So you barely wanted to venture outside this winter with all the snow and bitter cold?
Well at this time of year (and in the summer for that matter) conversation often turns to commentary surrounding when to take down those Christmas lights. If the snow is melting, you really ought to have considered taking down those decorations!
Are you looking for someone to help install & remove your Christmas lights? Please contact us for an estimate here.
Important Considerations to Determine When to Take Down Christmas Lights 
- It use to be that electricity costs played into the game, old incandescent bulbs cost a lot of money to light up every day, now LED’s are very cost-efficient, and they last a long time.
- Wires are not made for heavy UV exposure. UV is more intense in the summer and causes the wire to become brittle. This reduces the lifespan of lights significantly and tends to bleach garlands and wreaths of their vibrant colour.
- In most colder climates, the squirrels aren’t in the trees and eating your wires until March or April, There is nothing more disappointing than going to plug in your lights and learning they have been chewed apart!
- If you have trunk wraps, remember, that 2 years of growth can either wreck the string of lights or girdle/choke the tree. You have to take them down for one year!
- These days, people tend to decorate a little more contemporary so they actually enhance the house and outdoor landscape. (using mono colours like warm white only) Although they look nice year-round, You are severely lessening the life span.
- Sometimes we don’t really get a white Christmas, and you know what, I like to put the lights on during a nice wintry night when a fresh blanket of snow has just fallen- then I get to admire my work
Can I Keep My Christmas Lights Up All Year?
You definitely want to take down the greenery, bows, the Santa Claus, and reindeer by the end of January… but there’s nothing wrong with getting some extra life out of the lights! Don’t feel bad if you still like your lights, our customers love them, and we’ll take them down any time they want! Your house exterior will thank you for it!
When Do YOU Take Down Your Christmas Lights?
From our observations, people fall into one of 4 categories:
E-aficionados (or lazy bums)- leave them up and only take them down when 50% or greater of the lights stop working, the roof needs replacement, or if they block the front entrance or garage due to a storm. “I’m being efficient and not wasting my valuable time” or “Might as well get good value out of these lights”
Stalwarts: a.k.a: anal/perfectionist etc.: lights can not go up until after American Thanksgiving, (because that’s how retailers control my mind through commercials) and then they must go down right after New Year’s day. “Can you believe Doris has her Christmas decorations up, It’s January 15th for heaven’s sake”
Wimpy Winterites: “I hang ’em early because my little fingers can’t stand the cold, and I can’t take them down yet because it snowed today… or it’s too cold… or we’re having guests next weekend, might as well leave them up”, Caution: this category is in danger of turning into an E-aficionado.
The rest of us: “whenever I can find the time with my busy schedule”
Final Thoughts
With timers and switches, you don’t have to leave them on every day, choose your wintry nights
Take them down if they are falling off and hanging precariously (to avoid causing damage to your soffits) or if you have burnt-out lights.
What A Happy Client Says About LawnSavers on Homestars:
Second year for us, and once again the lights look amazing!! Customer service is terrific and always quick response time. Highly recommend their services! looking forward to many many more years! Our home is for sure the best on the street
Craig
Toronto, ON
We’re proud of our 4.8/5 rating on Homestars across 5.7 reviews!
