Christmas would usually be the time of the year that you would be inviting your friends and family over as well as attending parties to celebrate the festivities as well as the new year.
Unfortunately, the current coronavirus circumstances have meant that this year’s celebrations in terms of attendees shall be limited. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t make your home sparkle and enjoy the beauty all the more from the time you will get to spend there over this festive period.
The LED Specialist has some key advice to consider when preparing your home for this year’s festive period. Whilst they stock a wide range of festive lighting from tree lights to all out inflatables, this article will just concentrate on making the most from the more essential products.
It’s important to note whether the product is recommended for use indoors or outdoors. Many of our lights are safe to use in both environments, however some lights may be limited to indoors only if they are made of delicate materials that could be damaged by the weather.
Always keep lights out of reach from small children and pets.
String Lights
Your quintessential classic festive light, are also known as fairy lights. They are the traditional product for lighting up your Christmas tree, mantel piece or elsewhere around the home to give it that festive feel. There are a variety of shapes, lengths, colours and lighting effects available, here are some options so you can choose the right type of string light for your home.
Straight line:
A popular choice, easy to use and install, just drape them or attach them with some concealed tape or hooks to add that sparkle. You have the option to choose from a green or clear cable which will depend on what you are illuminating. The mains plug in options tend to have more settings for different lighting effect such as strobing and much more, check out The LED Specialist social media pages for the variety of effects.
You can also purchase string lights with different covers over each LED such as stars, balls, snowflakes…even polar bears!
Icicle:
These look just like they are named…adding a frosty chill effect, perfect for indoor around a door frame or even outdoor, run along the top of your fence or railings. They also look great hung from windows or eaves…make sure you have a helper to hold the ladder when putting them up!
Net:
These lights look like a grid of LED lights, usually in a rectangular or square shape. They can be draped or also suspended across an area so that they are above head, see our tunnel of light image which captivates the imagination of what can be achieved with these versatile lights. An ideal application for these are draped over trees, hedges or roofs.
Curtain:
Hanging just like a window curtain, they hand as individual strings from a horizontal cable. A key tip with this comes when you put them away, they get tangled very easily so we recommend to tape up each individual string to the main horizontal line…trust us this is going to save you some time and annoyance in the future.
Cluster:
These lights are similar to the classic string/fairy lights; however they sit closer together in a cluster offering a well-lit garland effect. They tend to be smaller in individual bulb size which means you can arrange them more to suit the shapes you are spreading them around.
Buying Tips:
- Choose LED! They are energy saving and more efficient to run compared to traditional lighting. LED also benefits with minimal heat output, making them safer. There is no warm up time and they come in a wider variety of colours.
LEDs are also brighter and longer lasting.
The variety of string lights on offer are:
Number of bulbs – They vary per length but there can be up to 2000!
Bulb colours – There are different types of white available but stick to warm white for a cosy relaxing feel, cool white for a fresher vibrant modern look and daylight white for a colder crisp frosty experience. You can also purchase multicoloured lights which use the full colour spectrum or some can even make it so you only see the warmer colours such as the red, yellow and oranges. If you have something specific in mind there is a high likelihood that its readily available.
Lighting effects - Whether you want your lights to strobe, twinkle, dim, soft glow, flash or be in a sequence pattern; there’s a wide variety of effects and most are available with a simple push of a button at the plug.
Power source – Available in mains power or battery powered if you don’t want to run an extensive lead around the back of the sofas.
Cable length – Available in a variety of length, some measuring over 100 metres, please let us know the height of your tree and we will recommend the correct length.
Cable colour – choose from green or clear to keep the wiring discreet.
Bulb shapes – available with berries, balls, snowflakes, stars, candy canes, polar bears and many more!
Whilst string lights will be the predominant choice for your festive lighting we recommend having a variety within your home. Don’t just rely on electrical light, there is nothing cosier than candle light on a winter’s night at home. Mix and match your natural light with the LED lighting to create the perfect ambiance.
Why not use the same lights all year round for different applications?
Festoon lights are the flexible solution! These lights give you the ability to just change the bulbs and look great in your garden in the summer, or internally in your house in the winter.
The tree lighting conundrum
Due to the many different types of tree lights and variety of clusters they can be produced in; we advise you to stick to a 5-metre rule to ensure that your chosen lights make it to the top of your tree. For a 6-foot tree we recommend 15 metres of lit cable length, keep in mind that you will be needing to run the cable from the plug if you are purchasing the mains powered option of string lights.
As a rough guide please see the chart below for a tree height to numbers of lights ratio, if you prefer a low key twinkly look then we advise to purchase towards the first number in the right column, the second number will give you a much brighter illumination, we only advise this number if you have a large room in which you house your Christmas tree.
| Tree Height | Number of Lights |
| 3 feet | 300 – 600 lights |
| 4 feet | 400 – 800 lights |
| 5 feet | 500 – 1000 lights |
| 6 feet | 600 – 1200 lights |
| 7 feet | 700 – 1400 lights |
| 8 feet | 800 – 1600 lights |
| 9 feet | 900 – 1800 lights |
| 10 feet | 1000 – 2000 lights |
No more reaching behind the tree!
A simple but time and back saving product has its perfect use this festive season…introducing the smart plug!
You can now power on and off your Christmas lights without having to lift yourself from the sofa…or you can even turn on the Christmas lighting before you have arrived home. A real gamechanger for 2020 and beyond!