Decorating your home for Christmas requires a lot of attention to detail and takes up a lot of time. However, if you don’t end the decoration process by draping different types of Christmas lights around the house then it would all feel a little incomplete. Christmas lights are the most important part of decorating your home. From string lights to large light displays, Christmas is all about going all out.
We bring to you a Christmas lights buying guide that will help you distinguish between different types of lights available out there.
Buying the Perfect Christmas Lights
There are a lot of things you should consider before you sit down to buy Christmas lights. Since there is a wide variety of Christmas lights available you need to be sure of what you need and what you’ll be using them for.
- Consider your budget before anything else.
- Energy consumption is a given when you’re using Christmas lights. Before you buy more lights consider the running cost.
- The location of the lights is an important factor to consider before you buy them. Many people prefer to limit their Christmas lights to indoor decorations while others want an elaborate outdoor set-up. So, purchase your lights according to where you’ll be hanging them up.
- Shape, colour and draping are crucial elements you need to consider before you buy Christmas lights.
Are LED Christmas Lights more energy-efficient?
People often get confused between LED and incandescent lights. But there are notable differences between the two lights. Incandescents are a more traditional lighting option and provide a warm glow that is easy on the eye. LEDs on the other hand, are quite bright. Energy efficiency is the main reason why most people prefer buying LEDs even though incandescent are relatively cheaper. So, if you’re just looking for soft indoor lighting for the entryway or the Christmas tree, then incandescent lights wouldn’t be a bad option. However, they will end up consuming a lot more energy.
What Are The Best Christmas Lights?
Now that you have determined your budget and where you will be placing your Christmas lights, let’s look into the different types of lights out there.
String lights
The most obvious and popular choice for Christmas lights is string lights. String or fairy lights are great for decorating pathways within the house and Christmas trees. If you are planning to light up the entryway of your home then string lights are a great choice. You can also throw string lights over your cluster of plants to brighten up your indoor plants a little more at night.
Festoon lights
If you’re hoping to light up your backyard with string lights, then festoon lights are an excellent choice. They are essentially string lights but bigger hence they can really brighten up an outdoor space. You can use them to decorate a tree, or the fence of your house or hang them from different ends to create a false sky full of bright yellow lights.
Icicle Lights
Have you ever seen icicles? Icicle lights imitate actual icicles with multiple string lights of varying lengths consisting of mini bulbs strung together on one single line. We recommend getting icicle Christmas lights for outdoor decorations and having them sway in the evening breeze to add to the overall effect of the lights. Hang them across the outlines of the house to play into the icicle effect.
Net lights
Speaking of outdoor lighting, another popular option is net lights. If you don’t want to put in the effort of arranging string lights into intricate patterns, then net lights are the way to go. You can easily drape net lights onto the shrubs in your garden or the entire roof of your home.
Battery-Operated Lights
While battery-operated lights are often used indoors they can be used outdoors as well, especially if you are decorating an area that doesn’t have a power outlet. More importantly, there is a wide variety of light styles that are battery-operated. So, you open a whole new world of lights for yourself with this category. However, keep in mind that you will need a lot of batteries to make sure everything stays lit throughout the festive season.
Rope Lights
These can be used either indoors or outdoors. Rope lights are essentially used for outlining or defining shapes and borders. These are PVC tubes that have evenly spaced light bulbs inside them giving you a pipe or rope of lights.
A Flash of Colour?
Colour-changing lights are a common phenomenon during the festive season because sometimes yellow and white lights simply don’t cut it! Whether you are decorating your Christmas tree or front lawn with colourful lights, they are sure to brighten up your night. You can take it a step further by getting lights with multiple flashing functions. Animated lights are great for a dramatic effect, especially for an outdoor set-up. You can cover large areas with animated colour lights and have them dance around all night long.
Novelty Lights
When it comes to Christmas decorations there is a wide variety of decorative lights that can be described as something novel. Lit-up figurines, snowflake string lights, reindeer-shaped flashing lights and more can be considered part of this category. These light decorations are used both outdoors and indoors. You can have huge lit-up banners that say “Merry Christmas” outside your house and the entire indoors lit up with soft yellow Santa-shaped string lights.
Lit-up silhouettes of Santa, reindeer, elves and stars are something you can choose. Additionally, you can find other unique things such as lit-up wreaths, pearl-beaded garlands that are lit up, lights in the shape of fireworks and so much more.
Solar Lights
Just like other outdoor lights that you use daily, solar Christmas lights are also an option for you to go for. If you want a more sustainable outdoor setup and just don’t want to invest in too many batteries or spend extra on your energy bills then solar lights it is. Don’t be under the impression that you won’t have much of a choice just because these are solar lights. You will find string lights, colourful animated lights, novelty lights, and a lot more within the solar lights category. Keep in mind that these lights have to be used outdoors so that can absorb as much UV rays during the day and brighten up your outdoor Christmas decoration at night.
Be Christmas Ready
Setting up lights for Christmas involves a lot of preparation from how and where the light will be placed to what you need to light everything up. You need to make sure that you have enough power points inside and outside the house; if not, you should have a few extension chords. For outdoor lighting, we recommend going for solar lights as they will be the most energy-efficient and cheap option.
For indoor lighting, don’t overcrowd any areas with too many lights and decorations. If you have lights laid out on the floor, make sure you tape them to the sides or set them up in a creative way (For eg: stuffed in jars) to avoid tripping on them. Avoid floor lights completely if you have children and pets. Lastly, don’t hold yourself back when purchasing lights, there are a lot of options for every budget out there. So, go ham this Christmas with your light decorations!
