What Is Your Christmas Lighting Style?

For anyone trying to make their Christmas indoor and outdoor lighting display memorable, choosing the right Christmas lights is tough. With so many LED Christmas light options such as wide angle conicals, mini lights and stringers, icicles, light line and Twinkly Home lights, there is a near-endless variety of options to choose from.

The number of lights you use, mixing incandescent and LED lights, and whether you use light strings or Christmas net sets all impact style. The good news is that there are different kinds of Christmas lights for everyone, no matter your preferences.

This blog discusses how to find your Christmas lighting style. These are just a few of the many approaches to Christmas light displays, so don’t feel pigeon-holed. You can always mix and match these styles and incorporate different techniques to make your Christmas lights brighten your holiday season.

Style Extends to Christmas

To some degree, style impacts every aspect of our lives, even Christmas. Whether you’re a longtime Christmas Enthusiast or a newbie, you have style preferences about your holiday-style Christmas lights. You might favor a certain look, and particular styles of lights appeal to you more than others.

When it comes to Christmas decorations, there are many personal style preferences. But over the years, we've made an observation here at Christmas Designers. Though there are many finely tuned variations, we've noticed that Christmas light displays often fall into one of three broad categories.

Style #1: Holiday-Generic

Holiday-generic themes offer a symbolic nod to the holiday season, with displays containing snowflakes, evergreen trees, and traditional winter themes in pleasant color schemes. This style of display typically leaves no doubt as to the season. It often incorporates seasonally-themed decorations such as snowfall tubes, red and green colored lights, warm white lights, or icicle lights. These decorations pay homage without including iconic characters such as Santa or Rudolph.

That's not to say that these displays don't celebrate the holiday season; they do. And they often do so in grand style, with a stunning kaleidoscope-colored collection of lights and décor that helps heighten the joy of the season.

Make no mistake: These displays can be spectacular. But though there may be an occasional nod to Christmas - perhaps some gift-wrapped boxes presented as themed décor, for example - there's not much that shouts, "Hurray, it's Christmas!"

Style #2: Full-On Christmas

Unlike holiday-generic styles, this style of Christmas display is all about Christmas. Your Christmas displays can be elaborate, using Christmas LED lights, RGB, or Twinkly Pro lights. They can also be understated, using mini lights and cool white Christmas lights. Whatever lights these Christmas decorations utilize, the display is explicitly about Christmas.

Any type of décor that's Christmassy is likely to appear in these displays. Full-on Christmas displays might include silhouettes of Santa, or Rudolph, or elves. They might consist of religious displays or symbols. They might even use lights to spell out holiday greetings such as "Merry Christmas" or "Noel."

Style #3: Minimalist

Minimalist Christmas lighting styles can be either holiday-generic or full-on Christmas and they don’t utilize elaborate decorations. They incorporate subtle elements to get their message across- a few LED net lights strung up on the two tree trunks in the front yard, a prominently displayed Christmas tree in the front window- everything is understated.

But in truth, every Christmas Enthusiast should start with a minimalist display. Building upon a minimalist display as the years go by is a great, budget-friendly way to evolve into the type of display you ultimately want.

Just be sure to build the foundation of your minimalist display with quality, pro grade lights. Do otherwise, and you'll find yourself replacing components of your Christmas light display each year.

Tips for Choosing Different Types of Christmas Lights

Do Your Homework on Different Christmas Lights

When choosing your Christmas lighting this year, you should research the types of Christmas lights that best fit your style. We recommend LED pro grade lights on every project since they last much longer and use much less energy. Your Christmas lights will last for years to come, and not burn out in the short term.

If you plan on having your Christmas lights for a long time, it’s best to purchase ones that you won’t have to replace. Comparing incandescent vs. LED Christmas lights comes down to the initial cost benefits of incandescent lights vs. improved durability and energy efficiency of LED lights.

Pick Flexible Christmas Lights

Even if you’re planning on creating a full-on Christmas light display, the bulk of your Christmas lights should have flexible uses so you can get the most out of your investment year-round. Warm white LED lights act as the perfect double for patio lighting during the summer months.

Additionally, Twinkly lights have controllers on them so that you can change their colors. Instead of buying several colors and getting bored with them, change your display settings as you see fit.

Save Money on Your Christmas Lights by Choosing LED Christmas Lights

Two considerations arise when purchasing Christmas lights: installation and running fees. The initial cost for LED lights is more expensive. However, their energy-efficient bulbs last at least 48,000 hours longer than incandescent bulbs- that’s a lot of Christmases.

Which Is Your Style?

Do you recognize yourself in one of the three style categories listed above? Or do you belong in a whole different category? Whether you're an experienced Christmas Enthusiast or a newbie, you probably know which style is for you.

There's no right or wrong, of course. It's simply a matter of taste, like preferring chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry. But just like any other style choice, your preferred Christmas lighting style helps tell the world who you are.

So, who are you? Browse our designer Christmas decorations and Christmas lights selection and find out.