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Christmas Solar Lights- Holiday Cheer Without an Electrical Outlet

jdluntjr by jdluntjr
Last updated: 01/03/2012

Christmas Solar Lights - Christmas Cheer Without the Extension Chord

I love the Christmas season. It is my favorite holiday and I love all of the decorations. When I was a kid our family would take drives around the courthouse square in Denton. The shops windows would have Christmas trees and be full of lights. The trees on the square were all lit up as well. Then we would drive over toward the University campus to see all the Victorian style houses with traditional white lights and lit Christmas trees visible in their large windows. With the long nights of winter, Christmas lights and decorations seem to make everything a little bit more cheerful and a little magical.

Unfortunately, I'm in a rural setting and while I could put decorations around the house, no one on the road cold see them. However, there was no power available down near the main road without putting in another electric meter and I didn't want tot do that.

A few years ago, the solution came when I found out about solar powered Christmas LED lights on a television news story. I've been able to decorate ever since.

I don't know if other people enjoy my simple decor, but I feel a little more cheery every night during the Christmas season when I turn into my driveway.

Solar powered Christmas lights are a great way to decorate when you don't have access to a nearby electric socket. Remember that solar powered Christmas lights are environmentally friendly as well. You are using the power of the sun to light up your decorations.

I hope you enjoy this lens as you consider the possibilities of going solar this Christmas. Feel free to leave feedback and to rate this lens as well.

Solar Christmas Lights - Icicle Lights

Decorate for Christmas with Icicle Lights

When I first began using solar powered Christmas lights, the basic string light was all I can find. Now solar powered Christmas lights are coming in a great deal of variety like these icicle lights. These make a nice touch during the Christmas season. You can hang them on your house. They would also work great on fences as well.
NEW Trademark Set Of 20 LED Solar Powered Icicle CHRISTMAS Lights Ground Spike&Support Rod Included

NEW Trademark Set Of 20 LED Solar Powered Icicle CHRISTMAS Lights Ground Spike&Support Rod Included

Amazon Price: (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

Product Description

These solar powered led icicle lights are the perfect accent for your home, garden or patio! They utilize the sun's energy for power rather than run up your electric bill. The beautiful faceted icicles look like elegant cut crystals and the bright LED makes it appear a cool blue color. This energy saver requires no outlets or electricity, just put the solar panel in the ground nearby. Mounting rod and spike are included. The set contains 20 - 4" icicles that extend to just about 6 feet long. The entire cord measures 16 feet giving you plenty of room to mount your solar power source.

Christmas Solar Lights Lighting Up A Cold Winter Night

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Solar Christmas Lights :When Traditional Lights Are Not An Option

Sometimes there isn't an electric socket around

My story is simple. I wanted to decorate a fence near the road. I love Christmas and wanted to put up some decorations. The problem was that our nearest electric socket is at least 150 yards or more away, so traditional Christmas lights weren't a viable option for me.

Finally when Christmas solar lights hit the market I had a solution. I didn't have to think about long extension chords or having a meter put in just so I could have Christmas lights. The first year I got three strands of multi-color Christmas solar lights and rant them through garland on the wooden fence. I also bought a set of three solar spotlights and used them to illuminate a Christmas wreath on a fence.

Despite having a lot of sunless days the lights last until after 11:00 pm almost every night. When we had good light, it did better making it until 1:00 am.

I was excited about the lights and decorations we were able to put up to make it a lot more festive. I will be adding to my decorations again this year.

One of the great advantages of Christmas solar lights is that they can be used anywhere you can get a fair amount of sun during the day - no electric outlet needed. They are great for remote areas.

Christmas Solar Lights on a String (Fairy Lights)

Decorate a tree, a fence or poles with these lights

I used Christmas solar lights on a string to intertwine with garland for my fence. You can use these as you would other strings of Christmas lights. (just remember because they are powered by a solar cell- they cannot be linked together) I was able to simply install another strand along the fence where one strand ended and that worked great. The great thing is when you buy these you don't need to string out extension chords.
Solar Powered White Christmas Lights

Solar Powered White Christmas Lights

Amazon Price: $16.00 (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

Product Description
Solar-powered decorating lights - no outlet needed! Now decorate anywhere without dangerous extension cords or need for an outlet. Sun charges string of 50 lights by day, turn on automatically at dusk and run for about eight hours! No energy cost! Great near road, around mailbox or lampost - now you're not limited to near by outlets. 23' length.

Christmas Solar Lights - A Step Up in Safety

Reduced chance of fire and electric shock

Compare the two -traditional incandescent holiday lights and Christmas solar lights

Incandescent Christmas lights - 120volts and hot to the touch
Christmas Solar (LED) lights - 6 volts or less and cool to the touch

Traditional Incandescent Christmas lights can hurt you. If you touch a frayed piece of wire when it was plugged in, you could receive a serious - even life threatening electric shock. That will not happen with Christmas solar lights which are usually six volts or less and only 2-4 watts.

By the way, no matter which lights you use. Never put up any kind of lights if the wires are frayed at all.

The potential fire hazard is another area where Christmas solar lights are an improvement over traditional incandescent Christmas lights.

Incandescent lights get hot. Much of the energy they use is turned to heat instead of visible light. So they really are wasting electricity for something you don't want - heat. Unfortunately, the heat they generate is substantial meaning that
if something dry comes in contact with them over a long enough period, it could start a fire whether it is a piece of paper, dry leaves, or pine needles.

The light emitting diodes (LEDs) of Christmas solar lights are cool to the touch, meaning the heat generated is not enough to start a fire.

Don't forget the risks associated with having extension chords running across your yard to power those incandescent lights. Those could get frayed as well - or if they get wet they could be a risk for shorts. They can even cause you to trip - if you are clumsy like me.

All in all, Christmas solar lights just seem safer than incandescent holiday lights.

Solar Net Lights

Decorating bushes and shrubs

Do you have shrubs or bushes that you want to decorate for Christmas? A great solution are Christmas net lights powered by the sun.
Philips 50ct. LED Solar Powered Net Lights - Cool White Bulbs

Philips 50ct. LED Solar Powered Net Lights - Cool White Bulbs

Amazon Price: (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

Product Features

* Perfect for decoration with no energy costs
* Solar powered; no outlets needed
* Auto lights turn on at dusk
* Cord Length: 3.0 '
* Features: Outdoor
* Shape: Standard
* Wire Color: Green
* Light Bulb Type: Solar, LED
* Number of Pieces: 1
* Power Source: Solar-Powered
* Light Bulb Color: White
* Light Bulb Count: 50
* Material: Plastic
* Finish: Smooth

Solar Christmas Lights = Less Greenhouse Gases

Solar Christmas Lights are a Better Decorating Solution for the Environment

Did you know that every time you plug string of incandescent holiday lights in, you are polluting the atmosphere? It may be minimal, but you are. That is unless your electricity is coming from nuclear power plants (not really a better alternative) or renewable energy sources like solar or wind. The burning of fossil fuels like natural gas or coal releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is one of the greenhouse gases that scientists tell us causes global warming.

Now multiply that one strand of Christmas lights with tens or hundreds of millions of strands of incandescent Christmas lights. The results are that a lot of pollution is going into the atmosphere so we can enjoy these festive lights. But there is a way we can reduce our carbon footprint (the amount of carbon dioxide being released into the air.)

One way to be part of the solution is to use solar powered Christmas lights. They have their own solar cell which uses the light from the sun to generate electricity. That electricity is stored in small rechargeable batteries which will power the string of LED lights at night. The power comes from the sun, not from burning fossil fuels.

Solar Spotlights

Light Up Your Christmas Displays

I used solar powered spotlights to illuminate a wreath. You can buy these spotlights to light up displays like nativities or cut out decorations. Solar spotlights are great for drawing attention to those special displays.
Malibu 3 Pack Solar Landscape Plastic Flood Light Set with Remote Panel, Textured Black #LZ413

Malibu 3 Pack Solar Landscape Plastic Flood Light Set with Remote Panel, Textured Black #LZ413

Amazon Price: (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

From the Manufacturer
Our most powerful solar floodlight includes three adjustable lamps, each with three white LEDs to provide improved light output. Each lamp features a ground stake and surface-mounting bracket for a variety of installations. Each lamp is connected to a remote solar collection panel via 20 feet of weatherproof cable, which allows the fixtures to be up to 40 feet apart. The solar panel swivels in any direction for optimal solar energy collection. The sun charges fixture batteries by day and turns on automatically at night with no electical wiring or cost to operate.

Solar Lawn Stake Lights

Try these Solar Lawn Stake Lights for Christmas

Use these solar lawn stake lights to add more of a winter feel to your decorations for Christmas
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Chrismtas Solar Lights

Will you decorate with them this holiday?

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This Happy Snowman page written by

jdluntjr

In pursuit of a closer relationship with Jesus and with close friends

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