Christmas lighting used to present homeowners with approximately three choices:
White lights.
Colored lights.
Or deciding halfway through decorating that maybe the shrubs didn’t really need lights this year.
Today, homeowners considering Christmas lights in Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad have another major choice:
Traditional temporary Christmas lighting or permanent programmable holiday lighting?
Both can look fantastic.
But they’re very different products.
What Are Traditional Christmas Lights?
Professional temporary Christmas lighting is installed specifically for the holiday season and removed afterward.
This is the classic Christmas look most people picture:
Rooflines outlined with C9 bulbs.
Beautiful wreaths.
Garland around entrances and columns.
Mini lights wrapped around trees.
Illuminated shrubs.
Done well, temporary holiday lighting can look incredibly sophisticated.
Local companies including Triad Christmas Lights and Lighthouse Outdoor Lighting promote seasonal Christmas light installation in Greensboro and surrounding Triad communities. Lighthouse describes programs that include design, installation, maintenance, takedown and storage.
Southern Lights offers that same full-service convenience, but approaches the project with decades of professional lighting design experience behind it.
Why Homeowners Still Love Traditional Christmas Lighting
There is something difficult to duplicate about classic warm-white C9 bulbs outlining a beautiful home.
Temporary lighting also gives a designer enormous flexibility.
We can add:
- Window wreaths
- Pre-lit garland
- Tree wraps
- Shrub lighting
- Driveway accents
- Large architectural elements
- Different designs from year to year
And when Christmas is over?
It all goes away.
Your home returns completely to its normal appearance.
For homeowners who love a traditional Christmas aesthetic, that’s a big advantage.
So What Are Permanent Holiday Lights?
Permanent holiday lighting is installed into a discreet track mounted along the architecture of the home.
Instead of removing it every January, the lighting stays installed year-round.
The individual LEDs can typically be programmed for different colors, patterns and schedules using an app.
Triad Trimlight is one local provider focused specifically on permanent programmable lighting systems for homes and businesses.
Southern Lights also designs and installs permanent holiday lighting throughout the Piedmont Triad. Our systems are intended to remain visually discreet during the day while giving homeowners programmable lighting for holidays and other occasions throughout the year.
Permanent Lighting Isn’t Just for Christmas
This is probably its biggest advantage.
December might be warm white, red and green.
October can become orange and purple.
July Fourth can be red, white and blue.
Game day can suddenly look very Carolina blue—or another color if your allegiances happen to lie elsewhere.
Birthday party?
Pick a color.
Backyard gathering?
Choose an understated warm architectural look.
And on a random Tuesday in March?
Turn everything off.
Permanent lighting gives you options that seasonal lighting simply can’t.
But Doesn’t Permanent Lighting Look Like Bulbs All Over the House?
It shouldn’t.
And this is where installation quality matters tremendously.
A professionally installed permanent lighting system should integrate with the trim and architectural lines of the home.
During daylight hours, the track should attract very little attention.
At night, the light should appear deliberate and consistent rather than looking like a row of LED dots randomly attached beneath the gutters.
Southern Lights approaches permanent lighting the same way we approach landscape lighting:
The hardware shouldn’t be the star.
The finished effect should be.
Which One Costs More?
Permanent lighting generally involves a larger upfront investment because you’re purchasing a system designed to remain with the home.
Traditional lighting spreads the investment across seasons because it is installed, maintained and removed each year.
But price shouldn’t be the only deciding factor.
Ask yourself what experience you actually want.
Choose Traditional Holiday Lighting If…
You love the classic Christmas appearance.
You want wreaths, garland and decorated landscaping.
You prefer your house to return completely to normal after Christmas.
Or you enjoy changing your design periodically.
Consider Permanent Holiday Lighting If…
You want lighting available throughout the year.
You like changing colors from an app.
You celebrate several holidays or events with lighting.
You don’t want a roofline installation every Christmas.
Or you simply like the convenience of pressing a button sometime after Thanksgiving and declaring Christmas decorating officially underway.
What About Combining Them?
This is actually one of our favorite approaches.
Permanent roofline lighting can create the architectural foundation of the design.
Then temporary elements can add the unmistakable Christmas character:
Wreaths.
Garland.
Trees.
Shrubs.
Specialty décor.
You get the convenience of permanent lighting without sacrificing the warmth and detail of a traditional Christmas display.
Work With a Lighting Company—Not Just a Lighting Product
Whether you are comparing Southern Lights with Triad Trimlight, Triad Christmas Lights, Lighthouse Outdoor Lighting or another Triad provider, don’t make the decision based solely on the lights themselves.
Ask who is designing the system.
Ask how it will integrate with the architecture.
Ask what happens when something needs service.
And ask whether the company understands lighting design, not simply installation.
Southern Lights has been working with professional outdoor lighting for approximately three decades and has completed thousands of lighting projects.
That experience matters whether we’re installing ten fixtures in a landscape or hundreds of lights across a home.
Not Sure Which Type of Christmas Lighting Is Right for Your Home?
Southern Lights installs both traditional Christmas lighting and permanent holiday lighting throughout the Piedmont Triad.
We’ll look at your home, talk about how you actually want to use the lighting, and help you determine which approach makes the most sense.
Schedule a consultation and we’ll design the holidays around your home—not the other way around.