Deck the Halls

My husband is a grinch. Not that he's mean and nasty during the holiday season but all the decorating and baking and music and movies and shopping just aren't his cup of tea. I force him in to it and he obliges without too much complaint. We've worked out a system of sorts, a little give and take. For example, if he brings in all the Christmas boxes from the garage and puts them back, I don't make him help with decorating. If we listen to Christmas music in the house, we don't have to listen to it in the car. If he stays home with the kids, I'll do all the Christmas shopping. You get the idea.

This is our third Christmas in this house. We have been blessed with fantastic neighbors, all of whom love Christmas and decorate the outsides of their houses. Growing up, my own family always put up outdoor Christmas lights. Dad would work all afternoon and then, as the sun set, we'd all bundle up, walk a short distance away from the house and wait for Dad to flip the switch and dazzle us with his handy work.

Since my husband and I have been together (that's eight years now) we have NEVER put up outdoor lights.But with all our awesome neighbors lighting up the night year after year, I was beginning to feel a little left out. For the past two years we have been a dark spot, a blemish on the multi-colored, twinkling face of the cul de sac. Well not this year by golly! This is the year we sparkle with the rest of them!

After deciding on our color scheme, we ended up purchasing LED Christmas lights which are the "greenest" way deck the halls.  If you're in the market for Christmas lights, consider LED's. There are many advantages to purchasing LED's over regular incandescent lights.

• Durability- Since they aren't encapsulated in glass, LED lights are more durable than incandescent lights and can withstand all kinds of weather.
• Longevity-While incandescent lights last about 2,000 hours, LED lights can last up to 50,000 hours.
• Safety-LED lights produce little if any heat lowering the risk of fire.
• Efficiency-LED's are very energy efficient. Depending on the size of your house, you can plan to tack on at least $70 to your electric bill to run your outdoor incandescent lights. But switch to LED's and you'll hardly even see a difference in the numbers.

Do you decorate the outside of your home during the holiday season? Let's have a look! Post a picture of your house in all its holiday splendor and leave a link in the comments for us follow. May your days be merry and bright!