For us, nothing says Christmas like the twinkling of lights.  It gives any home an inviting festive glow and helps cheer up those long winter nights.

As Christmas lighting experts, we know how much people love to decorate their homes at this time of year, but, also appreciate that there can be a bewildering array to choose from – so that’s why we’ve put together this guide – we hope that it helps you make your festivities that much brighter!

What are LED’s?

LED stands for Light Emitting Diodes. They are not traditional filament lights – they offer many improvements over them.

LED’s are energy saving and use a lot less electricity than filament bulbs

LED light sets are low voltage, which means they are super safe, so you don’t have to worry about children or pets.

LED’s are great value as they can last for tens of thousands of lit hours so they’ll be around for a lot of Christmases!

Indoor or Outdoor?

For Indoor – Any lights, including the classic fairy lights can be used.

LED lights can be used either indoors or outdoors, however, the low voltage transformer must ALWAYS be indoors or in a safe dry area.

Timer Light Sets

Some Christmas lights are fitted with a timer so that you don’t need to worry about turning your lights on and off.  The lights simply come on and turn off at the same times every day!

What does Multifunction mean?

Multifunction means that the light set has different twinkling or flashing options to choose from.

Different types of lighting

Light strings                The traditional Christmas lighting, Ideal for dressing trees, garlands and doorways etc.

Compact Lights           As above, but the bulbs are much closer together, so that you have more lights per meter.

Cluster Lights             These have a much shorter bulb distance and are a light garland on their own or fantastic for adding a big impact to Christmas trees by threading them up the centre next to the trunk.

Icicle Lights                   Perfect for dressing gutters and fences.

Net Lights                     Providing perfect spacing for bushes and hedges in your garden.

Wire Lights                   Great for small displays, on wreaths or in vases or lanterns.

Light up Ornaments    We have a fantastic range of animals, ornaments and snow globes that all light up, adding a magical sparkle to your festive décor.

How many lights do I need?

TREES – For Christmas trees you definitely want to apply ‘the more the merrier’ approach! Too few lights on a Christmas tree can leave it looking a little sparse.

OTHER AREAS – Measure what you want to light and see how many bulbs, or metres, you need.

For light trains, check the Lit length you need and don’t forget to allow for your lead length before the bulbs start.

Following is an approximate guide to how many lights you will need for your tree size;

Top Tip: Always remember to check the length of lead that you will need!!

What colours should I buy?

This is down to the individual and taste in colours. 

WARM WHITE LED’s are most commonly chosen for indoor use.

COOL BRIGHT WHITE lights are often used for outdoors.

COLOURED LIGHTS are used anywhere.

Which Cable Colour?

It is usually desirable to disguise cabling, so for tree lights it is advisable to use GREEN or BLACK cable so that it blends in with the foliage.  For other applications CLEAR or WHITE cabling maybe more useful.

How far from my house can I set my lights up?

With some brands of lights this option is limitless as the cables are extendable, enabling you to go as far as you want from the power source.  These lights are often more heavy duty and can be left in situ all year round.

If you don’t like the idea of cables and want to light a remote tree in your garden or gutter on your house there is also a wide selection of battery lights available.  Some of these also have built in timers so that you can simply fit them and then leave them to transform your garden without the need to keep turning them on or off.

Fixtures and Fittings?

When you are setting up your Christmas lights don’t forget to get all of the fittings you will need to hang them properly.  We offer a range of quality ornament hangers, gutter and wreath hooks, that make setting up – and taking down – your Christmas lights a breeze!

What is the Number 1 top tip when buying Christmas lighting?

Buy quality! When you buy high quality Christmas lighting it will give you many years of service.  Inferior lighting sets may work once or twice, but they are harder to set up, wont look as good and may be less safe.

Further Help & Advice

For any further information please get in touch with us and leave a question on our website or contact Almondsbury Garden Centre on 01454 457300 and speak to one of our Experts.

Quick Reference Lighting Guide