Are you like Clark W. Griswold?
Whether or not you deck your house with thousands of lights you will find everything you need to do the job here. You'll find deals on Christmas lights, outdoor extension cords, light clips, LED lights and video instructions on making your Christmas light display the envy (or bane) of the neighborhood.
No matter how much effort you put into your Christmas light display it all starts with some basics:
Christmas Lights
Extension Cords
Christmas Light Clips
And add in a dash of time and patience.
Don't Let This Happen to You
Outdoor LED Christmas Lights
Outdoor Christmas Lights
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The Many Benefits of LED Christmas Lights
Okay, the main benefit to yourself is the money you will save on lower electric bills. Yes, LED Christmas Lights cost more initially than traditional lights, but you will recoup those higher costs the first couple of years you run LED lights.Quick Calculation for Cost Savings of LED Christmas Lights:
(Watts * hours * price/kwh)/1000 = $COST
Run the numbers for LED lights against traditional Christmas lights. You will usually save around 80% by switching to LED Christmas lights.
LED Christmas lights are safer due to the fact that they are cool to the touch. This eliminates the possibility of a hot light starting a fire.
Once you purchase a string of LED lights it is most likely going to last you the rest of your life. The lifespan of LED Christmas lights is 100,000 hours.
We run our lights an average of 4 hours per night. That is 28 hours per week and we run them for roughly 6 weeks. That is 168 hours per year. Yeah, we won't be buying any replacement sets of lights.
One more thing, I think they just look cool.
LED Christmas Lights
These lights will pay for themselves in just a couple of years. Well worth the investment.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byChristmas Light Installation Checklist
Everything you will need, except time %u2013 you'll have to furnish the time yourself ;)
Extension cords rated for outdoor use. Outdoor extension cords are made to be more resistant to moisture and colder temperatures.
Sturdy ladder. Never underestimate the necessity of a good sturdy ladder. I was cleaning the gutters earlier this spring with an old rickety wooden ladder and it collapsed under me (I am by no means a heavy guy either) and I nearly broke my leg. Be safe and make sure your ladder is a good one.
A helper comes in handy. Climbing up and down a ladder all afternoon to put lights up on your house takes a lot of time and can give you a sore back and legs. Make things easier by enlisting a helper to be a "gopher" and go for things you need such as more lights, clips, coffee, etc.
Christmas light clips. Don't be like Clark Griswold (Lampoon's Christmas Vacation) and staple your Christmas lights to your house. I use light clips to attach my C7 lights to the gutters each year. It makes putting up lights a breeze and they never fall down in even the fiercest of winds.
Timers. Ever wake up in the morning and see that you left your Christmas lights on all night? Now, I know some folks purposely leave their lights on all night but I don't like doing that. It can be a pain to run around at 10 o'clock at night unplugging extension cords (especially up here in Michigan - brrr!). Do yourself (and your electric bill) a favor and get timers for your light display. You can get a decent outdoor timer for around $13.
Well, that pretty much covers it. Go out and make some fun family memories with your Christmas display this year!
C9 LED Christmas Lights
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Christmas Lights Gone Wild
Wow, this thing has really gone crazy with the viewers. Let me first start by saying that this is not my house. Regardless of what any of the comments read, this house really does exist, I have seen it with my own eyes and nothing you see in the video is trickery, it's all real. This display was the work of Carson Williams, a Mason, Ohio, electrical engineer who spent about three hours sequencing the 88 Light-O-Rama channels that controlled the 16,000 Christmas lights in his annual holiday lighting spectacular (from Christmas 2004). His 2005 display includes over 25,000 lights that he spent nearly two months and $10,000 to hook up. So that the Williams' neighbors aren't disturbed by constant noise, viewers driving by the house are informed by signs to tune in to a signal broadcast over a low-power FM radio station to hear the musical accompaniment. The rough quality of the video has led some viewers to believe it was put together in stop-action form from still photographs, but that is an artifact of the high compression used in the clip circulated via e-mail. Mr. Williams has posted instructions for recreating his "Wizard in Winter" sequencing, and another of his choreographed Christmas light music shows can be viewed here. Carson's Christmas display proved so popular that it was featured in a Miller Lite beer commercial in December 2005.
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Christmas Light Clips
I use light clips to attach lights to our gutters around our roof line and boy does it make hanging lights a breeze.
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Christmas Rope Lights
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Don't risk an electrical fire by using extension cords that are not rated for outdoor use.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byChristmas Bubble Lights
We have a few sets of these on our tree and the kids just love them!
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byShare your stories and memories of putting up Christmas lights
We all have those stories of helping put up Christmas lights. Whether it is the gigantic ball of lights that were not put away properly the previous year or finding that one light that is burned out and keeping the rest of the string of lights from operating.
Yes, I know, I am dating myself with the whole "when one light burns out they all go out" I do realize that they make them better these days :).
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Reply
- oztoo oztoo Oct 26, 2009 @ 2:00 am
- Very useful advice. Great lens 5*****
LED Christmas Lights
When Do You Put Up Your Christmas Lights?
Everything You'll Need to Complete Your Christmas Light Installation
Intermatic, Inc. HB31R All Weather, Outdoor Timer. Heavy Duty-15 Amp. Rain Tight Plastic Case
OUTDOOR TIMER 24 hour outdoor lighting timer All-W more...0 points
Coleman Cable 02356-05 16/3 40-Foot Vinyl Landscape Outdoor Extension Cord, Green
- 13 Amp - Durable, flexible cord - For landscapin more...0 points
Cosco 20-213-T11S World's Greatest Ladder
13', Type II Ladder System, Converts In Seconds Wi more...0 points
Christmas Light #97430 11' Tele Pole/Adapter
11', No Ladder Decorating Pole With Floor Display, more...0 points
Mag Instrument ST4D116 4D MagLITE LED Flashlight, Blue
Features a 14.71 in. aluminum alloy body and a 3 W more...0 points
Christmas Light #97119-212 25CT Gutt/Shingle Clip
25 Count, No Ladder Gutter/Shingle Clips, Hang Lig more...0 points
Coleman Cable 02353 16/3 80-Foot Vinyl Landscape Outdoor Extension Cord, Green
- 16 gauge. - Neutral color blends with grass. - H more...0 points
Christmas Light Links
- Christmas Light Finder
- Do you drive around aimlessly looking for Christmas lights every year? We are here to help make that tradition better by allowing you to search for displays in your area and get directions to them.
- Light-O-Rama
- Light-O-Rama is a leading manufacturer of user programmable light controllers. Our powerful controllers and easy to use software put you completely in control of your lights.
- Animated Lighting
- Software and hardware for controlling lighting effects. Include music, sounds, moving animatronics, and interactive elements in your lighting display.
- D-Light Designs, LLC
- D-Light Designs, LLC - Light your home. Light your business. D-Light the world.
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