The Christmas season brings loved ones closer, forges cherished memories, and inspires awe-inspiring Christmas light displays. An extraordinary Christmas setup can uplift even the most cynical. To create a standout display, it's essential for it to be impeccable. The best ones often boast Christmas lights that look impeccably professional.
Worry not about being a seasoned lighting technician—achieving professional quality results is simpler than you imagine! Below is our thorough compilation of expert advice on how to get your Christmas lights looking professional.
Strategize for Success
Just as Santa meticulously plans his route for Christmas deliveries, organizing your Christmas light project will go a long way. Visualize your house and think about how to illuminate it, especially considering its distinctive architectural features. How can you adorn elements such as the roofline? Or greenery like shrubs? Determine the precise quantity of lights you'll need: measure the spans of areas for lighting, like the borders and railings.
Think about the layout, color palette, and even a cohesive theme that brings everything together seamlessly. Devise your master plan for the ultimate Christmas light show. Take an inventory of the lights and decorations you currently have and can use towards your dream display. Then draft a list of materials needed to fulfill your decorating ambitions.
Once you've made a list (and checked it twice!), assess what you can feasibly accomplish this year based on your budget. We suggest spacing out your grand plan over the next few years to ease budget constraints. If finances are tight, focus on specific areas. Concentrate on making one or two components exceptional, such as perimeter or tree lighting.
Dispersing lights sparingly across your space will merely dilute the overall impact. Specializing in areas you can fully decorate is the best strategy for making your Christmas lights appear professional. You can always expand your setup as the budget permits.
When selecting lights, LED Christmas lights are the superior choice: they last longer than incandescent bulbs and use less electricity, saving you money over time. Lower power consumption per light allows you to install more lights.
Purchase from Professional Christmas Suppliers
To achieve a professional looking Christmas lights display, avoid buying from major retail stores. Their lights are of retail quality, despite their attempts to brand them as commercial or equivalent. These are not the lights professionals use for stunning, memorable displays.
Retail grade lights not only lack quality appearance but are prone to issues. Our experience—having sold both retail and commercial grade lights for years—reveals that we received more than 20 times the complaints with retail grade lights compared to commercial ones. This emphasizes the significant difference in quality between the two.
When it comes to pro grade vs. retail grade LED Christmas lights, pro grade is the superior option. Pro grade lights are more durable, easier to install, and look more professional.
Explore our detailed comparison of pro and retail grade LED Christmas lights to understand why pro grade is the better choice.
Learn How the Pros Install
From a young age, we learn by observing. But observational learning isn't only reserved for childhood—you can also learn how to install professional looking Christmas lights by watching experts. View instructional videos that demonstrate basic installation techniques for areas such as perimeter lighting, wrapping tree branches, lighting hedges, and outlining the edges of landscape features.
Master the fundamentals first. Then progress to advanced methods as you feel confident. Spending just a few hours researching installation techniques can elevate your project from amateur to professional quickly.
You can find numerous relevant and valuable resources about Christmas lights on our YouTube channel. Discover tips and techniques in our Christmas Lights Installation playlist.
Take It One Step at a Time
It's easy to get overwhelmed by Christmas lighting ideas. However, the key to success is keeping your plans achievable. Focus on one section at a time. Think in terms of completing small steps successfully. Accumulating enough small successes will lead to an overall triumph! Even if you don't build your dream display immediately, you can be proud of your progress.
Don't feel obligated to do everything alone. Allow yourself to seek help if it becomes overwhelming. A family member, friend, or neighbor can assist, especially influenced by the spirit of the holiday season.
Be Methodical with the Takedown
While cleanup might seem insignificant, it can save time and effort in the future. It's tempting to rush through taking down your lights, but being careful will benefit you in the long run. This meticulous approach sets you up for a more efficient start next year. Be systematic when storing and organizing lights after removal.
We guide you through the takedown process in our takedown video, filled with expert tips to save you from future hassles.
Prioritize Safety
Safety is essential to ensure a joyous and healthy holiday season for you and your family. Accidents can occur with Christmas lighting, but you can prevent them by following safety guidelines. As the old adage goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Follow this quick checklist to prevent mishaps and enjoy your Christmas lights safely:
- Inspect lights and bulbs for damage
- Replace any lights that are damaged or too old
- Install lights as directed: outdoor lights for outdoor use, and indoor lights for indoor use
- Use clips to hang lights instead of nails or screws
- Use ladders safely: have someone hold the ladder steady
- Plug outdoor lights into ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs)—never plug outdoor lights into indoor outlets as it can damage wires
By adhering to our expert tips, your Christmas light display could become the talk of the neighborhood. Along with the admiration of your neighbors, you might also win significant prizes for your efforts. Check your local newspaper or NextDoor to see if there are any Christmas lighting competitions in your community. Explore our tips on how to win your community's Christmas lighting contest.
Have more questions about making your Christmas lights look professional? We have the answers. Contact us via the email or phone number provided at the bottom of the page so we can guide you in the right direction.
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