As the first and most used decoration, let’s begin with Christmas lights. You can get Christmas lights that are LED or solar power. They can be purchased at your local Target, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, and Home Depot or on the internet. There are many websites that sell them, one that I’ve found is: http://www.holidayleds.com/
LED lights are great because they use 90% less energy than your regular lights. They are safer to use and last longer. They are cool to touch and last 50,000 hours. They come in various shapes and all different colors, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to choose from a variety of options. They are not any more expensive than the regular lights and they are just as bright. You could also buy a Christmas tree that already has LED lights on it or buy these lights to put on the tree you have to make all the lights energy efficient.
You can also purchase solar powered Christmas lights. These are great because they only need to be in the sun to charge and you use no electricity. You don’t have to plug it in and worry about how much energy you’re using to power your Christmas lights. You simply place the lights wherever you want outside and make sure the solar panel is in direct sunlight. You can purchase solar lights on the internet on various websites as well. Also, Target has some small strings of solar powered/battery powered lights that you could decorate with or put on a wreath.
You can decorate without using items that need energy or electricity for Christmas. There are reindeer, Santa Clause and sleighs that are made of wood or metal that you can put in your yard to decorate with. You could also use Christmas or holiday flags, wreaths, plastic candy canes, stickers placed on your windows/doors, garland strung around railing or door facing. Another idea is that you could buy pretty colored plastic or gift wrap and wrap your door in that color and place a wreath over top of it. Line your front yard with shepherd’s hooks and hang bells or other decorations that do not require electricity. You can also use bows outdoors, on your door, on the hooks or on railings. Buy candles and put in your windows. You can buy either regular candles that require you to burn them or you can buy the candles that don’t burn. You simply press a button and they stay lit for 2 or 3 hours. They are battery operated and are made out of real wax, they even produce a scent. You don’t have to worry about there being an actual fire and you never use the candle and have to throw it away. It is the perfect re-usable candle that you can use during the holidays for decoration or all year long as decoration and light. It looks so much like the real thing, no one would ever know, unless they look at the inside of the candle where the flame is. These candles are available at Brookstone, in their store or on the internet: www.brookstone.com. Also, I think they are available now at Wal-Mart too.
There are so many ways to decorate for Christmas without using lights. However, if you do use lights, go for the LED or solar powered ones, which will save you money, energy and last longer than the old fashioned lights.
Reference: www.holidayleds.com
