The holidays are right around the corner, and millions of Americans are starting to conjure up ways to make their homes the brightest on the block. Indeed, decorating with Christmas lights has become an American tradition that just about everyone who celebrates the holiday chooses to embrace. Some homes take things further than others, however, decorating their homes in ways that make them stand out from the crowd.
There are plenty of different ways to go about using lights to make your home both cheery and attractive this holiday season, and you can save money in the process if you take the right approach. With the following tips on your side, you can ensure that yours is the most festive home in the neighborhood.
Shop Online
The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out how you’re going to accumulate all of the lights you’ll need to decorate your home. Shopping for lights at big box stores is one of the most common approaches to take, but you’ll find that it’s possible to save a great deal of money by looking to the Internet for your materials. You can often buy bulk lights for a fraction of what you might spend by shopping locally, and many online stores offer free shipping on bulk orders.
It’s important to determine how many lights you’ll need, which comes down to what you’re trying to do. Are you simply trying to trim the tree, or do you want to add strands of lights throughout the interior and exterior of your home? Clearly, you’ll need extra lights in the latter scenario. Don’t be afraid to purchase more than you need, as you never know when that extra strand or two will come in handy.
Mix White Lights and Colored Lights
One of the decisions that most people have a hard time making is whether to go with white or colored lights when decorating for Christmas. While it can be tempting to take one approach or the other, there’s no reason why you can’t incorporate both white and colored lights into your home. Indeed, the two often look great when placed up against one another, and combining the two can help to create an element of contrast in your home that may not exist elsewhere in your neighborhood.
Create Shapes and Patterns
Instead of simply hanging lights in a haphazard manner, you might wish to create shapes and patterns with them. This is a great way to make your house stand out, as you can hang lights in a way so that they resemble wreathes, stars and other common Christmas shapes and images. While doing so can be time-consuming and tricky, the end result is more than worth working towards.
Decorating with lights is a tradition that just about everyone can get some enjoyment out of, and you don’t have to be wealthy to do so. If you take the time to outfit your home properly with lights this holiday season, you’ll no doubt have the warmest-looking house on the block.