What You Should Know About Outdoor Christmas Lights
Do you know the differences between outdoor Christmas lights? There many different types of lights you can use inside your home, but you may not know that there are different outdoor Christmas lights as well.
You may remember the old traditional outdoor Christmas lights, the large bulbs with the thicker cords. These are the C7 and C9 Cords and Bulbs. These were the only lights that I remember as a child and have now been making a serious comeback. It seems that many are tired of the miniature lights and are going for the retro look of the C7 and C9 lights. These outdoor Christmas lights can be used indoors and outdoors and you will see more and more of them this year. They come in a 25 and 100 foot sets which contain built-in or replaceable fuses. They are made of glass with a filament making them very fragile if dropped.
You can purchase the C7 and C9 pre-installed or buy the bulbs separately giving you more choice of colors. Unlike many of the miniature lights, these are designed if one bulb burns out, the rest of the string are not affected. You will find them in many colors with the cord being green or white with spacing of 12 inches. The nice feature of these sets are the ability to alternate the colors or creating a pattern. These also come in either a transparent or opaque finish as well as flashing.
The C7 bulbs are the smaller ones, about 2", where the C9 is approximately 3" long. The C9 lights will have a larger base than the C7 bulbs. C9 bulbs are a great choice for trimming large homes, or buildings, or any other outdoor decorating.
What about the outdoor Christmas lights called mini-lights? These have been popular for a long time, they are smaller and closer together than the larger C7 and C9 bulbs. You can find them in a variety of colors, bulbs and wires. These are a favorite because they are so versatile. You can use them on the tree, inside as outside Christmas lights. Some people use them all year round as decorations on plants or in their doorways.
The problem with the mini-lights are the way they are wired. If one bulb goes out, the whole section goes out with it. This is a huge pain trying to find the bulb that's broken and replace it when all of them are out. I have gone through many strands of outdoor Christmas lights because of this issue.
No matter what you choose for your outdoor Christmas lights, you will enjoy the beauty they bring, creating a beautiful, festive atmosphere. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
