Imagine this: it is a chilly night in October and the house next door resembles a Las Vegas casino with its Christmas lights hanging from its gutters and trim in a chaotic pattern and you're standing on a ladder in a similar fashion at 11pm. Every. Single. Year. https://myeverlights.com/ There is a better method--and it is to never again have anything to do with a ladder in December.
Year-round outdoor lighting systems are installed once, either flushed to your roofline and trim or eaves, and stay hidden throughout the entire year. No mess. No piles of light boxes. No swearing at tangled extension cords. They are operated by an app, and it means that you can switch to a ghostly Halloween glow and then to holiday red and green without moving a finger on your couch. Honestly, that sells the idea for many people.
The technology behind these systems has advanced at lightning speed. LED lamps have durations of over 50000 hours. The accuracy of color is remarkable - up to 16 million colors on some systems. It is possible to add lights to the music, or to schedule lights or to recreate the colors of your team during a game. It is surprisingly powerful how much control you have. They are housed in small aluminum tracks which merge with your roof trim, so in the daytime they are practically invisible.
The discussion that no one desires to be a part of is cost. The cost of installation is roughly between $2,000 and $6,000 based on the size of the house and the system brand. The initial cost seems high until you calculate all the money you wasted on temporary holiday lights in the past decade - and then add the hours wasted and the few times you went to the ER because of a ladder accident. The numbers start making sense quickly.
Installation is to be done at all times under a licensed electrical contractor or certified dealer. Outdoor wiring, rain, and integrated lighting systems are not something for casual DIY unless you have serious experience. Once it's up though? The maintenance is virtually zero. Clean the aluminum channels once or twice annually, keep the app updated, and you're done.