11 Types of Outdoor Christmas Lights

While LED Christmas lights are more expensive upfront, you’ll save money in the long run. You can pay $13.65 per month to decorate your rooftop with those old incandescent lights, or 22 cents per month with LED lights (prices estimated by Xcel Energy Colorado).

In comparison, LEDs are long lasting, with some LEDs rated to burn up to 100,000 hours. Additionally, LEDs come in warm-and cool-glow varieties. These multi-colored LED Christmas lights work well indoors and even on outdoor Christmas trees.

Incandescent Christmas lights often cost less upfront than LEDs, but like we mentioned above, they do cost more over time. The major attraction with this type of light is the warm old-school glow that will look beautiful on your home. This style often requires chasing down bad bulbs and fixing them.

The LED outdoor Christmas light projector is the easiest and fastest way to get a LOT of light on your house. These lights require no roof installation and are a great time-saving alternative to traditional Christmas string lights. Simply plug them into an outdoor outlet and point them at your house.

These Christmas laser lights come with five patterns: snowflakes, jingle bells, Christmas trees, Santa Claus and starry red and green. If you need more options, here are some more of the best Christmas light projectors.

Mini string Christmas lights are great for blending your lights seamlessly into their surroundings when they aren’t in use. These lights with smaller bulbs are a popular trend now. By the way, you might want to get your hands on this Christmas lights repair tool that comes with everything you need to get the job done.

These outdoor Christmas lights can be controlled by an app or a remote control to adjust color, brightness, timing and pattern. The customizable options make them the perfect element for any Christmas light display.

These lights also include a preset scene setup. Simply pick the ambient motion you like and let the lights dazzle night after night. Learn how to store Christmas lights.

Read more about our favorite smart Christmas lights.

These retro Christmas lights are everywhere during the holidays. These large bulbed lights (also known as C3, C5, C7, C9 and G40) evoke a sense of nostalgia. Thanks to LED technology we’ll see this type of lights for many years to come.

These battery-operated outdoor Christmas lights are ultra-flexible, which makes them great for light displays that aren’t near a power source.

Animated and color-changing Christmas lights add eye-catching action to any holiday lights display. These lights have 16 color options and four dynamic multi-color modes.

Net outdoor Christmas lights are already strung together, making it easy to get a uniform look when you drape them across shrubs or other structures. Next, get to know the purpose behind red-tipped Christmas lights.

These icicle outdoor Christmas lights give your home a snow-covered appearance no matter where you live. These icicle lights are waterproof, withstanding rain or water spills — the perfect outdoor holiday lights. Want to hire help to decorate your house? Get to know the cost of Christmas light installation.

These LED Outdoor rope lights are ideal for outlining doorways, windows and walkways, or for creating intricate shapes and designs for Christmas time light displays. The crystal-clear PVC jacket enables these lights to withstand extreme external environment weather conditions and temperatures. Mounting hardware is included in this kit.

FAQ

What is the difference between C7 and C9 LED Christmas lights?

C7 light bulbs are slightly smaller than C9 light bulbs, making them a great option for wrapping columns our outlining window frames. For roof lines or other larger-scale areas, the C9 lights are better, as the larger size provides a more noticeable impact.

What Christmas lights do professionals use?

Professional Christmas light installers primarily use commercial LED light strings with co-axial connectors, as they are durable and last longer than incandescent bulbs.

What kind of Christmas lights are the brightest?

LED string lights are brighter than traditional lights. They are also more energy-efficient and remain cool to the touch, which makes them a safer option.

Do outdoor string lights use a lot of electricity?

No. Outdoor string lights with LED bulbs are energy-efficient, and cost far less to power than incandescent bulbs. In fact, LED lights consumer up to 90% less energy, and they last longer.

Why you should trust us

At Family Handyman we’re experts in everything we cover, and that includes Christmas lights. Our staff of dedicated testers and writers has personally tried every type of Christmas light available, which is why we speak with authority and experience to help guide you towards making the best purchases for your lifestyle.