LED Christmas lights last around 25,000 to 75,000 hours, which is approximately 6 or 7 seasons, when they’re high quality lights in typical indoor or outdoor settings. You can reasonably expect this lifespan for pro-grade LED Christmas lights under normal use and timely storage at the end of each season.

The amount of hours that LED Christmas lights can last is significantly longer than incandescent bulbs. In the span of 25,000 to 75,000 hours, dozens of incandescent Christmas light sets would burn out.

The major factors that affect the lifespan of LED Christmas lights are quality, storage, and weather. The factor with the biggest impact is light set quality. Lower quality and retail grade lights have a questionable lifespan. Low and retail grade lights are made with cheap components through cost-cutting methods, which means that their lifespan is considerably shorter than what you’ll get out of pro-grade LED Christmas lights. Cheap LED lights can sometimes fail to last one season.

How you store your lights is a big part of maintaining LED Christmas lights. Light storage includes when you take down your lights and how you pack them away. When to take down LED Christmas lights depends on the weather in your region and how long you observe the holiday season. For some, the day after Christmas is when the lights come down. Others take down lights on the 12th and final day of Christmas, January 6th, known as the Epiphany. And for others in colder regions, it’s best to wait for a day of mild weather between the harsher periods of cold, snow, and ice. Generally, a reasonable time to take down your lights is in January or February. If lights are left up year-round, the estimated lifespan can be cut down to a range of 2 to 2 and half years.

Make sure that your lights are completely dry and free of moisture before storing them. Store your lights in a place that doesn’t get too hot, as excessive heat can reduce the lifespan of LED Christmas lights. Inside your home is the ideal place to store your lights, although the garage is fine is as long as it isn’t regularly exposed to hot temperatures. Since attics attract and keep heat, avoid storage there.

Another factor that impacts the lifespan of LED Christmas lights is weather. Pro-grade LED Christmas lights are designed to endure outdoor elements such as cold, snow, and ice that come about for some regions during the holiday season. However, the elements near the ocean negatively affect LED lights. The corrosive effects from the spray of ocean salt can reduce the life of LED light sets by up to 50%, making prompt and proper storage crucial. Check out our comparison for more information on the technical side of LED Christmas lights.

Upgrade your next display with high quality LED Christmas lights that will last you for Christmases to come!