Picking Christmas lights for your house
We've been putting up lights since 1990, and most of the decision comes down to what you're lighting and how much you want to plug in. Here's the short version.
The main types
String lights are the workhorse: rooflines, trees, bushes, railings. Icicle lights hang from the gutter in drops of uneven length. Net lights lay over a shrub in one piece, which saves a lot of wrapping. Projectors shine a moving pattern onto the house and take a few minutes to set up.
LED or incandescent?
Go LED for almost everything. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, LED holiday lights use at least 75 percent less energy than incandescent ones and last up to 25 times longer. They also run cool and hold up better when they get knocked around.
Incandescent bulbs still have a warmer, older look that some people won't give up. If that's you, use them where people see them up close and go LED everywhere else.
What to check on the box
- An outdoor rating, if it's going outside
- A UL or ETL safety mark
- Warm white or cool white (they don't match, so pick one)
- How many strands can connect end to end
Hanging them
Sketch the house first and find your outlets, then work outward from the closest one. Plastic clips beat nails every time. For trees, wrap the trunk first and then the branches. A timer saves you from walking outside every night to plug things in.
Read the safety guide before you hang anything. When you're ready for more, here's how to sync your lights to music.
Putting them away
Wrap each strand around a piece of cardboard or a reel instead of balling it up, and store them in bins with tight lids somewhere cool and dry. Label each bin with where on the house it goes, and next year's setup goes a lot faster.
For more on bulb shapes and sizes, see the lightbulb guide.