Tips for Christmas Lighting

Hang Exterior Lights with Caution

Ensure when hanging lights outside, you use secure light holders as well as a stable ladder. Before hanging them, check that they work and then unplug them before hanging up. Lights should be turned off anytime before you go to bed or leave the house. They should also not be anywhere near power lines.

Use the Proper Outlet

GFCI outlets is where your power source should come from. Your lights are supposed to glow and shine, not shoot sparks! This type of outlet will shut the circuit down if there is over current. Safety first, so if you don’t have a GFCI outlet, call Handyman Connection for a licenced electrician to install one for you.

Tuck Extension Cords out of the Way

To ensure nobody trips on any cords, try to keep away from walkways or at least tape them down. Always keep the connections above snow, ground and water.

Waterproof Lights

Never use indoor lights for outdoors. When finding outdoor lights, make sure they meet the national industry standard by looking for the tag marked “UL.”

What Bulbs do I use?

For a more traditional look, use C7 or C9 bulbs. At most home or convenient stores you can buy as little as 25 bulbs to as big as 100 bulb strands. Make sure to not connect the 100 strand bulbs together as if one fails, the rest of the strand will fail. Prevent this from happening for sure by buy light stands with inner fuses.

Miniature Bulbs

Positive of mini bulbs is that they cost less as well as draw less power then the classic string. A negative of mini lights is that unfortunately, since they run in series, if one bulb fails, the whole series is lost. You get what you pay for with mini bulbs so Handyman Connection suggest paying for quality lights that you know will last you!

Landscape Net Lighting

Net lighting is a mesh of LED lights interconnected together. Instead of connecting and stringing bundles of lights, you can drape these over shrubs and bushes to create a beautiful landscape scenery.

Animated Lighting

Animated lighting is made from wired frames that surround mini lights in different color patterns or variations. This is how you can create Santa and his Reindeer to be on your house all season long!

Shimmer Spheres

Want to have the best shining house on the block? Use shimmer spheres to create shapes like snowballs, stars or striped formations!