• Lighting can make your holiday display come alive.Winter Holiday Lights image by Scott Griessel from Fotolia.com
  
  Using lights to add color and shine to your holiday display can help your decorations stand out from the rest of your neighborhood. Before you begin installing any lights, you should take the time to write down your holiday light-decorating ideas. Creating a plan is the first step to ensuring that you get the look you want.
  
  

Energy-Efficient Lights

• As you plan your holiday lighting ideas, you should consider using energy-efficient LED lighting in your display. According to the online energy resource Energy Ideas, there are several reasons why you should consider programmable LED lights over standard holiday lighting. LED lights use a fraction of the energy that standard lights use, which can save you money on your energy bill. A typical LED lightbulb uses .08 watts of energy, while an incandescent light of similar size uses nearly one-half of a watt. LED lights do not pose a fire threat like standard incandescent lighting does, and an LED light can last up to 100,000 or more hours. Additionally, programmable LED lights can change colors and create patterns that standard lighting cannot.
  
  

Archways

• When you plan your outdoor holiday lighting design, consider using temporary arches over your walkway to add to your lighting effect. Covering your walkway with lights on all sides by using temporary wooden arches can create a winter wonderland entrance during the Christmas holiday, or a frightening walk for trick-or-treaters headed toward your door on Halloween. Programmable LED lights can be used to generate lighting patterns that can create the sense of movement inside the archways as the lights pulse up and down the LED light strings.
  
  

Theme

• Whether you are using lights indoors or outdoors, if you stick to a decorating theme, you will find it easier to create interesting displays. Try a color-scheme theme based on the colors of the holiday. Valentine's Day would call for red and white lights, while red and green would be the colors for Christmas, as would orange be for Halloween, and a variety of pastel colors for Easter. Another theme idea for lights might be lit animated figures used to create a scene; for example, animated elves for a Christmas workshop scene. Alternatively, or in addition to, install computer-controlled lights set to your favorite holiday music.
  
  

Projections

• If you have a garage door or a large portion of a wall without windows, then use holiday projections to light up your decorations. A holiday projection unit will project single images with holiday themes, or it will cycle through images to present a holiday slide show. RazTech Lighting Systems is just one of many companies that offer this kind of product, along with the support you need to make your holiday projections run smoothly.