Christmas

Now that’s a tough question to answer. In fact, we’d say impossible! Obviously, in terms of quality, there will be a difference in how good Xmas lights are, but when you’re looking to buy Christmas lights it’s more about your own personal taste and your chosen décor theme. You could go for traditional Christmas lights, like ones with pinecone shaped bulbs in multicolour. Or maybe you’d prefer warm white Christmas lights for a classy and soft glow. The choice is yours!   

Although this still heavily depends on your own aesthetic preferences, outdoor Christmas lights need to be more robust. They’ll have to have an IP rating, to make sure they’re suitable for outdoor use, and they should be made from durable materials like rubber cabling. It’s also a good option to go for large Christmas lights like big bulb festoons for your outdoor display for maximum impact. Then mix them with Christmas string lights so you can really keep up with the Joneses!

As a rule of thumb, the advice is to go for at least 100 LEDs (or bulbs) per foot of tree height. So, a 6ft, or 1.8m, Christmas tree will need a minimum of 600 LEDs. There are a few variables to consider though, such as how many branches the tree has, the foliage density, and generally how bright you like your tree to look. Typically, it will require more lights than you think, so it’s always better to get more than you measure for. Just in case.

It’s a good question, and an important one. When you’re shopping for Christmas lights and decorations to use in an outdoor display, you need to make sure they’re suitable for outdoor use. With your festive lights, they’ll need an IP rating of 44 or higher, you’ll see this written as IP44. The first number refers to the level of dust protection and the second is for liquid protection. The higher these numbers are, the better the protection the lights will have against the elements. For more info on all things IP ratings, check out our handy blog.