Any Front of house Christmas Light folks here?

Soldato
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Not something I've ever done, but wouldnt mind doing a few for our kids to look at but dont really know where to start.

Any one here go mad with it?
 
Soldato
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This is as mad as we get at our house, less is more

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Associate
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Love seeing people's houses lit up, driving home as ol' Chris sang.

Yep, some go over the top, but for goodness sake, it ain't harming anyone! Never bothered me in the slightest. I remember one neighbour had a light sequence going berserk, like some rave, always made me laugh. They (sadly) never repeated the next year - whether it was because some po-faced neighbour. Good while it lasted. :D

Just ordered some and I have no excuse (no kids), neighbours thankfully have a festive spirit and last year some great displays.
 
Caporegime
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We've always put a few lights up for the kids..

VNZnQ2ah.jpg

It's cheesy, but the kids loved it when they were really young!
Really like your house mate. Very nice.

Never had a problem with Xmas lights outside houses, it’s nice. We go through life taking too much for granted. Xmas and Xmas lights are fun, enjoy it, don’t be a Scrooge.
 
Soldato
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We've always put a few lights up for the kids..

VNZnQ2ah.jpg

It's cheesy, but the kids loved it when they were really young!

That's literally about as far as I'm thinking, looks cool and I think my son would live it. How does one get power to them? Through a window or something? Or garage I guess as it's right there?
 
Soldato
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Earth
For the first time ever we have a house at Xmas and I would love to (not go mad but) have some lights up and around the front of house. Already got s 6ft inflatable santa from Homebse for £20 the other week and have loads of lights already from previously at our flat. There is outdoor power sockets in the back garden so wondering if just need to get the power to the front somehow
 
Soldato
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That's literally about as far as I'm thinking, looks cool and I think my son would live it. How does one get power to them? Through a window or something? Or garage I guess as it's right there?
I’ve have an air brick by the front room on the right hand side that vents inside so just took the plug off a long extension cord and passed it through the wall, then used a waterproof outdoor electrical box to house everything else. The garage doesn’t have its own power, so had to get creative.

I also use smart sockets so everything is timed and controlled by Amazon echo’s, although the same could be done through any smart platform, the kids used to love saying “Alexa, turn on the Christmas lights” and everything turned on together. We do the same with the tree lights and other indoor stuff, all synchronised with smart plugs..
 
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Soldato
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Spalding, Lincs
I've considered putting some up this year, never done any outside. Keeping it quite simple, just fancy a string of lights across the front with some in the windows and maybe some on a small tree.
 
Soldato
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I have for the last few years, we put them on a section of flat roof.
But every year the wind seems to pick up in Dec and blow them over. Need some sand bags really, but all seems a bit of a faff. And burns electricity for no reason, as I never see them!
Think I'll give up this year
 
Soldato
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The leads on modern lights are thin enough and low voltage enough to feed through an open window, then shut it without issues; saves all the outdoor socket hassle. I got a couple of 1000 light, 100m (IIRC) strings cheap in a post-Christmas B&M clearance, and just feed them round the bushes in the garden. The white lights will be up soon. The coloured string goes up a few weeks before Christmas.

Sometimes, if I take my time, it ends up looking rather subtle and festive, interlaced throughout the foliage. And some years it looks a bit chavvy. No inflatable Santas though (but I do think a few deer glimpsed through the hedging might work) and no flashing unless it's the slow fade type.

Chavvy or not, my excuse is I have to compete with that bloomin' street light. The old sodium glow was quite warm and festive. The new dazzle LEDS mean I don't need vitamin D supplements in winter any more. I've been tempted to shin up it and put coloured cellophane on it for Christmas, but Santa might slip on the path and blame me.

WIO87Nt.jpg
 
Associate
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I put some outdoor sockets on the side of the house a few years ago just for xmas lights. I then realised that none of the plugs on xmas lights can be secured under them so I have a big IP54 rated box that I can fit a 4 way adapter in and all the power supplies etc. This is only fitted for the xmas lights and doesn't live outside all year round as it's a bit ugly to have stuck on the wall all year round. I we have a few very long sets of lights, but no flashing snowmen or anything too tacky. I think they are all warm white coloured if I remember rightly. Not far of time to be getting them back out again!

Dave
 
Soldato
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My mrs wants me to make some xmas trees out of pallets, glad we aren't the only ones. Some great designs on tinternet.

Yeah we'd be to one of the local garden centres and they were selling them there for some ridiculous price, like £100+, so i went home and knocked one up in 30 minutes for nothing.

It's quite surprising how many comments it gets really from passers-by
 
Associate
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UK
Yeah we'd be to one of the local garden centres and they were selling them there for some ridiculous price, like £100+, so i went home and knocked one up in 30 minutes for nothing.

It's quite surprising how many comments it gets really from passers-by

:o £100 :D
 
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