There are so many wonderful ways to get into the holiday spirit, and hanging holiday lights around your home is one of the best! You can express your spirit, style, and do-it-yourself prowess all while bring joy to all those that admire your Christmas display.

When decorating the outside of your home or business, one popular technique is to wrap trees, shrubs, bushes, railings, and even mailboxes with strings of mini-lights. Sometime referred to as fairy lights, these are commonly used to decorate trees, wreaths, and architectural elements both indoor and outdoor. They come in solid colors like red, green, or blue, in clear and multi-color sets. Each set typically ranges from 25 to 150 bulbs per string, and can be purchased at most popular retailors such as Lowes, Target, Home Depot, and Christmas Lighting Supply. It is common for multiple sets to be combined to form the desired length.

For years, people have spent hours wrapping trees, shrubs, and bushes with mini lights, struggling to get the perfect spacing, while trying to eliminate gaps and holes. More recently, a new product called "Net Lights" have emerged, saving decorators hours in the process, and giving a more balanced look to the object being decorated. Net lights are constructed of evenly spaced mini lights strung both horizontally and vertically. They allow the decorator to simply drape the net over a bush or around a tree, and instantly have perfectly spaced lighting.

Net lights are available in all of the same colors as traditional mini lights. Both have been made for years with incandescent bulbs, but over the past few years, LED Net Lights have been increasing in popularity. LED nets are more energy efficient, brighter in color and have 30 times more longevity than incandescent Christmas lights. The one major drawback with the LED version is that they sometimes cost more than double the traditional bulb sets.

Whatever the kind of decorative Christmas lights you choose, you can be sure your display will spread holiday cheer to all those who to see it! Be sure not to overlook doorways and windows on the front of your house, along with any other architectural accents which will make your display unique. Use a variety of techniques and light types such as Mini-Lights, Net Lights, C7 and C9 Christmas lights for an additional intimate touch. Using multiple forms of lighting will give your home that cozy Christmas feeling.