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Yes, you must use an extension cord specifically rated for outdoor use to power outdoor lights, such as Christmas lights. Extension cords intended for indoor use lack the protective properties to withstand exposure to outdoor elements. To safely hang and power lights outside your house or in your yard, always connect them to an outdoor power source using an outdoor-rated extension cord.

First of all, don’t shop for bargain lights—often, you’ll end up with a faulty or broken strand, full of dead bulbs or less-than-luminous brightness. Choose quality lights that will last you many years—LED lights have been known to last as long as 100,000 hours. Second, plan ahead and purchase lights for next year’s Christmas during this year’s post-holiday sales. Finally, have a vision and a plan—if you know the measurements of your home, including any windows, doors, and outside bushes you wish to light up, you should be able to only purchase the necessary lights and not more than you need.

No, you shouldn’t insert an LED light into an incandescent socket. It usually won’t fit anyway, but in the unlikely chance that it does, its electrical demands are too different for it to work properly. 

You can take a few steps to prolong the life of your holiday lights. Make sure to replace burnt-out bulbs as quickly as possible to avoid overloading the rest of the circuit and knocking out more lights. Before packing them up each year, plug each strand into the wall to confirm everything is still working. Wrap the lights carefully back into their original packaging or something similar—winding a strand tightly together or leaving it to hang loose in a storage bin can lead to frayed or damaged wiring.