Make your Christmas sparkle – Lighting advice from the LED Specialist

Christmas would usually be the time of the year when you invite friends and family over, as well as attend parties to celebrate the festivities and New Year. Due to the coronavirus times have changed, which means this year’s celebrations in terms of attendees needs to be limited. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t make your home sparkle.

Says the LED Specialist: “Firstly, it’s important to note whether the product is recommended for use indoors or outdoors. Many of our lights are safe to use in both environments, however some lights may be limited to indoors only if they are made of delicate materials that could be damaged by the weather.”

String Lights are your quintessential classic festive lights (also known as fairy lights). They are the traditional product for lighting up your Christmas tree or mantel piece. There are a variety of shapes, lengths, colours and lighting effects available.

Straight line is a popular choice, easy to use and install. Just drape or attach them with some concealed tape or hooks to add that sparkle. You have the option to choose from a green or clear cable which will depend on what you are illuminating. The mains plug-in option tend to have more settings for different lighting effect. You can also purchase string lights with different covers over each LED such as stars, balls, snowflakes…even polar bears!

Icicle add a frosty chill effect to the room, perfect for indoor, around a door frame or even outdoor, run along the top of your fence or railings. They also look great hung from windows or eaves. Make sure you have a helper to hold the ladder when putting them up!

Net lights look like a grid of LED lights, usually in a rectangular or square shape. They can be draped or also suspended across an area so that they are above your head. An ideal application for these are draped over trees, hedges or roofs.

Curtains hang just like a window curtain which hang as individual strings from a horizontal cable. A key tip with this comes when you put them away, they get tangled very easily so we recommend taping up each individual string to the main horizontal line.

Cluster lights are similar to the classic string/fairy lights; however, they sit closer together in a cluster offering a well-lit garland effect. They tend to be smaller in individual bulb size which means you can arrange them more to suit the shapes you are spreading them around.

Whilst string lights will be the predominant choice for your festive lighting, we recommend having a variety within your home. Don’t just rely on electrical light, there is nothing cosier than candlelight on a winter’s night at home. Mix and match your natural light with the LED lighting to create the perfect ambiance.