!
I do not care for the LED lights at all. I have yet to see a strand that doesn't look harsh to the eyes. The colors are getting better, I'll admit, but still a ways off for me.
I find LED lights to be physically painful, harsh and piercing. It amazes me that other people can tolerate them because I really can't.
Same here, Michael W. I just tried to get used to a set and returned them... they need to get softer on the eyes before I'll convert.
Yeah i can't stand the LEDs. Warm white glow, please.
Ohh I love LEDs. The cooler blue cast looks so pretty when there's fresh snow.
I'm another one giving the thumbs down to LED. They just have such a chintzy feel, and I cannot stand the blue tinted ones!
Just like other light sources, you need to know what color and strength the LED bulbs are. White can be warm(orange), neutral, or cold(blue).
Depending on the strand price, you may have blue tones for the cheaper bulbs. Strength can be bright or super bright. The cover over the bulb can also control the bulb color and strength. We buy our holiday LEDs where they have light demo displays and the brand is a known name brand, not store brand or no-name.
All that said, I prefer the multi-color strings. Next October, or whenever you see the displays of lights going up, start comparing the white tints to find the warmest tint that pleases your eye. Waiting this late to shop for lights gets you the leftovers of the seasonal lighting departments.
Yes, I did see some truly tacky/cheapo LED sets at a store. There's a reason those sets are still on the shelves after everything else is gone.
I don't care for LED lights at all. I don't go overboard with my lights so I willing to pay the extra $2 or $3 (or whatever it amounts) in hydro for traditional lights.
I did buy, in the past, supposedly warm white LED lights and I still had to return them because they looked like icycles (that's how much warmth they had).
I don't care for LED lights at all. I don't go overboard with my lights so I willing to pay the extra $2 or $3 (or whatever it amounts) in hydro for traditional lights.
I did buy, in the past, supposedly warm white LED lights and I still had to return them because they looked like icycles (that's how much warmth they had).
LED lights are only good in color in my opinion. I used white LED lights on my tree last year and it failed to give the gold/silver/red glittery ornaments any shine or warmth. The tree looked completely lifeless.
Luckily in the southern hemisphere we can use solar powered Christmas lights most years (so no extra bills).
I've got to admit that I've left my lights strung around my condo patio for the last year ... or it is 2 yrs? (ahem) ...since it's such a challenge to navigate around the fence, trees and shrubs with my stepladder and short reach.
And you know what? I turned on the lights last weekend for the first time this season, and they ALL work! Yay!
(But for how long...? ... Only time will tell.)
"DON'T buy too many or too few lights." Why stop there? Other tips include "Don't put them up too early or too late. Don't hang them too high or too low. Don't space them too close together or too far apart." (Of course, somebody is bound to disagree: "I prefer to have too many lights, and I like to hang them up too early. They look great when hung too low and too close together.")
The more serious tip would be: Check for low-flicker bulbs if you're buying LEDs. I'm amazed that lots of people just can't perceive the annoying flickering of some LED lights, which makes the cold light look even cheaper. If you never notice the flickering, you might be creating some problems for yourself. My neighbors just put up a bunch of outdoor lights, and only one or two strings flicker -- it looks distracting and clumsy to those of us who can see the flicker.
@Bee for Brian:
I, too, can see the flicker and it is indeed annoying!