Outdoor lighting advice please!

[HodorHodorHodor]

We moved last year and I'd really like to get some nice outdoor Christmas lighting. Would anyone have any recommendations or advice on how to do it for beginners? No idea on even the ballpark figure for this kind of thing, but if it didn't cost a fortune that would also be great! Not keen on rapid blinking lights but otherwise open to anything!

Thanks in advance, Mumsnet elves!

We have coloured bulb lights, a light up Father Christmas face, a light up snowman, a handmade light up Happy Christmas sign and some light up candy canes.

I can't get too technical as my DH does it all but I do know we use an extension lead made for outdoor use and run the lead in through the window which closes on the lead.

Our candy canes were £12 for 4 from the Range and the Snowman and Father Christmas face are blow mould ones off eBay.

We started off with a string of static lights on the porch above our front door and window then added a new light each year so didn't have the expense of getting it all at once.

Enjoy! It's great fun! I'd recommend The Range too for affordable outside lighting.

We have soft white icicle style lights along the outside of the house and garage, then a Cox & Cox outdoor light tree on the side of the driveway. Last year we bought a rotating projector which projects white snowflakes onto the house, possibly bordering on OTT but we love it.

Depends on your property

Do you have easy reach guttering to hang lights?
most have 'mode' flash none flash run etc
I love the projectors and thinks they'll take off this year
Look for some solar lights to make it easier to put in bushes or trees

Do solar lights really work in December though? 🤔

Yes - they sell Christmas solar lights

Great all year in a conservatory

Mine are still outside in a bush - still going!! I didn't realize until we arrived home later than normal!!

We have a set of solar lights we got in Ikea and which DH loves so much live in the garden year round (wrapped around a tree in the back garden) - yes they do still work in December and the nice thing is that the evenings are dark earlier so you actually see them (they tend to light for about 3-4 hours in winter).

We also have a couple of strings of outdoor lights which we wrap around the trunks of 2 trees in the front. They get plugged into the power indoors and the wire run through the sitting room window (we put a mat over the wire on the path to avoid trips).

There's a house near us that has been increasing their collection of lights over the past 10 years or so - they have reindeers, a set of red and green "runway landing" lights, a couple of lit up trees, loads of strings and a couple of snowflakes on the roof, and a few lanterns hanging as well. It's seriously cool!! But it has been a lovely thing to see the collection growing over the years too and wondering what will be new this year - so don't feel you need to rush to get it all at once!

Thanks so much for the suggestions! Yes, am quite liking the projectors too - would probably be a good deal less hassle too. Will def check out the Range and Ikea! Had been wondering how effective solar lights would be mid Winter, so good to know they are a goer. Cheers.

I have had a good few years of decorating outside - my advice is always avoid cheap lights as they'll rarely last the season let alone the next year.
Rookie error I didn't plug them in before I put them up one year - ALWAYS plug them in before you put them up!

Also think about how you want them to look before you start buying. Do you want lots of bright christmas colour or 'tasteful' in all whites.
If you go for whites, make sure you keep 'cool white' or 'warm white'

Finally, battery lights are brilliant for those 'awkward' gaps I had a few trees that were away from any extension leads (without tripping hazard) and used some battery ones. Most are now on a 6 hour timer and the batteries last 30 days coming on every night

I forgot we have a timer plug as well!!

Comes on around dusk till 11 ish

They are great so you don't have to think about switching them on

Can I just say that if you have a projector, PLEASE make sure it does not project flashing lights/changing sequences into next door's bedroom windows.

Our ex neighbours were a right bloody nuisance. ("our lights we'll do what we want" types)

This is all great advice, thank you! Timer plug a fab idea as I am not the most organised!

Will do Beyond, the way our house is positioned I don't think it will be a factor, but that must have been very annoying! I hate that attitude, we had a noisy partyer for a neighbour previously who was very similar.

I hope you don't mind a hijack OP, but I'd like to put some icicle lights across the front of our house this year for the first time and wondering best way to string them up. Do I need to drill hooks into the wall or is there another way?

You buy gutter hooks - they are a big S shape and hang in the gutter - usually found for £1 but buy early they sell out quite quick

Oh - and hoot up the lights first so you get an even spread - rather than the other way round which is a lot harder to hang

Not at all whatwould! Good call re the gutter hooks, I wouldn't have had a clue

Gutter hooks - who knew such a thing existed!! Though no good for us unfortunately. We're in a townhouse so hoping to string lights along between ground /first floor above garage/door etc.