Christmas Mini Lights
Good things come in small packages...
It's one of the oldest idioms in the book and the best way to sum up mini lights. They're small, but the impact they can have in decorating projects is awe-inspiring. There's a variety in Christmas mini light designs, colors and creative uses that simply cannot be matched by other light styles. You can find mini lights with traditional incandescent or long lasting LED bulbs; twinkle, chasing and color change options; and even battery powered strings for use virtually anywhere. Select from a rainbow of bright colors and let your imagination run free with the decorating possibilities!
Mini Lights Decorating Ideas
Mini lights were made for wrapping! Wrap columns, bushes, Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, stair railings and outdoor trees with mini string lights. To make wrapping things with mini lights easy and tangle free, take a tip from the pros and start by winding your mini lights into a ball. The round shape makes passing lights through small spaces like railings easier and prevents the lights from becoming entangled. Interested in learning more? Visit our guide on how to wrap trees with lights! There are even more ways to decorate with mini lights than just wrapping them around trees and decorations. Try a few of our unique mini light decorating ideas below to add illumination to your spaces in a entirely new way!
Glossary of Mini Light Styles
Incandescent Mini Lights
These are the most easily recognized type of mini lights because they've been around the longest! Incandescent mini lights have a candle like shape and are beloved for their warm color tones and classic glow. There are four different types of incandescent mini lights: standard, commercial, PureLock™ & Viviluxe™. This might seem like a lot of choices, but deciding which mini light to use for your project is actually really easy! The main deciding factors usually come down to price, durability needed and the location of your lighting project. We've put together a quick guide of each type below to help you pick the best light for your needs.
Standard ($) - Perfect for getting the job done right without any extra fuss. Standard mini lights are a budget friendly lighting option, ideal for decorating and craft projects that don't require commercial grade durability. These lights do not have lamp locks which means bulbs could come loose more easily than other incandescent mini lights. Remove standard lights string gently from Christmas trees and other types of greenery to avoid snagging and help prevent bulbs from coming loose.
Commercial ($$) - Similar to other styles, commercial grade mini lights have external lamp locks and tighter wire twists. The feature that sets commercial mini lights apart from others is their heavy duty 20 gauge wire (standard is 22). Professional installers love these lights for long term outdoor decorating and lighting projects that may encounter rough handling during setup and removal.
Viviluxe™ ($$$) - If you're not quite ready to make the switch to LEDs but need a brighter light output than traditional mini lights can provide, these exceptionally vivid lights are the answer! Viviluxe light strings also feature external lamp locks that keep bulbs from twisting in their sockets and creating misaligned connections. Outstanding brightness and quality design makes these lights a must-have for larger outdoor projects were vivid illumination is often required.
PureLock™ ($$$$) - These decorator grade lights are very similar to premium lights with one major exception. PureLock bulbs feature an internal lamp lock design for clean display and superior protection from bulb rotation or misaligned connections. PureLock mini lights are also exceptionally bright as compared to other incandescent lights. Because there is no external lamp lock to get caught or snagged, PureLock mini lights are the absolute best choice for wrapping holiday greenery including Christmas trees, wreaths and garland.
LED Mini Lights
LED lights are quickly becoming a favorite among holiday decorators and in year round lighting applications due hugely in part to their incredibly long life, energy efficiency and distinct brightness. While all of these characteristics are noteworthy, LED mini light's greatest asset is in the variety of styles available!
Wide Angle LED Mini Lights - 5mm LED bulbs are smaller than traditional mini lights, yet the concave lens design produces a popular starburst light halo that disperses light uniformly in all directions and creates one of the brightest mini lights you can find! 5mm led minis are popular for wrapping indoor and outdoor trees, wreaths and garland.
M5 & T5 Mini Lights- Even vintage Christmas light enthusiasts are falling in love with these LED bulbs! M5 minis feature a beautiful faceted bulb design & T5 LEDs virtually mimic the bulb shape found in traditional mini lights, making either style a perfect place to start if you love incandescent minis but desire the long life and energy efficiency of LED technology. M5 & T5 LED mini lights will look amazing anywhere, but are especially impactful when wrapped around greenery, porch columns and indoor Christmas trees.
C6 Strawberry Lights - C6 LED mini lights are a decorators dream! C6 lights have a unique strawberry bulb shape that looks beautiful when wrapped around bushes and trees. They are also used for ambient indoor lighting, in Christmas mantle displays and as a party or wedding accent light.
G12 Raspberry Lights - Whether they remind you of raspberries or gum drops, G12 light strings are certainly a fun addition to any colorful and unique design theme! Their cheerful round shape makes G12 lights perfect for parties as well as indoor or outdoor accent lighting. However, one of the most charming ways to decorate with G12 lED mini lights is by wrapping them around bushes or shrubs to mimic the appearance of berries or flower buds!
Fairy Lights - Fairy lights are incredibly tiny bulbs on a thin, flexible wire; but don't let their size fool you, they produce amazingly bright light! Choose both battery operated and plug in options with a variety of light and wire colors. Wrap Christmas wreaths, illuminate glass jars or brighten craft projects with LED fairy lights!
