It's the most wonderful time of the year, and before you know it, Christmas is here! Trimming the tree with beautiful twinkling lights and fun decorations is a holiday ritual for families across the country. However, there's another tradition that can be much more frustrating — rolling out what seems like acres and acres of Christmas lights to add to your tree or decorations in the yard. If you're using standard lights, this can result in multiple trips to the store for replacement bulbs or new strands as you attempt to find enough incandescent lights for your needs. If you look over at your neighbor's yard, he may be laughing at you for your shenanigans at the same time you're snickering at him for spending more money per strand on LED lighting options. So, who wins in the great Christmas light showdown? 

Cost Effectiveness

When you're looking at LED versus incandescent bulbs for large-scale applications such as a massive yard scene, incandescent bulbs seem to be the clear winner. Everyone knows that purchasing LED bulbs in a large quantity can be cost-prohibitive, right? Well, maybe. It's true that LED bulbs have a higher upfront cost, but the longer-term running cost is much less due to the high efficiency of the LED bulbs. Incandescent bulbs are less expensive upfront, but draw more electricity and can potentially cost more as well as have a shorter lifespan. Winner: LED. 

The Bright and Shiny Factor

When you acquire Christmas lights, you want the brightest and most beautiful lights around, so your home or tree twinkles merrily. Incandescent bulbs have been standards for many years and still offer a pleasant look for most applications. However, LED lights provide brighter whites instead of the muddy yellow you'll find with incandescent bulbs, and true colors that are crisp and stunning. Plus, LED lights run much cooler than incandescent bulbs which makes them safer for any applications where they'll be on for long periods of time. This also means no more burnt fingers when you're attempting to change a burned out bulb. Winner: LED. 

Life Cycle of a Bulb

LED bulbs are created for a service life from 25,000 to 75,000 hours, vastly surpassing the hundreds of hours that you would expect to get from incandescent bulbs. Traditional bulbs are created to self-destruct after a relatively low number of hours, hence the lower price-point so you can afford to purchase more each year. See a trend? Winner: LED. 

Overall, it's pretty easy to see that LED bulbs lead the pack when it comes to beauty, cost-effectiveness and long-term durability — all important attributes in your chosen Christmas lights! Shop local and learn more about the difference between the two types of bulb technology when you visit Northern Lighting this holiday season or check out our stunning and unique Christmas lighting online.