Easy Tips for Christmas Decoration Lighting

Tips on Lighting the Christmas Tree

One of the hardest parts for many decorating do-it-yourselfers are the Christmas tree bulbs. How many times have you attempted to light your tree and the end result was not what you anticipated or hoped for? Maybe there was a big void of light in the center of the tree, or maybe half of the lights didn’t even shine. Whatever the case, these tips are designed to help make your decorating much easier and successful.

• Your first step is to ensure that all of your Christmas light bulbs are working. That means that you need to plug them in before you even begin the decorating process. If you find that a light or two is not burning, be sure that you have a selection of replacement Christmas light bulbs on hand.
• Divide the tree into three sections. Don’t try to tackle the entire tree at once. Instead mentally divide the tree into sections from the top to the bottom. Then begin stringing the lights by each section.
• Start hanging your Christmas bulbs from the bottom of the first section. This makes your life much easier. Weave each string of lights in and out of the branches until you reach the top.

Tips on Outdoor and Indoor Lighting

Starting out with your outdoor and indoor lighting is similar to your tree. You want to begin by plugging in your lights to see how many Christmas light replacement bulbs are needed. After that step is complete, then you can move onto the actual design.

• Choose your plan. After you know what lights are working, choose your design plan. Do you want to use shimmering lights, animated lights, net lighting, miniature lights, or large bulbs? There are so many choices, so be sure you know what you want the final design to look like.
• Be safe. Before you begin hanging your lights, make sure you have the proper ladder and equipment handy, and that it all works properly. Also, be sure to check out your outlets to ensure they are free from damage. Lastly, if you are using outdoor light, make sure that the lights you choose are waterproof.
• Use what you have on hand. Often you can make an outdoor landscape look spectacular for the holidays by using what you already have. Items such as your trees, birdbaths, mailboxes, shrubs, and even porch columns are a great way to add sparkle and dimension to your decorations.

Decorating for Christmas is such a fun family activity. It can also be stressful if the proper steps are not in place. Take the time to ensure your lights are working properly and you have all the right equipment before you dive into your project. Most of all, enjoy the process and have a wonderful Holiday Season!

About the Author: Bulb Town offers great prices on replacement light bulbs for any sort of socket in existence. Their inventory can be viewed at www.bulbtown.com.

10 Tidbits About Halogen Light Bulbs

In our modern world there are many different kinds of lights available. It can be confusing figuring out the difference between bulbs and determining which is right for you. We wanted to pass along of our knowledge to shed some light on the Halogen bulbs.

Here is our top 10 list:

1. Halogen light bulbs may also be called “Quartz Halogen” or “Tungsten Halogen Lamp”. The name is derived from the process of modifying the bulb and adding a Halogen Element (fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, astatine) to it.

2. Halogen bulbs are stronger than standard glass.

3. They tend to be smaller and more lightweight than traditional bulbs, which makes them great for
projection lamps in slide projectors.

4. Go Green! Halogen lamps are safer for the environment because they do not contain any mercury, which means when they do burn out, you can throw them away like normal. Making them easy for you and easy on the environment.

5. Halogen lamps produce a third more lumens per watt than a comparable incandescent light bulb and brighter colors than traditional bulbs. For this reason they are often used in theatre for stage lighting or photography studios.

6. Longer life and more light per unit of energy than an incandescent bulb

7. These bulbs get really HOT! Because the lamps produce stronger light, they are also much hotter than normal. Halogen bulbs also produce a third more heat than incandescent bulbs, which means a 100 watt Halogen produces the light and heat of a 133 watt incandescent bulb! Due to the smaller size, the heat is also more concentrated and is capable of causing burns to the skin, so use caution when handling them after use.

8. Because of the concentration of heat, any disruption to the surface such as oils left behind from human skin can cause problems with the light bulb such as gas leaks. Surface contamination also means light bulbs won’t last as long and will need to be replaced more often, so it is important to make sure these lamps are handled correctly.

9. To avoid surface contamination, only hold the bulb by the porcelain base, or better yet use some type of protection such as gloves when handling the lamp (Bulbtown will give you a free pair with every quartz halogen bulb you buy to make sure you are taken care of). No gloves? Here are some easy alternatives:

• Paper towels
• Ziplock/plastic bag
• Tissue paper

10.  Even clean hands leave behind contamination. If the surface does get dirty, we recommend cleaning it to rid any dirt or oils by using rubbing alcohol to wipe away the impurities.

Did we miss any factoids? Let us know in the comments below any additional questions you may have and we would be happy to help answer them.