A favorite Christmas tradition is driving around to see the best in show with your neighborhood Christmas lights! But while looking at lights is super fun, choosing and stringing up your own holiday lights may be another thing altogether. From ensuring you have water-resistant options to measuring correctly, there’s a myriad of things to consider when setting up the best outdoor Christmas lights.
We’ve researched all the options for you and provide only the best recommendations — based on quality, energy efficiency, safety ratings, and more.
David’s Best Outdoor Christmas Lights
When your Christmas light display needs some professional insight or inspiration, we have just the guy for you. David Stokes has been with our team for 13 years and is the manager of our professional lighting division — DW Pro Lights!
Before picking out your lights, we recommend getting some inspiration images or sketching out the look you’re going for. Even if it’s a reasonably simple plan you have in mind, you’ll need to know the proper dimensions, the features you’d like (a timer, remote control, etc.), and all the other design elements you may need to ensure you have the best outdoor Christmas lights for your home.
Here are his top three picks to bring bright colors or shimmering whites to your holiday-inspired look.
Pick #1 - Best Overall Outdoor Christmas Lights: C9 Commercial-grade LED Bulbs
These classic Christmas bulbs are the most popular style of home Christmas lights in Texas and beyond because of their size and versatility. You can use this bulb (measures 1 ¼” x 2 ½”) to outline the roofline, windows, flowerbeds, and driveways. They come in a great variety of colors and textures, giving you complete creative control.
Features of C9 Commercial-grade LED
The C9 option for your best outdoor Christmas lights features high-quality brightness, amazing energy-efficiency, and virtual indestructibility!
Crisp Look. When you’re looking for all things clear and bright, these give you that crisp LED look you need without being too bright. For tech-obsessed aficionados, the SMD (Surface Mounted Device) Technology allows a more brilliant light bulb with less electricity than previous years!
Sturdy Materials. Often made out of polystyrene or polycarbonate material, these lightbulbs are waterproof and highly durable.
Energy-Efficient. While your old incandescent C9 bulb is rated for 7 watts of electricity, these function at .58 watts. This means savings for you, no more overloading your energy, and no need for bulky extension cords. For the minor cost difference and impactful energy savings, we would always recommend these over the C7 size simply because it provides a much more noticeable impact.
Note: These are sold in packages of bulbs and need a socket string to function and hang. We recommend using the C9 LED Bulbs with a 12” or 6” spacing socket cord to create a powerful impact.
Pick #2 - Best Overall Indoor/Outdoor Option: Cluster Lights
Our unique cluster lights are an amazing choice for everything from your artificial decor to trees, bushes, and more!
Features of Cluster Lights
Cluster lights are unmatched indoor/outdoor string lights come in a variety of temperatures and give you years of superb lighting. You’ll love how quickly they go up, how great your decorations look, and how long they last.
Speedy Installation. When the holiday season hits, saving time is a life-saver. With 30 lights per linear foot and a tangle-free design, these lights go up very quickly. You’ll appreciate how easy they are to install, remove, and store.
Rejuvenate Your Decor. Cluster lights bring out the best qualities of any Christmas decoration; your artificial greenery and bushes will look fuller with their design; and the 8-function controller gives you complete control over your decor settings. You’ll love how the unique pattern of lights provides an even distribution of lights to trees, bushes, wreaths, and garlands.
The manufacturer has rated their cluster lights for 50,000 hours, giving you years of stunning lighting options for your home decor. These LEDs are so durable, you can stomp on them and never break them. And its single-mold construction keeps water and dust out.
Pick #3 - Most Versatile - 5mm
When you’re wrapping trees and columns, shrub covering, patios, pergolas, or indoor banisters, these 5mm Christmas lights are great options for either indoor or outdoor holiday lighting.
Features of 5mm
With many applications and a highly economical and brighter light, you’ll enjoy years of quality lighting with this strand of lights.
Versatile Application. With indoor/outdoor use, you can utilize these lights on your bushes, trees, walkways, rooflines, artificial greenery, and windows — just to name a few! And while you’ll mostly use them during the holidays, you could utilize them for weddings, birthday parties, your backyard, and any summer gatherings like the 4th of July.
Economical Use. LED lighting technology reduces the amount of electricity and will last much longer than incandescent lights. The 70 light 5mm LED strands are 23 feet long and can have over 40 strands connected together.
Brighter Lighting. The 5mm conical lens provides a sharp, bright light that is highlighted on tree wraps and bushes. When you add them to your outdoor decor, you'll notice a cleaner look that matches the rest of your dazzling display.
Most of our customers choose a variety of these three options in their desired color choices and then add in a smattering of pre-lit greenery, fun yard decor, and Christmas lighting accessories that are festive and quick to put up. You can come on in anytime to get a custom look for your home and get the best outdoor Christmas lights — be sure to plan your purchase and learn more at DW Pro Lights on decoratorswarehouse.com!