Christmas LightsThe most Excellent time of the year is finally here! At Excellent Stores, we are complete enthusiasts for Christmas! And we know our customers are too! Are you one of our customers who will call us in September for our Oncor Montetey Pine Hook 7ft Christmas Trees?
Did you call us asking for wreaths? The bigger the better! Or are you crazed about lights? We bet you love Christmas a whole watt. Aha

Your mind is buzzing with ideas and you’ve definitely pinned a couple of these ideas to your Christmas Pinterest board, but you still have so many questions about lights.

How many lights do I need to wrap my Christmas tree? Should I use incandescent lights or LED lights? What even is the difference between incandescent and LED lights? What were those sparkly lights my neighbor used last year? What lights can I put on those pesky bushes in front of my house?

Well, we’re here to help you solve all of those problems!

Let’s get into the Excellent Stores Beginner’s Guide to Christmas Lights

Types of Bulbs

For the last couple of years, you may have been bombarded with the word “LED”- what even is that and what were we using before?

Many businesses are pushing LED lights all over the world and for a good reason! The acronym ‘LED’ stands for light-emitting diode and the technology is simple; they use a significant amount of less energy than their counterpart which is Incandescent. LED lights also produce less heat as the energy pulled converts into light with low heat emission.

Incandescent lights are the ones we’ve been using for years, you know the ones that are hot when you touch them?

Here’s more info on the difference between LED and Incandescent Lights.

LED

  • Extremely Energy Efficient- up to 95% less energy
  • Long Life Span- Can last from 50,000 to 200,000 hours
  • High Light Quality
  • Cost- LED cost more than their counterpart but still very affordable
  • Safety- The bulbs are cool to touch because they produce little to no heat.
INCANDESCENT
  • Poor Energy Efficiency- The bulbs efficiency ratings are about 10 lumens/Watts and more energy is spent creating heat since they function through a heat generation process which, in turn, makes the bulb glow.
  • Short Life Span- Can last about 1,200 hours
  • Cost- These lights are very affordable however they will last a significantly shorter time.
  • Safety- The bulbs are hot to touch because they produce heat for the bulb to glow. Some incandescent lights are connectable, however, the number of connections can be limiting as they can overwhelm their attached circuit.

 

Types of Light Sets

String Lights

We carry both string and cluster lights; string lights are placed evenly along a wire for a more uniformed look which can be used to wrap your wreath or on your roof. These lights come in many styles and colours like our Excellent Series Connect Icicle Light to our Excellent Series Connect Net Light.

There are very unique sets like our Lamphome Led Rain Drop Lights or a trip down memory lane to your plain clear lights like our Clear Everglow Lights.

Cluster Lights

Cluster lights are randomly and tightly placed together on a wire to give you a fuller look when placed on your balcony posts or your front door frame.

Check out our Excellent Series Connect Cluster Lights! Or click here to check out more of our cluster sets.

Now that you’ve learned about the types of light sets that we carry, here’s a little more insight as to each brand and their perks. We offer 4 brands from incandescent to Led and from adapter connected to battery operated. 

We want to leave you with some important tips for putting lights on your Christmas Tree.

 

Christmas Tree Light Decorating 101

 

1)      Test it out! Plug in the lights when you remove them from the box to test if they work before putting them on the tree.

2)      Don’t leave any gaps! Imagine your tree in 1 foot triangle, you should hang 100 lights per foot of tree which can be easily done with our Excellent Series 100 LED Lights Connect Set

Get progressive savings with every box you purchase! (can attach the post with the specials on the light) Good idea!

3)      Mix lights carefully! You can plug multiple string lights together but based on the instructions given on the box. With our Excellent Series Lights, you can plug up to 30 light sets without the need for an extension cord or you can use our Lamphome Led Lights to plug up to 3 light sets at a time. Do Not Overload the Lamphome sets as the wires can create a fire hazard.

4)      Measure! Remember to allow for clean stretch of the wire at the plug end so the lights can reach comfortably to outlets to avoid tripping over wires.

Don’t forget your outdoor bush! Let’s make this super easy, just drape net string lights over the plant. You can get this look from our Excellent Series 160Led Connect Net Light Extension Set that you can also connect up to 30 light sets to.