As much fun as it is to see your home lit up for Christmas, there's nothing fun about the process of stringing up Christmas lights. From standard string lights and icicle lights to lighted displays and light projectors, the options for outdoor lights are seemingly endless, and you may end up investing in a set only to realize they aren't weather resistant or long enough to cover your desired area. Professional decorators say the best outdoor Christmas lights are ones that are reliable, durable, and easy to assemble — and, most importantly, that won't make your electric bill go through the roof.
Lights aren't the only way to decorate your home for Christmas, of course. You can put together a colorful Christmas window display that'll impress your neighbors, or you can choose a pretty Christmas wreath to adorn your front door. But if you have your heart set on a front yard display that catches everyone's eye, then high-quality outdoor Christmas lights are the way to go. Picking out the best holiday lights all comes down to your priorities and preferred aesthetic, but we've rounded up some of our editors' favorites and the top-reviewed options on the market to help you decide.
Spread holiday cheer by jazzing up your home with these twinkly lights, which will help you become the brightest house on the block — and will help Santa know where to stop first.
Super bright with 200 LED bulbs, this 82-foot string of lights is available in warm white or cool white (as well as green, blue, purple, and orange) and features eight lighting modes, which you can select between by pressing the easy-to-use round button on the adapter.
For just $10, you can get a string of 100 traditional bright white lights, which can be connected with up to four additional strings to give you the length you need (and they're also available in a multi-color option).
If you prefer white wire lights to traditional green ones, then go with this set, which come in a set of 50 or 100 clear white lights and can cover up to 20 feet of space. You also have the option to connect up to five of these 100-count string lights end to end to span the space you need.
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4
Best Extra Bright Outdoor Christmas Lights
SANJICHA Extra-Long Super Bright LED Christmas Lights
4
Best Extra Bright Outdoor Christmas Lights
SANJICHA Extra-Long Super Bright LED Christmas Lights
For the brightest white lights out there (which are available in warm white or cool white), go with this 66-foot string of 200 LED lights, which feature eight different lighting modes.
Each set of these multicolor LED lights comes with 300 bulbs on a 105-foot strand, and with the ability to connect up to four sets together, you can cover your whole house in bright, vivid lights. These lights are also available in warm white or cool white and feature eight lighting modes.
For a retro vibe, go with this 25-foot string with 25 clear C9 bulbs, which provides a warm white glow and is available on a green, black, or white wire.
Looking for colorful C9 bulbs? Look no further than this 29-foot strand, which includes 35 colorful LED bulbs on each and can be connected with as many strands as you need.
Encased in highly flexible PVC tubing, these LED rope lights can be molded into any shape and cut in three-foot increments, allowing you to get the perfect size you need. You can also choose between a 50-inch, 100-inch, or 150-inch rope, as well as several different color options,
Hang this nearly forty-foot-long string light from your shingles, gutters, and porch railings for a cool icicle effect. If one string isn't long enough, then you can easily connect multiple sets to create the length you need.
For more realistic-looking icicle lights, get this 12-and-a-half foot strand, which includes 20 icicles and can be connected with up to three other strands, depending on how much length you need to cover.
Measuring 12 feet by five feet, these multicolor green wire net lights are perfect for positioning on top of bushes, shrubs, or trees to light up your greenery with 360 LED lights. The lights also have eight different modes, so you can constantly change things up.
If you're looking to avoid power cords and huge electric bills, then these solar-powered outdoor LED string lights are a great option. Each strand measures 72 feet in length, and all you need is the included remote solar panel to power the 200 LED lights for up to eight hours. You can also choose between several light modes and color options (including color-changing multicolor to white lights).
For bigger bulbs powered by solar energy, choose this 20-foot-long string of 30 LED globe lights, which can provide up 14 hours of lighting at night with as little as six hours of charging with the included solar cell.
Put on a show for all your neighbors with this top-rated holiday projector light, which features multiple patterns of Christmas trees, snowmen, Santa rides, gifts, and bells and couldn't be easier to set up.
If you're dreaming of a white Christmas, then this snowfall projector light is for you. You can easily turn it on and off — as well as change up the snowfall speed — with a handy remote, and with its large coverage area, you can ensure your house will be covered.
Why buy regular bulbs when you can get fun snowflake-shaped lights? Measuring 20 feet in length, these fairy lights contain 40 LED lights each, and come with two different light modes: steady and flash.
These helical tube lights create the effect of a meteor shower or falling snow, with each strand including eight foot-long tubes. You can get these pretty lights in blue, white, warm white, or multicolor options.
Hang this set of four copper starburst light displays from your front porch or windows and they'll look just like twinkling night stars. You can control 'em from a wireless remote, and you can easily bend and make these lights into any shape you'd like.
This set of nine 10-foot string lights simply requires you to hang the star on top from a tree branch, exterior wall, or roof, and then arrange the dangling 320 LED lights to create the effect of a Christmas tree.
Corinne Sullivan is an Editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers a variety of beats, including lifestyle, entertainment, relationships, shopping, and more. She can tell you everything you need to know about the love lives of A-listers, the coziest bedsheets, and the sex toys actually worth your $$$. She is also the author of the 2018 novel Indecent. Follow her on Instagram for cute pics of her pup and bébé.