This is it. The year you’re finally going to kick up your Christmas light design a notch — or maybe seven. It’s a great goal, and one that many of your neighbors in Ohio share. But how can you be sure that your Christmas exterior lighting creates just the right mood?
Below, we’ve arranged some tips to help you create landscape lighting for Christmas that looks professional, even if you’re new to the outdoor lighting scene. Use these helpful hints to turn your home into the holiday showpiece it was meant to be!
Before you ever remove a single string of holiday lights from the packaging, do yourself a favor and gather all your tools and equipment.
Usually, outside lighting projects require you to have some sort of ladder and multiple extension cords. You may also need light-stringing devices to securely attach lights to your porch, gutter, trees, shrubs, pergola or ornamental sculptures.
Ohio, and be sure to give your property a once-over. Rake up all the remaining leaves and pick up sticks and debris. That way, your yard will be primed and ready for its holiday light makeover.
If you dive into setting up Christmas lights haphazardly, you’ll discover quickly that your result won’t have much personality. Instead of ending up with a lackluster finished product, choose a theme early.
Your lighting and decor theme could be a color scheme, such as red and green or all-white. Or, your theme might be better described with a word or phrase such as “fun,” “traditional,” “high-tech,” or “vintage.” Others in your household will likely want to chime in with their own thematic ideas.
Sure, you could run to your nearest home improvement store and buy a standard string of outdoor lights. However, you probably want a little more from your display. That’s why you need to head to the internet.
Today, exterior Christmas lights run the gamut and come in a bevy of shapes and styles. With your budget in mind, explore lights made to look like dripping icicles, sparkling snowflakes, flora and fauna, celestial bodies and hue-changing orbs.
Knowing what’s available will help you figure out which lights make the most sense for your vision.
Aside from basic lights that you plan to string up against your house and around trees and shrubs, mull over other places to put lights, like copper wire fairy lights or two-toned mini lights.
For instance, lit-up wreaths in your windows will add eye-catching appeal to your property. Hanging lanterns can generate a quaint, old-world effect. And who says your backyard gazebo couldn’t use a dose of drama with some multi-colored bulbs outlining its roof?
Remember that all lights offer both shadow and color. When combined, those elements can make even a modest property look more stately.
As a final idea for exterior lighting that’s suitable for Christmas, you’ll want to think about fully dressing at least one of the trees in your yard. Choose lights and lighted balls to foster the sense of a forest Christmas tree — in the Ohioan suburbs.
Above all else, think beyond the norm with your landscape lighting this holiday season. If you need assistance, contact us at Shearer Patio & Landscape Services. We love bringing light and joy to our clients’ properties!