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If you take home a pre-lit Christmas tree but want to spruce it up with blinking lights, don’t worry, there’s a simple solution. You can easily replace the light bulbs on the pre-lit tree with flashing bulbs. For a more subtle look, only replace some of the bulbs with flashing bulbs.

Good news, Christmas lovers: you can keep your lights up all year, provided you choose the type. It's critical that you choose holiday lights made for outdoor use, as these can withstand winter weather conditions. In addition, it's best to use LED lights instead of incandescent ones. LED bulbs can withstand temperature shifts and are energy efficient. 

If you are considering leaving your holiday lights up year-round, ask your lighting installer about permanent installation. This project costs around $3,500 but gives you about six to 10 years of LED lights and adds a pleasing aesthetic to your home.

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. 

Christmas light cords are long, thin, and flexible—which makes them exceptionally prone to tangling. As you try to untangle the very merry mess, the light bulbs and sockets may catch on the cords, making it even harder to pull cords through the knots.