Decorating For The Holidays With Outdoor String Lighting

As the Christmas season looms ever nearer, outdoor string lighting begins to make its annual appearance on residential homes.   These festive lights first became popular in the early 1900s, when many store owners placed strings of colored lights behind their Christmas displays in storefront windows.  At the time, the displays were too costly for an average household display, but that changed in the early 1930s, when decorative outdoor light strings began to appear on roof eaves, window frames, door jams and porch banisters.

Early outdoor string lights used large C-7 incandescent screw-type bulbs.   The bulbs were occasionally made from tinted glass, but most often were simply painted with a translucent coating.  Incandescent bulbs, however, produce heat and often led to fires when not properly installed.  LED technology has made these bulbs virtually obsolete for outdoor string light usage.  Decorative lighting now is almost entirely comprised of LED bulbs, either on long strings or pre-designed netting.  The displays may be all of one color, or multicolored, and may stay lit continuously while powered or may flash on and off to produce a “twinkling” effect.   Solar powered string lighting is now available from several manufacturers.  LED bulbs operate at much lower temperatures than incandescent bulbs and are inherently safer to use.  They also last much longer than typical incandescent bulbs, because there are no metallic filaments to burn out or be broken by rough handling.

Outdoor light displays can be very inconspicuous when not lit because LEDs are so small. Many homeowners leave their holiday lighting up year round and only illuminate it during the holidays. Many light sets also come with electronic controllers to make the lights blink in a rolling wave, or appear to drip like melting icicles.

Although certainly more common during the Christmas season, decorative string lighting is not just a holiday venture. Outdoor patio string lights are very common in restaurants and also in private homes. They are functional and also add elegance or festivity to outdoor gatherings. The strings themselves are relatively inconspicuous; the LED bulbs are small and use very little electricity. Patio string lights also come in various themed designs. For example, the string may resemble a vine with faux leaves, and the LEDs may be inserted into small glass or plastic peppers or fruits. The LED bulbs may be inserted into a designed shape, or may be supplied as a novel bulb. Snowflakes, crystals and butterflies are common themes.

Outdoor lighting can be found in virtually any department store, or ordered online. Be sure the lights are specified for outdoor use, because the wiring of the string may be insulated differently than similar strings for indoor use. You should also be sure the display remains powered even when one light fails or is removed. Early light strings were not designed this way and one bad light at the beginning of the string often caused the entire string to fail.

Please visit outdoor string lighting and outdoor patio string lights for more information.