make it bright

This time of year, when night falls in the late still-afternoon, we welcome bright, twinkling holiday lights. There’s an art to a holiday light display though, and in that spirit we offer mutterhood’s five unwritten rules to achieve a warm holiday glow.

That extra bulb. You know the one, it’s taped to the string of lights underneath the Underwriters Laboratory safety certification? You’re supposed to use it to replace the always-just-one unlit bulb on the strand that’s dragging all the others dark along with it. Who does that? Unwritten rule: Just buy a new strand, they’re like $2.99 at Walgreens.

White cord vs green cord. Go with the green. It’s nature’s color; it looks good on green trees inside and bare branches outside. White just begs for snow, which is fine on Christmas Eve but until then, why tempt fate when you’ve still got shopping to do? Unwritten rule: It’s easy being green.

LED vs traditional. Maybe it’s just us, but LED lights feel like you’re texting in bold letters — fine for some, but for others it comes across a tad bit aggressive. We prefer a warmer holiday glow. Unwritten rule: LED is fine, but use sparingly.

Outdoor lighting. For the love of god people, use more than one strand of lights! Send a message to Santa and make it glow. You’re competing with the Clark family Christmas down the street; how else will the big guy find your house when it’s lost in the shadow of someone else’s showmanship? Unwritten rule: Be tasteful, not timid. Your kids will thank you.

Blinking lights, or nah. Those new projector lights that project green snow and giant white snowflakes on the front of the house? Lights that blink? Candles in every window? A single spotlight highlighting a giant holiday wreath? Hey, you guys do you. Unwritten rule: When it comes to holiday cheer, who are we to argue?