Christmas Lights

The now well-established tradition of outdoor Christmas tree decorating complements the indoor Christmas tree decorating. The emergence of this tradition reflects the increasing appreciation people have for the importance of landscaping. In the North, we need to brighten our lives during winter outdoors, as well as indoors.

Electric lights are an excellent choice for outdoor Christmas tree decorating. Not only are they durable, but they also can supply commodities often lacking on the winter landscape: color and light. Indeed, evergreens and outdoor lighting, whether used in conjunction or not, form the backbone of winter landscaping.

Many a Northern homeowner is now planting a Christmas tree in the yard, providing the landscape with a source of visual interest throughout the year -- but especially during the otherwise barren winter months. Some of these homeowners decorate their outdoor Christmas trees almost as profusely as they would indoor trees.

One trend for homeowners is to buy a live Christmas tree for display inside, and to plant the tree outdoors after the holiday. This trend should only grow in strength in the future, as the real estate industry makes us more conscious of how much value landscaping can add to our properties.

Note that, when I say, "live" Christmas trees, I refer to those with roots. Many people refer to real Christmas trees that have been cut as "live," to distinguish them from artificial Christmas trees. But although cut Christmas trees were once live, they aren't anymore.