Energy crisis.. Christmas lights

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I had a random thought earlier, I realised that many people will not be able to afford to use many Christmas lights, if any. Will councils here decorating towns??

I know keeping warm and eating etc must take most importance over anything right now and in the upcoming weeks & months but what a bleak bloody Christmas it will be if there's a lack of Christmas lights. Will towns and villages be decorating still?? Will people be decorating their homes with as many lights?

as a family we don't go to many Christmas events like grottos, breakfast with Santa etc etc. my two children are autistic and their favourite thing to do is walk or drive around to look at all the lights!

Obviously decorations don't have to include lights, but the cosiness of Christmas lights is my favourite part of the whole season. Driving around looking at lights as well as our own. I don't give a damn about the food (well maybe the chocolate) or the presents.

I have had two pretty crappy Christmas seasons in a row due to illness, covid and grieving amongst other things in the last couple years. I was so looking forward to it all this year...

apologies if this sounds a little selfish of me if it sounds like I'm just thinking about Christmas when people including ourselves will struggle to heat our homes.. but it just the next few months will be so bleak and gloomy in many ways already 😓

I had this convo with a relative. They had a huge amount of older style non led Christmas lights that will cost a bomb at the best of times. Surprised they still work in the first place!!

I wondered about this too OP so you aren't alone.

I'm still putting all mine up.
There are a few houses near me that do really nice light displays for charities and I doubt they will not put there's up either.

I hope this means people won't have their decs up and lights all over the front of their house from October to January! Let's just have it in December.

Ohh you'll dislike me mine go up in November and I have twins due in December so will be up even earlier in November this year!

I think that Christmas without lights would be very dreary. Our town FB page is currently discussing not having lights, so that the library (or wherever) can open up and be a warm place for people to go instead. I'd happily give a contribution myself so we could have both.

I worry the same OP, its such a lovely thing to see especially for children. We haven never done outdoor lights but we have always had them around the windows.

I think we will instead be vigilant in making sure they are only on for a few hours in the evening as I am guilty of having tree lights on in the day normally....

LED bulbs are cheap to run and I would rather turn off a few lamps instead.

I'm going to put some up - this will be my first Christmas in a house with a proper garden and I was so looking forwards to stringing lights through the trees at the front. I'm going to do it but just have them on a short time in the evenings when my DD can see them before bed.

I can't stand Christmas lights and tat so councils get my vote for not doing it!

Wondering about Blackpool Illuminations a bit..

I think people in this village will go even more OTT than usual so everyone knows how much electric they can afford...

In all seriousness though although it isn't top of the priority list it would be such a sad Christmas without them, but I can see the big displays being massively cut back.

Solar lights do work in Winter, I bought 2 sets for our garden just before COVID. They have worked continuously since, come on every evening and twinkle soft white lights to the early hours, only meant to keep them up til the end of Lockdown but they are a fixture now.

All our lights are LED. They cost pence. I did see an article on the Fail today though saying that twin centres are cancelling lights.

I am a misery guts and never put any decorations up, but I did wonder what would happen to the all the competitive christmas decorators that vomit up half of Blackpool lights all over their houses. Especially those that do it for charity.

Lighting isn’t very expensive

its heating that is the killer

Heating anything costs a lot of money

If we don’t get as many acres of garish hideousness and lights left on overnight then I will be happy.

Less is more IMO.

I can’t bear what the National Trust have been doing with their Christmas displays. So out of keeping with the countryside and all that plastic and wire used for the kit.

I love dc pointing out Christmas lights it's part of our Christmas build up!

I thought about this last week, dc for the first time last Christmas had a big light up Santa and reindeer for on the drive- got the good ones to last year on year... doubt they'll be used this Christmas.

Good to hear about the led lights though.

We are going to put ours outside as usual. It’s not much - just several strings of fairy lights (battery operated) but they change our front garden significantly.