If you're a Holiday Devotee, you derive immense satisfaction from your festive arrangements. You invest considerable effort each year to set them up and face no small cost in acquiring and maintaining them.

Not only do you delight in the stunning beauty of your holiday light displays, but you also take even greater pleasure in the happiness they bring to others: your children, neighbors, and even random visitors who are drawn to your neighborhood by the spectacular show generously offered by you and others.

Christmas Light Timers


The Only Issue is Forgetting to Switch the Lights On…

Ouch!

All that effort and expense for crafting a holiday masterpiece, only for it to be squandered because you (or someone else) neglects to flick a switch! Perhaps you're not at home when the lights should illuminate. No matter the cause, if your lights aren't on when desired, it's a complete waste!

And speaking of waste – consider all those moments your lights glow at 3 a.m., consuming costly electricity while no one is around to see them.

Remember the philosophical query: “If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” Here's a twist for Holiday Devotees: “If your festive lights are shining during early morning hours when no one's gazing at them, are they still using power?” The answer is as clear as the numbers on your utility bill!

Turning lights on and off is a straightforward task. Just a flick of a switch. But someone must remember to flip that switch at the right times, for both on and off. Otherwise, there's a cost involved.


An Easy Fix

If you're still manually turning your lights on and off (when you don't forget!), why not let a touch of advanced technology manage that task for you? Connect your lights to an electric timer, set it and forget it. Your lights will illuminate and turn off precisely as you'd like.

We provide an array of light timers. All are very affordable and highly dependable. Our timers fall into two categories: photocell and standard. Photocell timers are the most favored and, in most cases, the more practical.

Here's how they differ:

  • Photocell. Photocell timers are equipped with a light-sensing device that can distinguish day from night. Most photocell timers offer various settings, such as always-on, dusk to dawn, 2 hours, 4 hours, 6 hours, or 8 hours. With a photocell timer, you can ensure that your lights won't be shining pointlessly during daylight, similar to a sprinkler operating during a downpour. One caveat if considering a photocell timer: in areas with substantial ambient light at night, photocell timers might not perform well. The high levels of night light might deceive the timer into ‘thinking' it's still daylight long after dusk.
  • Standard. Standard timers operate on-off sequences based on an internal clock. You set the time on the internal clock and program your on-off sequences. While not as convenient as a photocell timer, because it requires programming both the internal clock and the on-off timings, standard timers are still reliable. A downside is if the outlet loses power, such as a tripped GFI, the timer will need to be reset once the GFI is restored. Both digital touchpad and analog rotary dial controls are available for standard timers.


Avoid Timer Overload

Some timers have multiple outlets, allowing you to connect several light strings. While convenient, be cautious not to surpass the timer's maximum wattage capacity.

You can easily gauge the wattage needed for each string with a Kill A Watt Electric Usage Monitor. This handy tool will measure the power usage of each cord connected to your timer. If the total is within the timer's maximum rating, you're set. Otherwise, you might need to spread the load across multiple timers.

It's wise to use heavy-duty timers labeled by UL for outdoor use, rated at 15 amps (1800 watts). While 8 amp timers might be cheaper, they generally don't last as long as the 15 amp variants.


Some Tasks Are Best Left to Devices

Although turning lights on and off seems simple, given our forgetfulness, it's a task we humans aren't particularly good at. Automatic timers are simple, budget-friendly gadgets that flawlessly manage “that one” task.

It's their specialty. So why not let them take over?