You’re No Grinch, but Go Green Anyway
Environmentally Friendly Outdoor Holiday Lighting

When you think “green” about the holidays, you’re usually referring to either the Christmas tree or that lovable humbug, the Grinch. But with the recent popularity of the green movement-helping to save the environment, not a grass roots movement to elect the Grinch president-people have been looking for ways to reduce the environmental burden even with their outdoor holiday lighting.

And it’s not as difficult as you might think, largely because of LED outdoor holiday lighting, which has grown immensely in popularity in recent years among holiday decorating gurus.

LED (light-emitting diode) lights use a remarkable 80 percent (on average) less electricity than traditional C7 and C9 holiday lights, and they can last years because of their innovative design. Built inside durable, solid plastic cases, the lights are difficult to break (even if you toss them down in a fit of frustration and decide hanging out on the couch and watching the game are more promising activities than creating an outdoor holiday lighting masterpiece).

In all seriousness, though, if you have small children, you may be particularly drawn to LED outdoor holiday lighting, because these lights emit less heat, which makes burns less of a concern. Not to mention, risk of starting a fire with LED outdoor holiday lighting is also reduced with reduced heat emissions (although the holidays are one of the highest risk times for fires, because ALL outdoor holiday lighting, if left on too long or placed near flammable items, could ignite. So, please be very careful no matter what type of outdoor holiday lighting you choose).

Another benefit to LED lights is that instead of burning out like traditional C7 or C9 strands, the LED lights fade out. So you won’t have empty spots in your outdoor holiday lighting strands. The overall appearance of your holiday lighting display will consistently be uniform and seem more “done.”

To briefly recap, consider LED outdoor holiday lighting if you want to:

• • Reduce the amount of electricity and the energy required to power outdoor holiday lighting
  • Be a good steward of the environment
  • Eliminate time spent changing burnt out bulbs

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• Maximize safety by using more durable outdoor holiday lighting bulbs that emit less heat than traditional C7 or C9 outdoor holiday lighting. Minimize your costs by using outdoor holiday lighting that can last for a decade or more

By Bob Carr, owner of TLC Incorporated, a premier outdoor lighting provider based in Gambrills, Maryland