When Should I Put Up My LED Christmas Lights?

If you’re like most homeowners, then you’ve probably wondered when it’s socially acceptable to put your Christmas lights and decorations on display for the world to see. While many hold that it’s permissible to decorate the home and yard as early as November 1, equal numbers insist that Black Friday should be the absolute earliest. We don’t intend to settle the issue definitively, but in today’s post, we explain why each position can be compelling.

When you’ve finished reading this post, be sure to stop by The Christmas Light Emporium to purchase the LED Christmas lights you’ll use to turn your home into the talk of the town!

You’ve surely noticed that most retailers begin their Christmas advertising shortly after Halloween, providing them with at least two months of heavy seasonal marketing. This is seen by many as the “official start” of the Christmas season, and it’s often taken as the signal to begin decorating the home as well. If you’re like us, then you’ve been waiting all year to hang your LED Christmas lights up, but others are more hesitant to put theirs up with roughly eight weeks until the big day.

In England, public Christmas lights are turned on in the first week of November, so it’s not at all unheard of to begin decorating nearly two months in advance. The weather is usually nice throughout November, and you may even find yourself with more patience and holiday cheer when Thanksgiving rolls around! However, it’s also perfectly acceptable to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to put your LED Christmas lights and other Christmas decorations on display. The Space Needle in Seattle, for instance, doesn’t light up its Christmas display until the days following Black Friday.

Because there’s no universally agreed upon date, the “right time” to put up your Christmas lights and decorations is really a matter of preference and social convention. When would you like to put your Christmas lights on display? Remember that someone in your neighborhood put LED Christmas lights on their home before anyone else, so why not be a trailblazer and put yours up earlier? Your entire neighborhood could be inspired by your actions, and you might just find that you end up with the merriest neighborhood in the area! 

If you’re looking for a more substantive answer than simply, “Watch your neighbors,” then you’re in luck! Psychological research shows that Christmas lights and decorations evoke positive feelings of nostalgia and joy in the people who put them up. This is often due to positive childhood associations with Christmas, but it’s also because the majority of Christmas decorations are put up with the help of loved ones.

Research shows that we’re happier when we spend quality time with others, and there’s almost nothing quite as joyous as kicking off the season by hanging LED Christmas lights with your friends and family. Moreover, as the Journal of Environmental Psychology reports, Christmas decor is often perceived by others as a sign of friendliness and accessibility.

At the end of the day, our advice is to purchase and hang your Christmas decor when the time is right for you. Spread as much Christmas cheer as you can with your outdoor Christmas lights and decorations, and be sure to pick up everything you need this year at The Christmas Light Emporium!