How to give your home a festive glow up with Christmas lights
Decorate your home for the festive season this year in a fun and inspirational way with these spectacular home Christmas lights ideas.
Light up December by decorating the outside, as well as the inside, of your home for Christmas.
Here’s some top tips for styling a safe, fun and stylish home with festive lights and decorations.
Are Christmas lights safe?
Be sure to check any home Christmas lights carefully before buying to ensure you know exactly where it can be used to decorate your home.
If they’re made of delicate materials that could be damaged by the weather, some festive lights may be limited to indoor use only.
As well as checking newly purchased lights, make sure to check any lights that you’ve brought down for the loft ready to decorate for Christmas.
If they’ve been packed away for almost 12 months, what was working perfectly well last year may not be now – so, the first port of call should be to check for any damage, loose wires or bulbs that need replacing.
It’s also important that lights are switched off when you’re not around.
While Christmas tree lights and outside sparkle might look pretty, even LED lights can overheat and become a fire-hazard – so make it a habit to switch all festive lights off when leaving the house or going to bed.
Also, remember to always keep them out of reach from small children and pets to prevent any dangerous accidents occurring.
How to decorate your home with Christmas lights
There are so many different options for decorating your home with Christmas lights, from the classic indoor tree to door decorations and lighting displays. Here are some of our favourite ideas…
Decorating your door
You can be as extravagant or simple as you like with doorstep decorations.
A simple festive wreath is classic and modest whilst still looking stylish.
If you want to go the extra mile, you can add in some outdoor plants with fairy lights, novelty festive door mats – or even a whole door display that the likes of Stacey Solomon-Swash put on.
We love the idea of a few strategically placed lanterns, candles, and fairy lights to show off the front of your house, making it look magical for the festive season.
Choose your festive lights to suit your own personal style and aesthetic.
From icicle string lights that echo the frosty chill of the season, to themed figurines like reindeers to greet you at the front door, it’s never been easier to showcase your creativity with different types of lights to style a Christmas wonderland.
Light show
Fairy lights are incredibly versatile and can be used to brighten up any exterior space.
You can wrap them around a drain pipe, frame your windows and get creative with your placement.
Make your festive display even more magical by draping net lights on trees or fences to transform the darker evenings.
There are plenty of exciting outdoor Christmas light offerings this year to really ‘wow’ your space.
Christmas tree lights
Who could forget the stunning display of home Christmas lights that the tree can showcase?
Whether you opt for a real or a faux tree, arguably, the lighting display sets everything off.
From traditional gold lights, rainbow chaos or something in between, there are plenty of exciting methods.
When should you take your Christmas lights down?
The traditional end of the Christmas season is twelfth night, which typically falls on the 6th January.
This is when the Christmas season is considered to be over for another year.
However, everyone is different. Some like to keep the decorations up until New Year’s Day, and then take them down either the 1st or 2nd of January – just before they return to work.
Others are ‘over it’ after the big day itself and opt to take all the Christmas decorations down on Boxing Day.
Whenever you choose to take your Christmas lights down, just be sure to do it safely and pack them away securely ready for the next year’s festivities.
Best home Christmas lights
Feeling inspired to get shopping for your festive lighting?
We’ve selected some of the best home Christmas light buys on the market this year, be it for your doorscape, lighting display or Christmas tree…
Bah humbug!
We love a neon sign at Good Homes HQ. They fit perfectly in kitchens, home bars, living rooms, and even for seasonal décor.
This cute ‘Bah Humbug’ sign from Dunelm is the perfect addition to your home Christmas lights collection for this year and will set a seasonal (albeit a little Scrooge-esque) vibe for your home.
- Bah humbug neon sign, £25 from Dunelm – buy here
Seasonal robins
Subtle animal lights are always a favourite, and these table robin LED lights would be perfect as a centrepiece at the Christmas table.
They are gold and minimalist so will fit beautifully into your home whilst still adding a seasonal festive touch.
We also think they’d look fab in your kitchen or on mantelpieces, bookshelves or windowsill.
- LED robin table lights, £14.95 from Annabel James – buy here
Star tree-topper
Choosing what to put at the top of the tree can be a cause for debate, angel, star or something different?
This year we think it belongs to the star thanks to this stunning topper from B&Q.
Natural metal and rattan designed whilst also being battery powered, this will save a potential entanglement with the rest of your Christmas lights whilst also looking subtle and festive.
Showcase your staircase
We love the use of Lights4fun TruGlow candles in this stunning staircase display.
It’s a unique place to have a festive display but it’s really powerful – especially if you have a feature staircase.
The TruGlow candles would also work well as part of a festive doorscape or display around a fireplace or your Christmas tree.
- TruGlow Ivory candle trio, £49.99 from Lights4fun – buy here
Twig trees
Spread the festive cheer into other parts of your home with these cute 2ft tabletop twig trees from Dunelm.
They’re ideal for mantelpieces or dressers to add a touch of Christmas magic whilst not being too gaudy.
They can also work nicely in smaller homes or apartments where a traditional Christmas tree might be too big.
- 2ft White tabletop twig tree, £12 from Dunelm – buy here
Colourful baubles
Add a pop of colour to your festive display with these garland bauble lights from La Redoute.
The pastel shades ooze cute and cosy ambience and are sure to leave your home feeling extra seasonal.
We think they’d look great round a bannister or across a mantelpiece, but there are plenty of creative ways they could be styled.
- Fantol coloured ball lights garland, £20 from La Redoute – buy here
Pyramid Christmas cones
Make a cutesy small light display with these gorgeous light-up cones in warm white.
They’re a more expensive purchase but would certainly come out every year as part of your core Christmas décor.
The decorative pyramids are from B&Q and made of acrylic and have eight different lighting effects so you can switch it up depending on the mood of the evening.
- Berkfield acrylic decorative pyramid, £78 from B&Q – buy here
READ MORE:
- Best scented candles for autumn/winter
- Autumn tablescaping ideas
- Best rugs: 32 options for a cosy home