Holiday Design and Lighting Plan in College Station, TX

Trying to figure out a plan for your home’s holiday design and lighting plan can be super stressful and confusing, and there are a lot of options out there you might not even know about. We’re here to give a rundown on everything and help make the Christmas season easier on you.

Types of lighting:

There are quite a few options when it comes to the types of lighting you want to decorate your home with, and it’s good to know what you’re working with before you make any decisions.

• Incandescent: These are the classic paint-covered bulbs that have a warm glow to them when lit up. They tend to be less expensive than LED lights, but are often more expensive to actually operate. These also come in a miniature version.
• Light-emitting Diode (LED): These lights are made from chips that convert electricity into light and have no filaments that can burn out. They are around 90% more efficient energy-wise and tend to give a similar look the incandescent lights.
• C7 & C9 Bulbs: These bulbs are more heavy-duty and are large 5- or 10-watt bulbs that are incredibly bright. They come in various styles, including frosted or LED retrofit.
• Icicle Lights: These are a very common option for holiday lighting and are most often seen dangling from rooflines on homes.
• Snowdrop Lights and Snowfall Tubes: You might’ve seen lights that look almost like snow falling, and that is what these lights are. They can be anywhere from a handful of inches long to a few feet long.
• Rope Lights: Rope lights are strings of lights that are encased in a plastic, clear tubing. They’re great for wrapping around various architectural elements and can come in various colors.
• Trunk Wraps and Net Lights: These lights are actually mesh with evenly spaced bulbs. They make covering trees, bushes, or shrubbery with lighting much easier.
• Battery-operated Lights: Most commonly used for wrapping around wreaths, these lights allow you to decorate things without obnoxious wires showing. The batteries have to be changed periodically if you leave the lights on all the time, but many lights have timer settings, so they only come on at night.
• Animated Decorations: Reindeer that move their heads and snowmen that look like they’re throwing snowballs are just a couple examples of these lively lighted decorations. Some of these options have the ability to be synchronized as well.
• Walkway Markers: Lighting up the pathways around your home can not only be helpful, but with specific holiday themed lights, they can add some Christmas cheer to your home.

Non-Lighting Types of Decorations:

• Garlands: These are ropes of greenery and flowers that can be hung from rooflines and covered walkways and wrapped around columns.
• Inflatable Figurines: If you like more casual and fun decorations, these are definitely a good choice for you. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and designs, and some are lit, and some aren’t so the possibilities are endless.
• Wreaths: Wreaths are another very common decorating option made of greenery and other objects fashioned into a circular shape. They are most often seen hanging on doors, windows, and even gates.
• Christmas Trees: Christmas trees don’t just have to go inside your house, you can also use them to decorate your yard and make it more fun and festive.
• Poinsettias/Mistletoe: These festive plants are sure to be a hit when you use them to decorate. If you live in a very cold region and you use live poinsettias to decorate, you’ll want to bring them inside on very cold days.

Now that you have a basic rundown, let’s get more into some design tips.

• Before you ever start buying or putting up Christmas lights for your home, it’s best to locate all of the electrical outlets so you can properly plan where your lights will need to be plugged in.

• It’s a good idea to start simple with your decorations. Just do a few strings of lights to border your roof, wrap around columns or large trees, and line your walkway to begin with. You can add a simple wreath to your front door, and maybe some garland here and there. It can be helpful to start simple and slowly add more decoration each year than trying to go all out from the start. Plus, it gives you a chance to figure out what works and doesn’t work for you and your home slowly over time, so you don’t end up wasting a ton of money on decorations you may not want to use the next year.

• Decide on what kind of look or general theme you’re going for before you buy anything. Do you want something simple and elegant? You might want to stick to white lights and hints of greenery with maybe one accent color. Or maybe you would like something really exciting and over-the-top? Multi-colored lights that flash in different patterns strung along your roof and wrapped all around your trees and shrubbery with various reindeer and Santa Claus figurines scattered throughout your yard. You can even have a more rustic look and work in burlap, pinecones, and leather into your decorations.

• Have a decoration in mind that you can’t seem to find anywhere? DIY it! You can make this a fun activity for your family to do together, or just a relaxing way to get into the holiday spirit. DIY wreaths are fairly easy to do, and you will feel extra proud whenever guest come visit and compliment the outdoor decorations you’ve created yourself.

Hopefully this list of options and tips helps you in your quest for creating the perfect holiday decorating plan, and we here at College Station Covered Porch and Outdoor Kitchens wish you the happiest of holidays!

If you’re interested in working with College Station Covered Porch and Outdoor Kitchens, then all you have to do is give us a call or fill out the form on our contact page! Leave as much info for us as you’d like, and we will read it over and get back to you about your project.