5 tips for lighting up your house
These are the five things we'd tell anyone putting up their first real display.
1. Map your power first
Before you buy anything, find every outdoor outlet and figure out which circuit each one is on. A circuit can only carry so much, and it's better to find the limit on paper than on opening night.
2. Outline the house, then add one centerpiece
The roofline, windows, and doors give the house its shape in the dark. Then pick one thing to draw the eye, like a lit tree or a group of blow molds, instead of spreading pieces evenly across the yard.
3. Pick warm or cool white and stick with it
Warm white and cool white look like two different colors once they're side by side. Pick one for the whole house, or go all multicolor.
4. Put it on a timer
A timer or an outdoor smart plug turns everything on at dusk and off at a set time each night. Your neighbors will appreciate the off part.
5. Plan for weather
Use outdoor-rated lights and cords, plug into GFCI-protected outlets, and keep connections up off the ground. Snow is hard on a display. When it piles up at our Wisconsin show, the circuit breaker trips and the lights go out for the night. (Our elf, Breaker, is named after it.)
For bulb shapes and sizes, see the lightbulb guide. Before you hang anything, read the safety guide.