12 Days of Christmas Conservation: Day 9 (Christmas Decorating)

Houses like this can be seen in many neighborhoods during Christmas. Can you imagine the electric bill for these enormous light displays? You can cut energy costs by using LED holiday light bulbs. These bulbs use up 0.04 watts and is up to 90% efficient compared to those big incandescent bulbs. These bulbs also last longer and barely warm up so they won't catch on fire. We mentioned before that it's a good idea to set holiday lights to timers. Especially with such big displays like this, you wouldn't want to keep your neighbor up with bright lights. You should also avoid using huge power generated decorations. My neighbors last year had a big, inflatable snow globe that they kept up 24/7. I found some pretty lawn decorations at Target made out of metal and plastic. If you want to go the traditional route, try lighting an electric candle (if it's a real candle, make sure to be careful) in each of the windows on your house. This looks very classy and not over-the-top. To decorate inside your house, check with your local green house for locally grow holiday greenery such as pine garlands, mistletoe, holly, and poinsettias. You could also check Etsy or your local farmers' market or art fair for hand-made decorations.