Christmas Lights Etc

Christmas Decorations that Make an Impression

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:35:00 +0000

Christmas decorations are one of the best parts of the holiday seasons. From waving Santas to colorful LED fields of light, homeowners love to show off their personalities through holiday decorating. Everyone loves Christmas decorations, whether elegant and tasteful or a yard filled with every decoration that still works. Below are a few that have caught our eye:

Previewing these images brings to mind the importance of understanding Christmas power consumption to keep from experiencing a Griswold Christmas lighting. Many of these infamous decorators will surely be switching to LED lights if they have not already, both for visual impact and because more lights can be put together - sometimes as many as 125 sets! A quick calculation for power requirements is as follows, taking on the example that we are working with 100 5-watt bulbs:

100 bulbs x 5watts = 500 watts

500 watts / 120 volts = 4.17 amps

Again, read through the Christmas power consumption article to get detailed information on determining power needs for all your Christmas decorations and lighting projects.

The Stunning Works Of The Ornament Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan @ CLETC) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Well Christmas is coming up and products are flying off the shelf as people prepare their place for the most beloved holiday of the year. I was doing some shopping off of our site for some unique gifts and I came across The Ornament Girl during my web travels. Now most of you know that we at Christmas Lights ETC have a wide range of Christmas Ornaments, but sometimes a unique ornament makes for a perfect gift.

We don't mind sharing a little product love to the amazing and talented people out there and Staci from The Ornament Girl deserves a lot of credit. I couldn't get her Christmas themed ornaments off my mind which sparked the urge to write this post. Take a look at some of the unique and highly detailed ornaments which would make for the perfect gift.

Christmas Decorations - Top Performers

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:42:00 +0000

When it comes to Christmas decorations, there are always the top performers. Some consumers are only looking for these top performers - the very best, the creme de la creme, the ultimate in quality, appearance, function, and girth. How many ways can it be said? They simply want the best. So which decorations make the grade? Using a hands-on approach, my personal top recommendations in Christmas decorations that make the grade are as follows:

Garland Lights

These garland lights are available in 9' and 18' lengths, for use over doors or railings. Hundreds of mini lights are tightly and neatly wound together to create this spectacular garland light.

Canadian Fir Christmas Tree

The Canadian Fir Christmas tree is a Red Sleigh tree featuring TruTip technology. Absolutely breathtaking artificial Christmas tree with PE/PVC tips and needles for the most realistic feel and color. The Canadian Fir has imitation bark wrapped trunks, short needles, and is just a pleasure to behold. From the adorable 4.5' tree to the 9' tree, the Canadian offers plenty of room for ornaments, is prelit with clear lights, and has a high tip count.

LED Battery Operated Lights

LED battery operated lights are just a must-have all around. The wide angle LED lights cast bright light in all directions, while the bulb size is actually only a small 5mm conical shape. LED technology reduces energy requirements by 80-90%, allowing for less battery changes and smaller battery packs.

Animated Elf and Stocking with Controller

Animated motifs are fun Christmas decorations. This particular item is the Animated Elf and Stocking with Controller, which is a rope light motif in a strong frame for outdoor use. Place this 4'H motif into the ground using the included stakes, and watch with joy as the elves work together to carry gifts up to the stocking.

Starlight Spheres

Starlight spheres are amazing balls of light. Spheres are available in sizes from 6" - 10" in numerous colors. Some spheres even twinkle and shimmer for a celestial appearance. Spheres can be used in so many ways. Hang them from rooftops and ceilings, nestle them in hedges, or place in Christmas trees for use as lighted ornaments. Starlight spheres make quite an outdoor Christmas decoration, and are often used at parties as well.

Walkway Christmas Trees

Walkway Christmas trees can be used along walkways and driveways, or placed into pots and used at entryways. Prelit with clear or multi color lights, and available 2' or 3' high, walkway Christmas trees offer great landscape appeal.

Harvest Gold Garland

Harvest Gold Garland is a thick and heavy garland with gold tipped needles. Loaded with pine cones, gold leaves, apples and pears, this garland is part of the Harvest Gold collection, which also includes potted trees and decorative wreaths.

LED Battery Operated Wreath

LED battery operated wreaths are a very exciting product addition for 2009. One of the biggest complaints people have regarding prelit wreaths centers around the constant battery changes. LED lights, as mentioned above, use 80-90% less energy, allowing for fewer battery changes, and offer brighter light with fewer bulbs. Battery operated wreaths are great in general because there are no wires to conceal, and the wreaths can be placed virtually anywhere and look perfect.

Poinsettia Glass Candle Holders

Christmas candle holders help to create ambiance within the dining rooms and living areas of a home. This set of 3 Poinsettia Glass Candle Holders can hold candles up to 4" in diameter. Red and green painted crackled glass casts light in numerous directions, and the stems are thick and strong. Candle heights are 12"H, 14"H, and 16"H - these are big and elegant.

Musical Holiday Advent House

The Musical Holiday Advent House is a Christmas advent house that lights up and plays music. Hidden within the advent house is a wheel holding ornaments, and each day the doors open, music plays, and a new ornament is offered. Adults and children alike love these houses.

48" Standing Grapevine Reindeer

Grapevine reindeer are carefully constructed out of real grapevines, creating elegant and rustic outdoor Christmas animals. 200 clear lamps light up the night, creating a tranquil vision. Numerous grapevine reindeer are available, including sitting and drinking fawns.

ChristmasLighstEtc.com offers thousands of high quality products, from artificial Christmas trees to candles and card holders. Top performers are items that fly out of the warehouse, get professionally photographed by customers across the country, receive rave reviews, and truly stand the test of time.

Top 10 Christmas Decorations on a Budget

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:38:00 +0000

Christmas sales and budget shopping is top of mind to many families this year. While some homes will be enjoying the rich life, decking the halls and basking in the glow of towering 14' artificial Christmas trees while hosting extravagant fancy Christmas parties, other homes will be grasping tightly to the purse strings, and trying to combine festive holiday cheer with reduced incomes and tighter budgets. Now more than ever, it is essential for so many people to make sure their money is being invested rather than spent, and every purchase must make the grade in beauty, quality, and affordability.

6.5' Pre-Lit Cumberland Fir Tree

1. When selecting the Top 10 Christmas Decorations on a Budget, we must start with one of the staples of holiday decorating: the Christmas tree. This is also the same item that many consumers will make a mistake on. Choose a high quality, attractive sale Christmas tree like the Pre-Lit Cumberland Fir, which is priced at an amazing sale price of $159.95 with free shipping.

Sequoia Christmas Wreath

2. Artificial Christmas wreaths are a much better investment than live wreaths, and will last for many years. Choosing smaller 24" wreaths can save hundreds of dollars depending on how you use your wreath. If you want a single wreath for your front door, the pre-lit Sequoia Fir Wreath with 50 lamps will run full retail at $34.95. Some people like to put an unlit wreath in every front window of their home, and attach red bows.

Wireless Christmas Candle

3. Much less expensive than a wreath in every window is a single candle. Christmas candles can start as low as this 8.5" Wireless battery Operated Candle with Stand, which has a sale price of only $2.50 per candle at present. Picking up a nice quantity of these candles provide endless decorating possibilities. Aside from just using in windows, these Christmas candles can be placed on mantles, nestled in with garland and used as centerpieces. These are a great buy, and last approximately 20 hours per battery change, which is much longer than the typical 8 hours. Save on product and on battery costs

48" Christmas Tree Skirt

4. Christmas tree skirts without intricate beading or stitching are much less in price, and keep in mind that a smaller tree skirt is more affordable than a large 58" skirt. If you keep your tree small, then keep your skirt small as well. This 48" Christmas tree skirt is velvet with an ornament applique, and costs only $41.99 at full retail.

Clear Mini Lights

5. Mini lights are always a great buy. Choosing a 100 count light set of premium grade indoor/outdoor mini lights often runs at less than $10 per light set. Most mini lights will only last for so many years, or they get damaged by poor storage and neglect, so replacing lights is often a necessity every few years.

Red C7 LED Christmas Lights

6. LED Christmas lights are all the rage these days, due to their extremely long life spans of 50,000 to 100,000 hours of use, their energy savings of 80-90%, and their cool-to-the-touch safety, but initial costs can be a deterrent for some shoppers. For anyone looking to switch to LED Christmas lights this year but hesitant due to price, red LED lights are the least expensive LED color on the market, and multicolor LED lights aren't too far behind. Choose a colorful LED light, and stay away from the Pure White LEDs if looking to cut costs.

Cardinal Christmas Stockings

7.Big box retailers can really make it big off of consumers with small items like Christmas stockings. Christmas stockings should be strong enough to hang from your fireplace every season, and hold gifts inside. This beautiful cardinal stocking is roomy for gifts, has strong stitching through thick, soft fabric, and there is a coordinating red stocking available. This stocking is priced at only $7.99 per stocking - the lowest priced stocking on our website.

Whimsical Santa Statue

8. Outdoor Christmas decorations are available at low price points, but be aware of reduced quality. Sometimes lower costing decorations can't stand up to winter winds and heavy snow. This fiberglass Santa decoration lights up and can handle a long winter's night. Fun and popular, this outdoor Christmas decoration is currently priced to move. Reduced from $164.96, the 35.5" Illuminated Whimsical Santa is currently only $49.99! All budgets can enjoy that price.

Cardinal Candle Holders

9. These cardinal Christmas candle holders come two per pack and hold tea light candles for a decorative accent to any room or decor theme. For $15.99 for both candle holders, this is an attractive Christmas decoration that can be displayed year round.

Christmas Advent Calendar

10. Christmas advent calendars bring so much joy to children and spirited adults. Often retailers feed off of the parental desire to have an advent calendar for their kids by crafting priceless yet expensive advent keepsakes, or edible advent calendars that need to be purchased annually. This Santa advent calendar is priced at only $18.99 and can be used year after year, becoming a fond tradition in your family history. Additional advent calendars are also availabl with music and animation, and make excellent gifts to give families on tight budgets this year.

Above are the Top 10 Christmas Decorations on a Budget. Stock is at its best right now, before the real rush begins. Better prices can often be found as shopping season begins to end, and especially on Cyber Monday, which is the Internet's version of Black Friday. Cyber Monday always falls on the Monday immediately following Thanksgiving, and many websites offer absolutely insane deals, but often very time sensitive, sometimes by as much as only a few hours. Sign up for email alerts whenever shopping online, and always check back the week of Thanksgiving. Just keep in mind the most popular and often the best priced items will sell faster than the rest, so holding out in the hopes of saving a few more dollars may cause you to miss out on what you really want!

LED Christmas Lights on Houses

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:24:00 +0000

LED Christmas lights look perfect on houses, trees, rooftops, and down walkways and driveways. People are making the switch from traditional incandescent Christmas lights to LED Christmas lights every day, and the difference is immediate. LED Christmas lights are known for their energy savings - using as much as 80 - 90% less energy to light than incandescent bulbs. Fanatical Christmas decorators can take great joy at the reduction in energy bills each holiday, and LED Christmas lights have average life span of 50,000 - 100,000 hours, which when broken down seasonally can last a lifetime! LED bulbs are virtually unbreakable, and LED lights burn cool, allowing lights to be left on all day if desired.

LED Christmas lights cast a magnificent and brilliant color, and when used outdoors the difference is often very obvious. Cool whites have a strong icy appearance, warm whites have a soft romantic glow, and greens, reds, blues, and every other color shine so brightly that people can't help but to stop and admire.

LED Christmas lights are also available in numerous sizes, from tiny LEDs on ultra thin wires to large C9 bulbs. LED net lights, icicle lights, rope light, decorations, and even trees are available, allowing homes and businesses to transition completely to LED lighting for 2009. The LED Lights Guide can explain more about the technology behind LED Christmas lights, and also compares the different shapes of the bulbs.

Visit www.lindsaylights.com for more like the above

LED Snowfall Tubes

Blue LED Rope Light

Multicolor C7 LED Lights

Multicolor Wide Angle LED Lights

Pure White M5 LED Lights

Warm White M5 LED Lights

Christmas Decorations Salute the Gingerbread House

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Christmas decorations are a true staple of the holiday season, positioned side by side with the Christmas tree. But many times we post so many pictures of awesome Christmas trees and lighted houses, that we fail to honor the beloved craft of the gingerbread house. Gingerbread houses are edible Christmas decorations that are painstaking to create and an absolute pleasure to behold. The skill that is used in creating gingerbread houses is not bestowed upon just anyone, and often gingerbread houses become the main focal point of a home. Kids love to imagine eating the candied walkways and windows, and adults admire the talent and time, reminiscing childhood storybook memories.

To find a gingerbread house recipe, simply search online or open any holiday recipe book. Days, sometimes weeks of work, get put into the most impressive gingerbread houses of the season. Below are some of the gingerbread houses we tip our hat to. These are gingerbread houses with Christmas decorations!

LED Christmas Lights Keep Decor Cool

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:01:00 +0000

LED Christmas lights are a great way to make a local and global impact this year. Besides the huge energy savings, LED Christmas lights also stay cool to the touch for as long as they are on. There is never a fear that placing LED lamps on a table cloth or through a garland might lead to fire, and children will never burn their fingers when they touch the LED bulbs.

How do LED Christmas lights stay cool to the touch? There is a lot of detailed informative specifications regarding Led Light Bulbs, but the basics are that LED Christmas lights use approximately 90% less wattage than incandescent lights, resulting in a reduction in heat. Incandescent lights use 80-90% of their power just in heating the bulb hot enough to shine a bright light. LED light displays can stay on all day long and continue to stay cool through the evening. Use LED Christmas lights to highlight signs, wrap tables, thread through centerpieces and wreaths, and dangle from walls and ceilings. Live Christmas trees can be lit using thousands of LED lights and the bulbs will never heat up. LED lamps are also encase in acrylic plastic, leaving the bulbs virtually unbreakable.

Christmas at the North Pole

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:53:00 +0000

Christmas is a season that can be drawn out to last forever for young children. Kids have big eyes that are just lit with excitement all season long. Parents often look high and low for ways to indulge their happy children's fantasies through movies, stories, trips to visit Santa, and holiday concerts and plays. At NorthPole.com kids can email their wish lists to Santa, hear and read Santa stories, and even chat online with Santa. Puzzles, recipes, games and more all await kids and their parents. The Santa Tracker is up and running on Christmas Eve to track Santa's location as he travels across the world in his sleigh, delivering presents to sleeping children. The NorthPole.com even provides a Good Deed Calendar for parents to keep track of their wild child's behavior.

Advent and musical Christmas decorations are another festive way to keep kids excited all season long. Advent calendars count down to December 25th, often revealing either a holiday tip, small gift, musical elf, or piece of candy behind each door. Traditional Christmas music can be played through animated decorations that children can turn on and off easily, and front lawns are lit with bright red and green lights.

Outdoor Christmas Decorations

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:07:00 +0000

Outdoor Christmas decorations add excitement and a thrill to the holiday season. Everyone loves to drive by the houses that are well lit with Christmas lights, and lawns that are decorated with nativities, candy canes, animated elves and Santa. Some neighborhoods are cooperative in their decorating efforts, striving to present the best display for visitors to drive by and slow down in admiration. Others are passionate, wanting to represent every aspect of the holiday in their small front yard, or to hang snowflakes from every branch on the property. From elegant and clean to colorful and wild, everyone loves a good display.

Ideas in outdoor Christmas decorations include lining walkways and driveways with light stakes, mini Christmas trees, or walkway candy canes. Net lights are great for bushes, starlight spheres and snowflakes look best handing from bushes and trees, and trunk wraps cover entire tree trunks with light. Santa, snowmen, penguins, and other festive motifs are excellent for attracting squeals of delight from children, and can be placed anywhere on the lawn. Many outdoor nativity sets are available for spiritual decorations, ranging from Italian Fontanini to Peanuts. Classic greenery includes wreaths on windows, doors, and fence posts.

Add some light to your life with these festive Christmas homes!

Using Christmas Mini Lights in Crafts

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:07:00 +0000

Christmas mini lights are used all year in crafts and decorating projects. Mini lights can be purchased in strands as short as 7' and as long as 75', as well as battery operated. Battery operated lights offer extra freedom, for use on centerpieces, floral arrangements, and more. For extended battery use, choose longer lasting LED battery operated lights.

One novel craft idea is to use mini lights in empty wine bottles, and decorate for kitchens and parties. Colleen Hendley of Cumming, Georgia uses clear mini lights in various colored wine bottles to create unique accent pieces that can be given as gifts or used in the home. Adding decorative grapes, fabrics, and characters keeps each wine bottle an artistic pleasure.

noreply@blogger.com (Christmas Master) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:30:00 +0000

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Pre-Lit Christmas Trees for Your Holiday Cabin Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:14:00 +0000

R Neck of the Woods Cabin
North Georgia Mountains

Pre-Lit Christmas Trees are the perfect decorative touch to Christmas cabin retreats. Many families and couples choose the quiet mountain solace of a log cabin for their Christmas holiday vacations, and adding a Christmas tree transforms a beautiful cabin retreat into a magical Christmas cabin. It is important, however, to choose the right tree for the perfect cabin environment.

The TruTip Canadian Fir prelit artificial Christmas tree is my recommendation as that perfect tree. The 4.5'H tree would be the best choice - it would take up only a small amount of space, and can be decorated with many less ornaments. These are important factors when spending the holidays away from home. It can be very difficult to pack and unpack the large amount of ornaments it would take to adorn a taller tree, and many families choose to still put up their trees at home, even if they plan on traveling Christmas Day. A taller tree also fits in a much larger box or storage bag, so trying to pack the tree itself is much more difficult if the tree is large. Cabins are often professionally decorated, and it may be difficult to find room to put up a 7.5' or 9' tree. Choosing a 4.5' tree allows less ornaments to be packed, and less room to be used.

Canadian Fir Tip Detail

The Canadian Fir is prelit with clear mini lights for a festive glow, which eliminates the hassle of wrapping strings around the tree. The Canadian Fir carries the TruTip trademark, which promises the most realistic and natural looking tips and needles by using PE and PVC construction. Its trunks and branches are covered with imitation bark, giving the tree an elegant and rustic quality. If you are dreaming of a holiday cabin retreat this year, don't forget to bring along the perfect Christmas tree to complete your dream vacation. With Christmas Day falling on a Saturday this year, cabin rentals will get reserved quickly, so don't wait too late!

Brown Bear Bungalow Cabin
Blue Sky Cabin Rentals, North GA Mountains

Rope Light Decorating Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:15:00 +0000

Rope Lights used in Belfast

Rope light is extremely versatile in its uses and applications. Rope lights can be used indoors and outdoors, and in residential and commercial environments. Rope lights are used in parades, boats, and floats, as well as in cars.

Quality rope lights consist of incandescent bulbs constructed of pure Tungsten filaments encased in crystal clear PVC tubing. LED rope light is also available, which uses energy saving, longer lasting light emitting diodes instead of the traditional filaments. The colors in rope lights come from the bulbs, and the bulbs light up to color the clear tubes. Rope light is available in either shorter kits in lengths from 12' - 30', or longer 150' - 200' spools which can be cut at specific intervals to complete any variety of projects.

Rope lights are common in holiday decorating and are often used to outline commercial and government buildings, houses, schools and churches. Rope lights have uses that extend far beyond exterior holiday lighting. Custom builders use rope lighting as part of their interior design, and homeowners can as well. Tray ceilings, cabinets, and cutouts serve as perfect canvases for rope light. Accent lighting in these areas of a room add depth and emotion to a room, creating stunning visual appeal.

Rope Lights in Tray Ceiling

Rope light looks great outdoors on decks and in pool areas. Add some ambient lighting for late night dinners, entertaining, and safety. Stairs can be highlighted with rope light as they are in theaters and gyms, so people can easily move about and see where they are going.

Rope Lights on Deck

Truly unique decorators can continue to find additional uses for their rope lights. We have seen pictures of people tucking rope light into their Christmas trees for a modern holiday theme, as well as attaching to frames to create motifs such as snowmen, wreaths, and even detailed arches or toy truck motifs. Rope light can frame business signs, wrap around columns, outline gardens, or shoot up tall trees. Numerous controllers and accessories can be used with rope light to create chasing effects, and to cut, splice, and suction tubes as needed. Specialty rope lights can be flat in shape, or square tubes instead of round, extra bright, and even striped. Colors range from white to black, with every color in between, and LED rope lights include popular colors like blue and pink.

Rope Lights in Tree

Slim Christmas Trees For Modern Homes

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:24:00 +0000

Slim Christmas Trees have always been popular in smaller homes and apartments. In today's world, even large homes are getting designed with numerous small rooms, and furniture is increasing in size at the same time. The end result is less room for large Christmas trees when the holidays roll around. Slim Christmas trees are now making their way into even the most lavish of homes, whether as the main Christmas tree or as a decorative accent tree.

Slim Christmas trees are ideal for modern homes. With clean lines and bold colors, slim Christmas trees take up little space, and are suitable for both colorful and minimalist environments. Choose from traditional green trees in slender and pencil thin profiles, or choose from colors including red, silver, and gold.

Christmas Ornaments Make Keepsakes

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:17:00 +0000

Christmas Ornaments make beautiful keepsakes. The craft of designing ornaments is still being practiced by many, including Wisconsin's own Mora Himel Lincoln. Mora reached 100 years this summer, and to celebrate her good health and life, she held a party. Her guests included her closest friends and family, and each was gifted with a hand decorated Christmas ball ornament to commemorate the occasion.

Once a teacher of Japanese flower arranging, one can only imagine what creative skills Mora has applied to her holiday decorating throughout the years. Each ornament she designed for her guests was uniquely different, with fine details including beads and ribbon. The skill and patience it takes to craft such timeless beauties is hopefully a talent that has been passed down through the generations. How rare and pleasurable it is to see such creativity and beauty reflected, and how amazing that each keepsake began as just a glass ball ornament painted in white.

Christmas Ornaments designed by Mora Himel Lincoln

Mora Himel Lincoln

Artificial Christmas Trees are Missed in Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:17:00 +0000

Artificial Christmas Trees are the staple of the holiday season, and just thinking about their lighted charm gets any Christmas enthusiast eager for the cool weather to come again. It is hard to resist holiday shopping during long, hot summer months. Beautiful prelit artificial Christmas trees stare out from within the monitor, boasting rich colors and the promises of ornaments to once again pull out. How sad it seems to hide such a beauty inside of a canvas storage bag for so many months out of the year. It takes a commitment to holiday cheer to sit back and purposely not serve a standing rib roast to guests, or pull out the new LED Christmas lights from last year for just a quick peak.

Many summertime Scrooges will laugh off the love of the holiday season, stressing the need to keep it packed away and closed along with the holiday movies, wrapping paper, tree toppers, and decorations. Some Scrooges think they are caving in by allowing decorations to come out at the beginning of November, abiding by a strict "Not until after Halloween" rule. Ba-humbug!

A well lit tree casts a special glow throughout a room. Knowing the tree will come out of its storage bag in just under four months makes missing the tree just a little more tolerable. In the event that this is the year that a new tree will be purchased, go ahead and shop early for great deals and the best selection. Decorating time may be four months away, but shopping season is rapidly approaching! Even Scrooges will be browsing for their artificial Christmas trees once pool season ends.

Christmas Lights To Use All Year

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Christmas Lights are one of the best lighting sources for parties, celebrations, restaurants, outdoor bars and patios, and weddings. Christmas lights work far beyond the last quarter of each year, and colors are available for any occasion.

The most common Christmas lights to see throughout the year are mini lights, and these are often clear lights on a green, brown, or white strand. Mini lights are used in weddings, and wrapped around arbors and centerpieces for ambient, beautiful backdrops. Aside from mini lights, many uses can be made out of C7 and C9 bulbs and strings. Purchasing bulbs and strings separately offers years of flexibility in lighting. The bulb colors for the holidays can be the traditional red, green, and white, but what about the rest of the year? Sporting events are a great occasion for bringing out the color bulbs in support of the teams of choice. Bulbs are available in teal, purple, and even yellow. Pink lights are great for Valentine's Day, blue lights for pool parties, and orange lights for Halloween.

Another great lighting option to be enjoyed through the year are garland lights, which illuminate decks and create an inviting environment for friends and family to want to hang out and relax on peaceful summer nights. Christmas lights bring warmth to any environment, and help to liven up any event.

The Best Artificial Christmas Trees Boast PE and PVC Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Christmas Lights Etc takes care in the craftsmanship of its Christmas trees and decorations, working diligently to ensure families and friends will receive great joy in setting up and decorating their Christmas tree and home year after year. The family Christmas tree is considered by most Americans to be the main focal point for holiday decorating and family events, including the location to place Christmas gifts and stand beside for family pictures. With this in mind, it is important to display a tree that is top of the line in quality and appearance, while meeting individual preferences.

Hawthorne Tip

The selection of Premium Artificial Christmas Trees at Christmas Lights Etc includes popular trees like the Brighton Fir, with long needles and numerous tree profiles, and the lightly frosted Hawthorne tree with red berries and small pine cones. These trees are beautiful and grace the living rooms and dens in Christmas homes across the United States, with coordinating wreaths and garland on mantles and doors. The Tiffany tree boasts an elegant profile, and the Douglas tree is prepared to hold as many ornaments as a family is willing to try and get on a single tree.

Fraser Fir Tip

The TruTip brand of artificial Christmas trees continue to offer the best in true tip construction with PVC tips and PE inner needles, and the selection of TruTip trees grows each year. The Noble tree goes above and beyond realism, with flat sprays and lifelike symmetry. The Noble tree also has just a hint of a blue hue, which is reminiscent to the original spruce and evergreen trees that were used for Christmas trees long ago. The Fraser Fir is the best selling tree to date, with heights from 4.5' - 12', and now also available with frosted tips or LED lights. The Carolina Fir TruTip tree offers a beautiful rustic appearance which makes it ideal for use in lodges and cabins as well as modern homes.

Premium trees are constructed using PE for a crush resistant needle, and have a realistic appearance and rich tree color. The TruTip brand of trees use poly vinyl carbonate in tip and needle construction, resulting in trees that look and feel extremely natural. Combining polyethylene inner tips with poly vinyl carbonate outer tips reduces costs for the customer. Both Premium and TruTip trees use sturdy metal hinged branches and offer ten year warranties on construction and three years on lights. Gone are the days of poorly constructed trees with metal wires poking through branches and skinny plastic needles. Artificial Christmas Trees from Christmas Lights Etc truly put the trees on store shelves to shame, and boast the best in looks and quality.

July 4th Decorations

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:19:00 +0000

July 4th decorations help spark up Independence Day. The 4th of July is a day lit up with Patriotic Decorations, from American flags and patriotic banners to fireworks and starlit spheres. This year we Americans celebrate our 333rd year of independence from Great Britain, commemorated through the Declaration of Independence which was signed in 1776.

John Adams, one of the founding fathers and whose signature also appears on the Declaration, wrote the following to his wife the day the declaration was signed,

"I am apt to believe that (today) will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

John Adams was correct in his beliefs, as evidenced by centuries of patriotic American tradition. It's 2009, and the 4th of July is still a day for picnics, parades, parties, and games. Patriotic decorations such as Rope Light American Flags and red, white, and blue umbrella lights illuminate the night sky while citizens of all ages dress in matching red, white, and blue dresses, hats, and shirts, and flock to beaches, bar-be-ques, and state parks. Patriotic music plays loud, and everyone rejoices across the great United States in honor of our freedom. So put up your Patriotic Decorations, throw some chicken on the grill, and light up some sparklers in celebration of Independence Day!

Christmas in July Offers Cool Escape

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:25:00 +0000

Christmas in July offers the perfect escape from rising summer temperatures. During the "Dog Days of Summer", people often crave the warmth brought through the baking of comforting winter roasts and cakes, and the red and green decorations of the holiday season. The desire to have just a taste of the gift giving season of love keeps Christmas in July alive every year.

Christmas in July festivities pop up throughout the world every year, celebrated on various days throughout the month. Concerts like the Youth Chorus Concert during the Carmel Bach Festival in Carmel, CA are performed, bringing the beautiful sounds of Christmas carols to crowds of Christmas-starved folks, and Christmas dinner is served as a three course meal at Olivewood in Australia.

As with any holiday, Christmas in July has its origins. Credits to the first Christmas in July celebration are given to a girls summer camp in 1933. At Camp Keystone in North Carolina, a Christmas tree was set up, gifts were given and received, and there was even a special visit from Santa Claus himself!

Christmas in July is a time of celebration and rejoicing, just as the traditional Christmas on December 25th. Most of the artificial Christmas trees that are set up in July are pre-lit trees with only a small amount of ornaments, if any at all. Tabletop trees are also very popular, because they are an easy Christmas decoration to set up and take down within a short period of time. Some people like to decorate just as they would during the winter, complete with wreaths and garland, although it is rare to see a home strung with Christmas lights while lighted reindeer pose on the front lawn! Meals typically end with refreshingly cold ice cream.

Rope Light Cutting Instructions Available!

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Wed, 20 May 2009 16:45:00 +0000

Rope light can be one of the most versatile lighting products in the industry. Rope light is used in commercial and residential applications, for purposes ranging from framing buildings and parade floats to wrapping up trees and highlighting home interiors. Once you become familiar with the uses of rope light, you will start finding it everywhere you go. Rope light is available in a variety of colors and sizes and can be relatively simple to work with. One of the most common questions associated with rope light involves Cutting Rope Light, which we have now broken down into easy to understand steps. We also offer an in-depth Rope Light Guide detailing the use and cutting of rope light.

Check out how the South Georgia Technical College used our rope lights last Christmas!

Christmas Traditions to Cherish

noreply@blogger.com (Holly) — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Christmas traditions fill our hearts and homes with love and memories, and passing traditions down to future generations marks an important milestone in our lives. From the ceremonious lighting of the family Christmas tree to the new LED lights getting strung across the house, children and families love to mark the holidays with traditional events and foods.
Learn more about traditions that are celebrated across the country, and how easy it is to start a new tradition by adopting the traditions of your ancestors with our new series titled, "Christmas Traditions". Did you ever wonder how the nativity became an important part of Christmas decorating, or why Bubble Lights are considered a Christmas tree light?
Book mark us, because new traditions are being added regularly! Email us if you have a special Christmas tradition you would like to share.

Earth Day Brides Conserve with LED Wedding Lights.

noreply@blogger.com (opinions welcome) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:57:00 +0000

For decades, wedding planners have chosen conventional clear mini lights to illuminate reception halls, light up outdoor tents and highlight wedding centerpieces and focal points. These lights offered that signature soft glow, transforming common rooms into elegant dreamscapes. These days however, modern brides and planners want to focus not only on their budgets, but also on the environmental impact of their choices and what kind of statement their big day makes about them.

Today’s brides have many more environmentally friendly options than their predecessors; from invitations made from recycled paper to locally grown, organic flowers to energy efficient LED lighting. When creating an ambiance, LED icicle lights offer the brilliance and sparkle that brides desire. Because LED wedding lights are naturally brighter than incandescent lights, fewer strands are required to achieve the same level of luminosity, and right away fewer strands mean less power. In addition to fewer strands, conventional wedding lights use 80% more power than their LED counterparts. The end result is that lower power consumption results in reduced energy costs and a reduction in demand for energy produced by high polluting energy plants.

Price, Quality, Service and Dependability

noreply@blogger.com (opinions welcome) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:03:00 +0000

The internet is filled with online retailers and the Christmas lights and decorations industry is no different. With so many sites to buy from, how can you tell which "company" will provide you with the best price, quality, service and dependability?

Before making a purchase, most customers choose to do research looking for important facts about an online business: the size and success of the retailer, its notable customers, testimonials, key accomplishments, awards and accreditation and media coverage. Each of these can help buyers feel more comfortable before making a purchase, especially when all they know and all they've experienced about a company is their website.

In a November 20th post entitled, A Few Tips For Buying Artificial Christmas Trees Online we suggested that when purchasing online, customers try and located objective sources to "Qualify the Online Company's Reputation". We know how critical this step is in the buying process. For our part, Christmas Lights Etc., one of the largest retailers of Artificial Christmas Trees, Christmas Lights and Decorations in the U.S. with over 180,000 orders successfully fulfilled since 2000, now stands as:

The #1 Christmas Shopping Website online according to Alexa
An A+ rated business with the Better Business Bureau
A highly rated Bizrate Customer Certified retailer
An Inc. 500/5000 company for three years in a row
And the list goes on...

You know, when it's your money, you're probably not willing to roll the dice when it comes to service, quality and dependability and that means it's important to take a hard look at who you're buying from online.

A Few Tips for Buying Artificial Christmas Trees Online

noreply@blogger.com (opinions welcome) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:46:00 +0000

According the American Christmas Tree Association website, continually replacing a live tree is 3 times as costly as buying an Artificial Christmas Tree (which can last 10 years or more). So, it's no wonder that so many people are buying artificial trees and many of them are going online to find deals. With that in mind, it's important to carefully consider the company you're buying the tree from. It can have a major impact on your buying experience, the quality of the tree you receive and whether it arrives on time, or even arrives at all!

1st: Qualify the Tree's Warranty
A tree's warranty is a good indicator of quality. Is the artificial tree you're considering made to last 1, 3, 5 or 10 years? The warranty can tell you that. Look for trees with 10 year warranties like those on our website.

2nd: Qualify the Longevity of the Online Company Offering the Warranty
Choosing a company that has been around for some time is key. What if your tree has a 10 year warranty and the company you bought it from isn't around when you need to call in the warranty? Looking at a company's past and current success is a useful indicator for whether or not they're going to be in the future. Our company, Christmas Lights Etc. has been around since 2000 and makes the Inc. Magazine (500, 5000) list of America's fastest growing companies year after year.

3rd: Qualify the Expertise of the Online Company
Most families buy their Christmas tree once and plan on using it for years and years. In that case, it's important to get it right. It's best to buy an artificial Christmas tree from an Artificial tree company: one that sells trees as part of their primary business. They're likely to be able to offer you more. You may need their help deciding on the right one and you want to be able to count on their product knowledge when figuring out which one is best for you. Christmas Lights Etc. has knowledgeable people on staff that are ready to answer your questions by phone or online chat. They can help explain the product and help you select the right tree for your family.

4th: Qualify the Experience of the Online Company
Busy holiday seasons create massive challenges for inexperienced online retailers. To avoid running into problems with your order (wrong tree, tree arrives late or simply not at all) stick with a larger, more experienced retailer that has a record of successful, on time fulfillment with a few seasons under their belt. At ChristmasLightsEtc.com, we have successfully shipped tens of thousands of trees and millions of lights. In fact, our website has seen more traffic over the last 3 years than any other Christmas shopping site online (according to Alexa).

5th: Qualify the Online Company's Reputation
Considering what consumer advocacy groups have to say about an online retailer is key. What does the Better Business Bureau (BBB) say? Is the online company even listed with them? An easy way to find out is to type the company's name next to the word, "complaints" into Google and check out the results. The BBB lists any filed complaints or arbitration directly on its website. Bottom line is that you want to protect yourself and try not to do business with companies that don't consider themselves accountable to their customers. Christmas Lights Etc. is an accredited business with the BBB and has been for years. You won't find a lot of negative reaction about us or our products online either because we take customer satisfaction seriously - it's a core value here and considered a real differentiator for us in our industry.

6th: Qualify the Online Company with Customer Reviews and Ratings
Has a company offered itself up for customer review and rating? Companies who choose not to do this provide customers with no barometers by which they can measure the dependability of the company or their products. Companies can experience high and low seasons. As a customer, you want to be able to tell when a company is experiencing negative or positive trends in its products or service so that you can avoid potential frustration, disappointment, even financial loss. Based on years of consistently positive ratings and reviews from customers, Bizrate.com has identified Christmas Lights Etc. as an official Customer Certified retailer.

7th: Qualify the Online Company by Analyzing its Partners & Priorities
How can you assess an online company's priorities? One good way may be to analyze the other businesses it associates with and how it chooses to use the space on its website. For instance, if an online company uses its website space to highlight advertisers and their advertisements or to focus on fellow merchants looking to make additional money off of the customer, this may be a telling sign of that company's priorities. Instead, consider websites like ChristmasLightsEtc.com who use their space to help promote value added partnerships with organizations like Energy Star (for environmental reasons), the BBB (for consumer protection) and McAfee (for customer information security).

For peace of mind and help selecting the right artificial Christmas tree for you, use our easy Tree Finder