I must confess, I am a total holiday light junkie...they just make me soooo happy on dark, miserable, cold or stormy nights. But I loathe the time spent putting them up, taking them down, that they are made from plastic, and use
energy that, well, just does not NEED to be spent.
I may have found the solution! Yes they are still plastic, and yes, they are
LED, but they are super tiny, easily tuck into the soffit and/or corners of siding, so they can be left up year round. When I say super tiny, I mean the actual LED bulb is less than 4 mm across. The entire "light" is 2cm long with the tiny LED tips, no Xmas bulb look, just the tiny light that is normally found within the "globe" you find with regular holiday
lights. They are 29v, low voltage and waterproof at IP65, so good for outdoor or indoor usage (OOOOHHHH, these would be fabulous to light a path, for an outdoor
shower, or out house...).
The key is the lights are spaced about 4 inches apart...so you get sufficient brightness from the tiny lights as there are so many MORE of them. Plus, these come with a remote that allows you to change them from "warm white" to "holiday colors" in 12 different versions including a host of cycling and flashing options, and a three brightness levels.
What I was looking for was a soft, warm white set of lights to illuminate the front and back porches, along with the covered deck. I use these areas as outside rooms, for projects, storage, freezers etc. I wanted all over illumination, rather than the single bulb that cast more shadows than light, and was either TOO bright or not bright
enough.
I removed the standard bulb from the light fixture, and screwed in a plug adapter (literally a
light bulb base with a two pronged outlet on the surface). I wanted light that could be set low when you just need to grab something or high when working out there - the multitude of colors and options was a bonus that came with the only ones I could find with the desired dimmer option. I keep them on low, warm white most of the time, turning them on and off with the original light switch. I mounted the remote on the wall next to the light switch with sticky back velcro (the 3M stuff used for mounting pictures, with the "easily removable" pull tab) on the wall next to the original switch so I will never lose the remote BUT can easily adjust brightness or "style". They have a memory (NOT ALL DO) that maintains your chosen mode when you turn them off and even come with a multi mode timer (that I don't use), a function that might be useful to some.
With a click of the remote I can switch them from everyday warm white to colors; flashing, racing or a combination of all. I am NOT a flashing or blinking lights kinda person, but this is super helpful if you live where there are no street lights and you are expecting company or there is an emergency and you want to make it easy for fire/ambulance/police to find you - no chance they will miss you with these strobing on and off! Now you can have your holiday lights, put them up once and forget them, turn them on whenever you want, change the color, style or brightness at the click of the remote. Clear/warm white for everyday use - switch to multi-color mode for the holiday season without ever pulling out the ladder! Due to their low voltage, they would also be ideal for indoor use, say in a tiny house, or somewhere that you need light with minimal electrical draw.
I am sure there are other similar options out there, but these are the ones I got. The lights are not cheap at $40+, but the string is really long (100 feet) and you can connect multiple strings together, if desired. The socket to plug adapters run about $2 each.
Decute Colors Changing Christmas Lights 4 Colors in 1 String Lights, 11 Modes 300Leds 108FT Extendable Waterproof Indoor Outdoor Tree Fairy Lights Warm White & Multicolor with Timer Remote
by Decute
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08K8N7NHQ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_B6H0C77ZBVSN5NCCK15R?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
GE Polarized Handy Plug, 10 Pack, Convert Light Bulb Socket to Outlet Adapter, 2-Prong, Easy to Install, UL Listed, Black, 54612
by Amazon.ca
Learn more:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08JFNR6G3/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_YKB1P0MBHS2PSSBX7AMW?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
***Not sure if this is the right forum for this post; please move it if there is a better place.
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