Christmas Outdoor Lights

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A lot of time and consideration is usually spent in choosing, purchasing and hanging Christmas outdoor lights. When you consider that the lights are up less than a month in most cases, the time spent planning for them can seem excessive. But part of this time is usually spent in frustration.

If you’ve ever hung a string of lights on a Christmas tree or on your house only to discover that part or all of the bulbs won’t light or won’t blink, then you know just how much time can be wasted on indoor or outdoor Christmas lights. If you’ve ever hung lights outdoors in cold weather, maybe braving ice and snow because you waited too long and missed your opportunity to do it on a nicer day, then you know just how aggravating that misbehaving string of lights can be. Proper planning can help you prevent or at least minimize this type of holiday frustration.

Choosing Christmas Outdoor Lights

Whether you prefer a string of colored or white lights or a net of lights on a tree or hedge, you have many types of light sets to choose from. By far the most common type of outdoor Christmas lighting is the simple string of mini-lights that can connect end-to-end with another similar strand. These are inexpensive and come in multi-colored or single-colored sets. String lights have also evolved into different holiday shapes. The fad for a few years might be icicle lights that hang down in strings and then the trend changes to things like plastic peppermints or green Christmas trees. But standard string lighting never goes out of fashion.

LED and Solar Outdoor Christmas Light Strands

LED lighting in these string lights won’t shine as brightly as standard tiny bulbs, especially the larger and more expensive ones like you might find at a place of business. But they’re not dim, and they last so much longer than standard light strings. They cost less to run, stay cool, and are available in end-to-end strands that stay lit even if one or more of the bulbs go out.

You can also choose LED solar Christmas lights. Outdoor lighting over the holidays can be so inconvenient because of the need to find a place to plug all your lights in. If you choose solar lights, you only need to make sure that the solar cell panel attached to each string gets plenty of sun during the daytime. LED technology makes solar lights glow longer after the sun goes down, so these are an excellent choice.

Hanging Christmas Outdoor Lights

Test each light set by plugging them into a wall socket individually before you hang them. A tip: never skip this step! The one time you decide that the lights are fine and you brave a creaky ladder to hoist them up will be the one time that the strand won’t work at all.

Always find your plug-in first, so you don’t end up with the male end of all your light strands several feet away from your power source. Be sure your light strings and extension cords are all UL-rated for outdoor use, as well. You can’t take indoor Christmas lights and hang them outdoors, so check the packaging carefully.

The best way to hang these lights is with clips that attach to overhangs, shingles and gutters. They clip on and don’t require any type of nails, screws or permanent installation. You can remove the clips when you remove your lights each year if you prefer, or leave them up year round for convenience.