Don’t you love the way your house looks with all of the lights strung up around Christmas time? Wouldn’t you like to get that warm, fuzzy feeling all year round? Well we here at LED Holiday Lighting have put together a holiday lighting guide that will help you plan, create, and utilize your LED lights throughout the entire year, to suit all different needs and holidays.
Before we dive into the full guide we have to make sure to begin your plan by knowing what bulbs will work best for your plan along with the best ways to utilize those lights in the most efficient and useful ways possible.
-Getting Started-
Choosing your bulb:
There are several different options of LED bulb shapes and styles that can all have their own advantages and disadvantages based on how and where you would like to use them.
It is important to note that there are both residential and premium strings that will differ in their durability and components. Typically you can expect premium lights to have a heavier gauge wire (20g instead of 22g) and to also connect with a co-axial connection system, giving you a water-tight connection that will not pull apart. Residential lights will mostly come with a shorter warranty, however they will almost always be cheaper than premium strings.
M5 Premium LEDs
This traditional bulb style, will give you that classic look, but with all the energy saving benefits of LED. They are available in a wide variety of colors: red, gold, orange, blue, pink, purple, green, warm white, pure white, 3-Multi (red, green, and warm white), and 5-Multi are all available on green wire, and warm white and pure white are also available on white wire. Mid-sized trees or bushes, porches or deck railings, and garland or wreaths are the best places to hang this style of bulb for the best results.
5mm Premium LEDs
This small but super-bright bulb style, will give you that classic dot of light, with even light output – no matter which way the bulb is facing. They are available in a wide variety of colors: red, gold, orange, blue, pink, purple, green, warm white, pure white and 5-mult are all available on green wire, and warm white and pure white are also available on white wire. The 5MM bulb style is great for wrapping trees, small to mid-sized bushes, or to light garland and wreaths.
G12 Premium LEDs
This round bulb style will give you the look of little lit berries, with even light output – no matter which way the bulb is facing. They are available in a wide variety of colors: red, gold, orange, blue, pink, purple, green, warm white, pure white, 2-Multi (“Candy Cane” – red and pure white), 5-Multi, and 6-Multi are all available on green wire, and warm white is also available on white wire. The G12 style of bulb is perfect for wrapping and can be great to use on trees, pillars or porch and deck railings, or to light wreaths or garlands.
C6 Bulbs
These lights are generally seen as the “traditional christmas” bulbs that have the signature strawberry shape and will generally be measured in ¾” in diameter and 1 ⅛” tall
C7 Bulbs
These bulbs will hold the same strawberry shape but will be slightly larger, normally measuring about 1” in diameter and 1 ½” tall
C9 Bulbs
Once again these bulbs will have the same strawberry shape that you are used to but will be bigger than both the C6 and the C7 as this will measure about 1 ¼” in diameter and 2 ½” tall
-Planning Your Lighting Vision-
Once you have determined what LEDs will match your location and needs, the next step is to start planning out the areas that you would like to string your lights in order to maximize their utility and effect on your decor. This is one of the best parts of the entire process because you can really get creative with how you want to hang your strings.
When trying to make a plan for an area that you are trying to light always take into account that these strings of lights can be hung from a variety of different locations. Patios, deck railings, trees, and even fence posts can all be used to hang your lights. This is where you can really be creative with how you string your lights, as being able to string your LEDs to almost any sturdy surface allows you to light and accentuate almost any area that you could imagine with the right planning and products.
-Lights For Any Occasion-
You may have the perception that LED lights only have their uses during the holiday season over winter but here we believe that there are lights for every occasion, so we have compiled a list of the best times and events of the year that we believe can be improved with some proper lighting.
Christmas LEDs
Let’s start with the obvious one- LEDs are the perfect way to decorate your home, tree, or mantle during the holidays. You can choose anything ranging from the standard red and green bulbs or even just a simple warm white color to simply illuminate an area. Also a really neat idea would be to hang red and white lights in a candy cane pattern around pillars or poles to highlight and illuminate certain areas of your project in a new and fun way throughout the holiday season.
Halloween LEDs
Hanging lights around this time of year can be a great way to add to the creepy ambiance of your house, or make your property the safe looking, well-lit sanctuary for all of the children (and let’s face it adults) that will be out trick-or-treating. One recommendation that we could make, rather than the stereotypical pumpkin or ghoul, would be to line your porch, patio, or walkway with bright LEDs in order to improve the look of your entrance while also providing some light to those stumbling trick-or-treaters.
Wedding Day
There are plenty of ways to incorporate soft lighting with LEDs on your special day to highlight the beauty of the venue and the magic of the day. Just because you’re using LEDs doesn’t mean every light you string has to be bright; soft lighting can be just as effective, if not more so in some situations, especially for evening events or in the background of photos. One cool trick that we would recommend is placing bulbs into mason jars to create a rustic casual feel to the event.
Valentines Day
Looking to spice up your Valentine’s day, perhaps looking to embrace a softer, modern glow? Red LEDs are a fantastic accent to set the mood around your home or business with ease. Stringing up some red and white bulbs or, if you’re looking for a DIY project, try bending some metal into a heart shape and zip tying your lights to it can be a creative decoration that really makes your lighting pop.
4th Of July And Patriotic Holiday
The 4th of July, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day are just a few of the examples of the patriotic holidays that we can celebrate here in this country year-round. Not only does adding LEDs make your area look better, but more importantly it is a way of honoring and respecting those for whom the days are intended for. A simple series of 3 flood lights Red, White, and Blue is all it takes to show your pride to anyone who may pass by- it doesn’t take a lot, but can mean everything to those who have served.
St. Patrick’s Day
Green, white, and orange are the colors you are going to be looking for when trying to decorate for this holiday. If you don’t have your own river to dye, maybe just trying some green LEDs in a tree or a big glowing shamrock are enough to elevate your decor to make up for it. This would also be a great time to implement some bar LEDs to highlight and accentuate the most important area of your home while you celebrate.
Easter
Soft-white or yellow, pink, and green LEDs will help you spice up your home or garden while you go Easter egg hunting or take family photos.If you’re looking to be a bit more creative you can try to use different colors in an egg shape to give the look of a dyed egg to make people look a little longer at your decor. These can also be left up for the remainder of the spring as a festive and clean way to look your area more inviting to those that pass by.