Ever since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, there has been a debate between LED and Incandescent Christmas lights. And the debate continues. So which is better, LED or Incandescent Lighting? Here are our thoughts on the matter - we think you might find them, shall we say, illuminating...

Here are the main things to consider when choosing lights for your indoor or outdoor holiday display:

LED Christmas Lights

LED Christmas lights are the new kids on the block - often quite literally. They offer several advantages over their older counterparts, incandescent Christmas lights, including the following: 

Pros:

• LED lights use less energy than incandescent lights. So they tend to have a smaller impact on your electric bill. From an environmental point of view, that's good news. Because the less energy that is consumed, the less carbon dioxide that is produced. Which means we can all breathe a bit easier.
• LED lights are generally more durable than incandescent lights. In fact, you can expect a string of LED lights to last an average of about 4,000 hours. That means you won't have to replace them quite so frequently. (It's also one of the reasons why we use LED lights in our pre-lit Christmas trees and Signature wreaths.) 

Cons:

• Earlier versions of LED lights generated less light than incandescent bulbs. So it it took more LED lights to generate the same level of brightness as a string of incandescent bulbs. (Newer versions of LED lights, however, do not have this drawback.)
• Watching your pennies? Then keep in mind that LED lights are slightly more expensive than traditional Christmas lights. String per string, most LED Christmas lights have fewer bulbs than their incandescent cousins, which means that you are likely to buy lights or strings when you choose LEDs.

Incandescent Christmas Lights

Pros:

• Admittedly, Incandescent Christmas lights are unarguably brighter than LED Christmas lights. (If you saw Christmas Vacation, you already know this.) Incandescent Christmas lights generally feature more bulbs per strand, which contributes to their overall greater brilliance.
• When it comes to price, Incandescent Christmas lights are less expensive than LED Christmas lights. Simply put, you save money because you don't have to purchase as many strands to achieve the desired lighting effect.

Cons:

• Incandescent lights burn faster than LED lights. So you may have to replace incandescent bulbs a little more frequently over the course of the holiday season. While you may save some cash in the beginning when you first purchase Incandescent Christmas lights, your savings may be negated by the the fact that you may have to purchase replacement bulbs a little more often.
• Incandescent Christmas lights burn more energy. And, sorry to play Scrooge, but every additional kilowatt hour your Christmas lights burn adds to your electricity bill. Bah humbug!

Well, there you have it. Hopefully, you found this post illuminating and will be able to make a more informed decision about which type of Christmas lights to use this season.

As our friend Bing Crosby used to sing, may all your Christmases be bright!