Outdoor Christmas Lights

Christmas is the season to add brightness into your life and in the life of all others around you. It is the time to bring out your outdoor Christmas lights from last year or buy some new ones for your Christmas celebrations.

Much of the charm of Christmas would have been lost without Christmas light decorations. In 1882, Edward H. Johnson, an assistant to inventor Thomas Alva Edison, first used electric lights for decorating his Christmas tree. This was the first outdoor Christmas light decoration. The tradition immediately became popular. In 1895, U.S President Grover Cleveland sponsored the first electrically lit Christmas tree. Even before 1900, many business houses began to display their Christmas light decorations.

When the price of electric lights fell during the 1930s, ordinary men and women began to buy electric lights. They also started to use them for their Christmas decorations.

Lights for Outdoor Christmas Decorations

Incandescent light bulbs

If you want to lend an old-fashioned feel to your Christmas decorations, these will work best. The incandescent light bulbs are great to lend an old world charm to your celebrations.

Bubble lights

These fantastic bulbs consist of a bubbling liquid inside a sealed glass tube. They make for amusing Christmas outdoor decorations.

LED lights

These lights are quite popular these days. The reasons are simple.

• They use a lot less energy.
• They last longer.
• They are available in a lot of colors.

With global warming becoming a nightmare, many are using these lights for outdoor decorations.

How to purchase Outdoor Christmas Lights

Make a list of the type of lights you want. Decide whether you want

• Plain lights or colored ones
• Normal lights or special lights
• Small lights or large ones

Decide about the number of lights you want. You must buy strings of lights of different lengths. The length of light-string to decorate your bushes will be different from the ones you need to hang from your roofs.

How to string Christmas lights outside

• Use an extension cord to take your power source to the roof. Make sure that it is matches your lights.
• Place it in a spot that is protected from rain, snow or other possible disturbances. A fire hazard is the last thing you want to encounter, right? Try to keep the cord as near to the building as you can.
• Buy some moisture-proof fasteners from any local hardware store. Use these to cover and hold the extension cord and the strings of light in place. Install the fasteners at regular intervals between the outdoor light bulbs. Do not use nails or other metallic instruments as fasteners.
• Hang the strings of light one by one. Do not plug all the strings together. It can lead to complications. Make sure that the light string cords are held well by the fasteners.
• Get down and turn on the lights. Check whether it is all okay. Consult your family members if they like the arrangement.

Keep these tips in mind as you go buying outdoor Christmas lights for Christmas light decorations outside your home. Have a bright Christmas celebration !