How to Upgrade Your Holiday Lighting and Impress Your Guests
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How to Upgrade Your Holiday Lighting and Impress Your Guests

Have you been pulling out the same strings of colored lights for the holidays the last ten years? While the nostalgia is strong, it may be time to upgrade your lighting. Or, maybe you’re a new homeowner and are ready to try your hand at a festive outdoor display. The good news is that there are quality lights to invest in that you can use all year round.

Whether you’re hosting a large event, or just celebrating with the family, lighting is key to a great holiday celebration. Let’s look at the best holiday light trends for this season and how to get started upgrading your lights!

Lighting Trends in 2022

Every year there are different trends for holiday lighting. If you want to have a display that your guests won’t forget, staying on top of what’s hot can help. Here’s a list of the top trends for holiday lighting this holiday season:

Smart Lighting

As you can imagine, smart lighting has made its way into the holiday lighting market. Being able to control your lights from an app on your phone during winter weather will make things much easier. Smart lights also allow you to control the colors, making them perfect for holiday displays.

Fairy Lights

Fairy lights are netted lights that you’ll typically see spread across bushes. While they are great for the holiday season, you can use them all year to keep your front lawn lit for safety, as well.

LED Wall Lights

LED wall lights are becoming increasingly popular as a holiday light option, and with good reason. These lights can be kept up all year round, and will make your home look elegant. The Harper LED wall light from MOD Lighting is a great choice for unique holiday lights.

 

Make a Plan

The first thing you’ll need to do for holiday lighting is make a plan. Start by asking yourself these questions:

Indoor, Outdoor, or Both?

To start, it’s important to figure out where you want to put the lights. If you already have an established holiday lighting display, upgrading should be easy. Outdoor lighting is typically the most extravagant, but you can also create a beautiful indoor display, as well.

Color or White Lights?

Once you’ve planned out where you want the lights, you must decide between color and white lights. White is a classic, and you can keep them up all year without changing anything if you’d like. If you go with color, we recommend RGB wall lights that you can switch colors on depending on the season. That way, your holiday lighting works all year.

LED Vs. Incandescent

You’ll also need to decide what type of light bulbs are best for your holiday lighting. LED lights use 80% less energy than incandescent, and are more common in modern holiday lights. So, if you’re looking to save on energy, go with LED wall lights.

Take Measurements

After you’ve made decisions on holiday lights, take measurements before making a purchase. Write down the measurements so you have them when you go to the store, or you’re checking out online. The last thing you want to have happen is you invest in quality RGB wall lights and they don’t fit where you want them to.

Make Sure You Have Proper Outlets

This one is mostly for outdoor lighting. You want to make sure you have safe outdoor plugs that won’t cause damage. It’s also important to note that you should avoid overloading the sockets, which can cause a circuit overload.

 

Tips for Buying Holiday Lights

Inspect the Exterior of Your Home

If you’re planning on outdoor lighting, make sure to assess the outside of your home. Figure out where exactly you want to install the lights and ensure you can do it safely. This may sound like a lot of work for buying holiday lights, but trust us, it will make your life easier. When looking at the outside of your home, you should:

Look at Your Roof

Take a picture of your roof to look at the details. If you plan to install roof lights, you’ll need to know how many peaks there are, the type of roof you have and if you have gutters. All of this information will help you get the appropriate amount of lighting.

Check Out Your Porch

Another common area for holiday lights is the porch. Do you have columns and railings you’d like to decorate? Measure them! If you have stairs leading up to your door, you should also take that into consideration when choosing holiday lights.

Ditch the String Lights

String lighting has the classic holiday look, but you have to put them up and take them down every year. Not only that, but they are susceptible to damage with exposed cords in the elements.

Installing holiday lighting you can use year round will save you a lot of trouble. It’s also going to impress your guests at your next holiday function. We recommend MOD Lighting’s Haylen RGB Wall Lights.

These minimalist RGB wall lights are sure to wow all of your holiday party attendees. The Haylen RGB wall lights can be used indoors or outdoors to line your walls with festive holiday colors. They’re a total upgrade from the icicle lights your grandma had stapled to the roof!

Grab Extension Cords

No matter the type of lighting, you’ll likely need extension cords for your holiday display. Having extra on hand is never a bad thing, as well.

Buy Waterproof Lights

Another thing to consider when buying holiday lights is safety. Indoor lights shouldn’t be used outdoors, and all outdoor lights should be waterproof. Lighting will say right on the packaging whether it’s for indoor or outdoor use.

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