Christmas Lights

The vast majority of Christmas light decorations are not accessible to the general public at local big retail stores because it's hard for big retailers to carry that kind of diversity only one month a year. So, most people trudge up and down store aisles seeing a lot of similar products, often trying to be the cheapest and you get what you pay for. The Christmas light displays go up quick around Halloween and they vanish as fast, often before Christmas day.

At Christmas Lights, Etc., we have thousands of lights and decorations we sell year round. We have lights for every budget and project whether you're doing something simple or whether you're a commercial decorator doing a large public display. As you might have guessed, we love Christmas lights and we sell some of the best lights on planet earth that are brand specified.

Don't worry. You're not alone. Christmas lights and all around Christmas decorating are such diverse creative pursuits that thousands of lighting products have been produced for almost every possible creative display. It's actually quite amazing, but it's also a little daunting. So we captured five very important tips to help you before you begin.

Christmas light bulbs - the C7 and C9 bulbs are the most synonymous with Christmas displays. They are available as individual bulbs or can be hardwired into light sets. Globe bulbs are also used for Christmas displays and the most common sizes are G30, G40 and G50. All bulbs come in a variety of finishes, including: transparent, opaque, frosted and faceted. Most commonly all these bulbs come in either the E12 candelabra base size or the intermediate E17 base size -- both of which are smaller than a standard household bulb socket size.

Christmas string light sets - a huge diversity exists in string light sets ranging from mini lights, to speciality shape lights to larger C7 and C9 light sets. Wire colors can come in green, white, black and brown and typically the wire gauge is similar except in commercial sets where it may be thicker. Light sets can be small: as little as 10 lights. Or they can be large: over 100 lights on one light string. Different applications call for different string lights. For example, small decorations where you do want extension cords benefit from small battery-operated Christmas light strings. However, if you wanted to wrap a large outdoor tree, opting for an LED light set lets you connect numerous sets end to end without having power concerns. String lights commonly come in different light sizes, including: 5MM, T5, M5, G12, C6, C7 and C9.

LED Christmas lights - more than 60% of Christmas enthusiasts now prefer LED lights over incandescent, according to a recent Christmas Lights, Etc survey of close to 2,000 people nationwide. They are much more versatile, durable and efficient than incandescent lights, which is why people are able to do increasingly more impressive displays. There are multiple types of LED lights including: The older DIP diode style LEDs common in the last decades worth of Christmas LED products. There are also newer SMD LEDs, which are surface mounted and akin to LED TV technology. These are growing in popularity quickly due to their variety and flexibility. RGB LEDs are also popular and it stands for Red-Green-Blue. Often times you can switch between the colors or blend the colors together. LEDs are highly efficient, bright and colorful. While they do cost more on average, they save on electricity, extra power cords and extra accessories like plugs and taps.

Commercial Christmas light sets - often come with better light bulbs and offer the ability to customize bulbs over time because they are replaceable. The LED versions of these light sets can be connected at large lengths, which is a plus pathways, driveways, rooflines, streets and other large contour areas around landscaping.

Icicle lights - popular on gutters and fences, icicle lights come in a lot of varieties and are made with different drop lengths to create an icicle effect. Some twinkle, some come in wild colors and other are made to look like live icicles.

Net lights - shaped like a grid, net lights are popular to use on bushes or to wrap trees. They are also used to create light walls and light ceilings for walkways and other speciality displays.

Star lights - at first, you may think this is self explanatory but it goes far deeper than you may realize. While most think about 5-point stars there are actually many variations of star lights.

• The Moravian star lights are a popular multi-point star that looks like a starburst and they are very popular as outdoor Christmas decorations or stuffed into Christmas trees.
• Bethlehem star lights are shaped with a longer tail that is emblematic of Christmas storybook stars and the star shapes historically associated with manger and nativity scenes. They are popular on Christmas trees or hanging from outdoor trees.
• Folding star lights are specially designed to collapse into a small shape when you're done using them. They look nice and store well.
• Fold-flat star lights, like Aurora Superstars, similarly fold, but they collapse flat and are extremely versatile for decorating indoors and outside.
• Dimensional star lights are typically 3D and are placed on the ground. They are commonly covered in reflective material and used in larger Christmas displays.
• Polymesh star lights are also dimensional, but typically hung. They are completely covered with outdoor rated metallic fabric and are lit from the inside.
• Star string lights are little stars that are connected to a light string and typically come in plug-in or battery-operated form.
• Rope light star lights are 2D and the light is wrapped around a star-shaped frame, which is durable and great for outdoor use.
• Flexible neon stars are similar to rope light but they use the latest SMD LED technology that provides consistent coloring all the way around.
• LED Starbursts are new style of star light with flexible branches that can be shaped in numerous ways.

Christmas Snowflake Lights - come in a large array of designs and can be made with rope light or LED strip light. Some snowflakes are multicolor and animated. While they are commonly hung, many people also place them flat surfaces to create 2D displays on roofs or walls.

Fairy lights - are very small LEDs on a flexible wire. These are great for small decorations and can be shaped to fit most settings.

Twinkle lights and color change lights - are popular because they add a little sparkle or animation to Christmas decor scenes. Twinkling often refers to a pattern where specific lights simply turn on and off or dim at certain intervals. Color changing lights on the other hand may blink between color or smoothly transition between colors depending on the style.

Garland lights -are a thicker, intertwined series of string lights that are popular to hang on mantles, wrap around columns or two outline doors and railings.

Lighted branches - is a very diverse family of products that are great for decorators creating botanical arrangement or scenes that use additional Christmas foliage. With the use of bows and other complementary decor, lighted branches can also be used in Christmas trees like floral picks and sprays.

Walkway Christmas trees - are typically outdoor rated trees that come with a small spike that can be inserted into the ground. Easy to setup, festive and great for displays and contours.

LED light show trees - are shaped more like tree cones and are pre-programmed with a series of light animations. They are great for yard displays and often look good in groups. They can be 5' tall or up to 12'.

Christmas light balls - true to the name, it's a sphere shaped with lights, but there are several varieties, including fairy light balls that fold flat, LED mini light balls that fold flat and more commercial grade Christmas light balls that have heavier duty frames. Light balls can be hung or placed on the ground.