Get matched with top holiday decorators in Addison, ME

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.

Yes, you can synchronize Christmas lights with music to create a DIY light show. To do this, you will need several components. For hardware, you'll need standard holiday lights, decorations, lawn ornaments, tools, outdoor-rated extension cords, a computer, and a light show control system or digital controller. You will also need specialized software to program the show; popular options include Light-O-Rama (LOR), Vixen, xLights, and Animated Lights. Some, like Vixen and Animated Lights, are considered more beginner-friendly. The process involves using the software to program your lights, choosing an audio method such as speakers or an FM broadcast, and testing the entire system to make sure it's working correctly before the show.

When it comes to bang for your buck, LED lights are the clear winner for Christmas lights. While these will cost more upfront, they’ll last you for many holidays to come—far longer than your basic halogen bulbs. Along with that, they also save you big on energy costs throughout the season.

The length of time shouldn’t matter much if you stick with lightweight Christmas lights and similar decorations. Those shouldn’t pose risks to your stucco. You should avoid attaching anything to your stucco that could fall because it’s too heavy, which may take part of the stucco with it. Some methods, like using double-sided tape or adhesive hooks, will naturally wear out over time and lead to falling lights, so don’t expect to leave these lights up year-round.