Adding Outdoor Lights to your Home for Christmas
Jean Rennick

Defined Tag: Christmas Lights.

Decorating the outside of one's home for the holidays is standard fare for most homeowners. In fact, for some there is a bit of friendly competition amongst neighbors to see who could outdo the other. Outdoor Christmas lights are a staple when it comes to decorating the outside of your home. Here are some general guidelines that will help to make sure you buy the right kind of lights along with the right amount for the particular area you will be decorating.

The first thing we will need to do is measure the length of the area of our home where we will be stringing our Christmas lights. If you are hanging lights along your roof be sure to add around 30 to 40 additional feet to your measurements to compensate for the slant on most roofs. If you are decorating the trees and bushes around your home you will obviously need to calculate there heights and possibly there lengths.

Christmas tree lights commonly come in strings of 25 to 200 lights depending on bulb size. For your average tree or bush you should estimate the need for anywhere from 40 to 60 lights per foot of height. If you are using tiny miniature lights, you may need to double that estimate.

When buying your lights you will need to decide on the style and color of the lights you wish to use for your outdoor Christmas decorating project. Do you want to use colored lights, multicolored lights, and solid white lights or perhaps you want to use specialty lights that are shaped like pearls or even icicles. What about the size of the lights? You can choose between normal full size lights or miniatures. It is important to know that full size outdoor Christmas lights use between 125 to 175 watts per strand. They also tend to have an overall longer lifespan as well as having a much brighter and vibrant glow when compared to there miniature counterparts.

Ideally, you want to make sure that all the strings of lights that you purchase can be plugged in to the ends of one another. This is even more important if you are using lights that flash in a synchronous pattern. If possible, plug your lights into an outlet that will allow you to turn them on and off using a simple light switch so you do not have to manually unplug them every time you wish to turn them off. It also would not be a bad idea to install an automatic timer for your Christmas lights to help conserve on your electrical use.

One last tip that is sure to save you money is to try to buy your Christmas lights during the off-season and right after the holidays. Many stores will offer huge discounts right after Christmas to help clear out their inventory. In addition, garage sales can be a great place to get loads of lights and Christmas ornaments at a great price, just be sure to plug in a test any lights before you buy them.

Jean Rennick is editor of www.GetCelebrating.com, where you'll find articles and information on seasonal holidays, and everyday occasions.