Christmas is right around the corner and what a joyous time it CAN be. The holiday is centered around happiness but let’s face it, shopping and decorating will stress out even the most level-headed individuals. Quite frankly, the holiday is very similar to a wedding:

• choose the date to celebrate on, especially when planning to travel or with fitting in all the sides of your family
• who all is coming over and how many can you accommodate (attendee list)
• pick the home for dinner/presents (venue)
• plan out the meal (select the caterer)
• plan a speech or prayer
• how will the place be decorated
  • Inside the home and outside
• buy gifts

For anyone that has been married, we can all agree that it’s a stressful process. A lot of emotions go into it with everything that goes on to prepare but it all comes together when the big day gets there and everyone is celebrating. That same feeling can be seen every year at Christmas; the feeling of relief that all your hard work has paid off. This is when everyone begins to settle in and relax. We start reminiscing on our previous Christmases (recent and childhood) and maybe we watch a Christmas movie or two. ‘A Christmas Story’ runs for over 24 hours straight so you’ll likely catch that one but another favorite of many is Rudolph. You know, that friendly reindeer that was picked on for being different but turned out to be just what Santa needed to get through the night and make all those families happy.

It’s a great story. However, did you know there have been a few updates since the very first edition? It’s true! Technological advances bring about more effectiveness accompanied by efficiency, and Rudolph has conducted some research. More specifically, Rudolph has upgraded to LED. Here is why:

• LED’s last longer than other bulbs
• LED’s illuminate brighter than other bulbs
• LED’s use less energy than other bulbs
• LED’s produce instant light (no need for them to heat up before reaching full brightness)

Rudolph first realized that changing the light so often was not only a nuisance but that the shorter life of the bulb could end at some of the worst times, and unexpectedly; like in the middle of a drop off when there is severe overcast. A longer lasting bulb is definitely worth the added expense when you lay it out as an investment. When you consider the marginal up-charge for a bulb that is going to last twice as long or greater then you realize not only the cost savings over the lifetime but the convenience of not needing to make trips to the store for new bulbs. As nice as this is for everyday use, it become very nice around the holidays. From personal experience, I skimped out on Christmas lights and got the cheap ones that were not LED and they lasted one season on account that it only took one bulb to be bad for the entire strand to be bad. Now not all of the strands were bad but 80% were so I upgraded to LED to fill the void. Not realizing the standout different between the bulb brightness with LED I hung up all the lights (80% LED and 20% non). My wife doesn’t have the same eye as I do when it comes to visual differences but even she brought it up without me saying a thing. Then I had to buy more LED’s and take down the others so it flowed smoothly. Long story short, go with LED and you won’t be making nearly as many stops to the store to pick up replacements which is freeing up your time to work on other items on that holiday checklist.

Next, Rudolph started to realize that the average light was good but many times things in the distance couldn’t be seen until the last minute. Upgrading to the LED was perfect. The light from an LED was brighter and crisper so all those late-night runs seemed safer since Santa and the gang could now see even further into the dark path ahead of them. For everyone else down on the ground, LED’s are the best lighting source for your Christmas lights to really stand out. As stated earlier, when LED’s are placed next to others you will quickly tell the difference.

Rudolph also considered the toll that those older bulbs took on the body; you’d be surprised but that light is quite draining on a reindeer. Naturally the LED bulb made most sense and with all the extra energy, Rudolph never wants to stop. No more “sick days” or “time off” for trying to catch a break due to those old draining bulbs. The same effect can be noticed within your home but for the sake of Christmas, your lights outside are not only going to last longer and be lit brighter but they are going to cost you less to operate. That means you’ll have no reason to skimp out on your amazing light show hours and you’ll be rocking them from dusk ‘til dawn. After all, you put all that effort into hanging them, right? So why limit the time they are on in fear of increased utility bills? LED’s decorative lighting is lighter on your wallet then the other types of lighting.

Lastly, Rudolph felt bad for delaying the group on many occasions. You see, regular bulbs can take some time to heat up and reach their full brightness potential. Those cold winter nights extended the delay and led to some unsafe travelling but when there are times constraints Santa made the call the get out there anyways. Safety is top of mind for Rudolph so knowing that LED’s immediately reach peak brightness regardless of temperatures was icing on the cake. Gone were the days of Rudolph needing to wait around for the nose to get fully bright. Gone were the days of Rudolph worrying about the rest of the group as the light slowly grew brighter. This benefit is much more apparent and beneficial indoors but with the cold winter temperatures it will still have an influence on those exterior decorations.

Turns out the north pole has a growing concern for energy consumption, so Rudolph also became eligible for an energy efficient rebate program that was being offered in the area. Many states and countries have offered rebates for using more energy efficient alternatives such as LED lighting. Another great thing to consider and I know my local energy provider, Duke, offers new homeowner’s free light bulbs that are energy efficient LED’s; it was limited to 12 or 16 bulbs before you think I got an entire house for free. None the less, it’s a nice perk that was free to me and continues saving me each month. Be sure to check out if your energy provider is offering any similar deals that you could benefit from. A Home Performance contractor can assist you in finding energy savings like these and more.

Well we hope you enjoyed this fun little installment of a classic Christmas story. Enjoy the holidays and be safe!