Christmas Light Storage Tips

Once Christmas is over, then sooner or later, one has to put away all the Christmas lights and other decorations. In today’s blog article, we would like to give you some tips to make it easier.

Lights

Take lights down carefully. They can be rolled or wrapped and hung over pegs in the garage or in the basement. Like lights should be stored together. If you hang them, then cover with plastic so they do not get dusty during the year.

Other people roll the lights and place them in boxes or Rubbermaid bins. Take a few extra minutes to label your boxes and bins with what type of light or lights are inside, either by color or size or LED or flashing. If you have any remote controls for the lights, then keep them with the lights, taping it to a strand if needed.

Trees

Artificial trees can be boxed up or covered in plastic and put away in a closet or basement. Live trees can typically be discarded per your local bylaws. Sometimes, wild animal rescues will take the live trees to furnish different habitats for their animals. If a live tree is potted, then you can continue to enjoy it into the next year.

Ornaments

Aside from the tree and lights, there will be lots of ornaments to put away. Be careful as many of these are made of glass and they are fragile. Go slowly and wrap each ornament carefully. Again, these can be boxed together in plastic bins or cardboard moving boxes.

Be sure to label everything as detailed as possible which will make your lives much easier next year. Way too many of us have to go through several boxes in order to find what we want.

And keep in mind, that it is possible to have Christmas lights permanently mounted on your house by professionals. These are lights that you can control inside the house, all year round. Having permanent outside lights eliminates the need for all this packing and unpacking.

If you are interested in permanent exterior holiday lights, give Northern Lights a call on the Lower Mainland at (604) 357-4781. This is our area of expertise, and we are an Authorized Dealer for Gemstone Lights.

A Brief History of Christmas Lights on Homes

Today, in our blog article, we are going to take a brief look at the history of Christmas lights on homes. In order to examine lights on homes, we have to first look at lights on Christmas trees, and the history of having Christmas trees, at all.

The Christmas Tree

The ancient Egyptians decorated their homes in the winter with palm fronds. Romans transitioned to decorating with evergreen boughs during the shortest days of the year, the winter solstice, which occurs toward the end of December.

German Origin

It is believed that devout Christians in Germany began bringing trees into their homes for Christmas in mid-1500s. For those without easy access to or space for trees, they used wood structures decorated with evergreen branches.

The Lighted Tree

Next came the tradition of adding lights to trees. Martin Luther is typically credited with adding candles (lights) to Christmas trees, again, in the 16^th century.

Electricity

Edison invented the light bulb in 1879. Not long after, the use of electricity spread despite a common fear and distrust of it. By 1890, strings of Christmas lights were available to buy for the general public. Initially these lights were used on trees.

In early 1900, the United States, people were starting to decorate rooms and buildings with Christmas tree lights. In 1903, General Electric had strings of lights available for rent. The first strings of electric lights were not terribly safe—they were almost as much of a fire hazard as candles had been--but they improved over the next 20 years.

So, it is now over 120 years that we are using lights to decorate with for the Christmas holidays.

Benefits of Permanent Holiday Lighting Systems

A permanent, exterior, holiday lighting system for your home or office is a great idea whose time has come. There are several advantages to having a permanent lighting system, and that is what we are going to talk about today in our blog.

Time

The first benefit of this type of system is how time is saved. It no longer becomes necessary to put up and take down lights every year. You do not have to wait for the right window in the weather.

These lights are permanently installed and ready to go at any time.

Safety

It is safer to have lights permanently installed. Homeowners do not have to risk themselves up on a ladder in the snow and ice to put their lights up or take them down every year. These lights are installed by professionals once, and that makes it safer for you.

Versatility

This type of lighting system gives you the ability to change the colours and patterns of your lights. You can have them on solid or have them flashing or a host of other possibilities. You can have some colours on for Halloween and different colours on for Christmas or Easter. A permanently installed lighting system gives you freedom and versatility.

Convenience

Since this type of lighting system remains plugged in all the time, you can turn it on whenever you like. The switch and controls will be inside the house (or building). This is a much more convenient solution than the lights plugged in outside that you have to turn on and off outside.

As the holiday season approaches, we wholeheartedly recommend a permanent holiday lighting system for your home or building. Let us help you and contact us at the phone number below.