The Prettiest Outdoor Christmas Lights You Should Add to Cart

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The sun may be setting hours earlier than a few months ago, but one good thing about dark afternoons is letting the best outdoor Christmas lights shine. From mood-boosting twinkly lights outlining the roof to oversized candy canes lighting the way from the street to your front door, there are plenty of options to consider. Luckily, the House Beautiful shopping team spent quite a bit of time finding the best, most diverse options that will suit pretty much any space (and style).

That said, we don’t recommend simply peeping our list below and ordering your favorite option based only on aesthetics. Since you’ll likely leave these glimmering decorations on display for at least a month (though we’re not knocking you if you leave them up past New Year’s), picking the right ones is key. Ahead, we’ve mapped out the best elements to think about when it comes to buying holiday-centric lights.

What to Look for in Outdoor Christmas Lights

Bulb Type

Now that incandescent bulbs are illegal, most Christmas lights will feature LED lights. They’re definitely the most environmentally friendly option, but because of their high lumen rating, they are bright. So if you want a softer glow, consider opting for LEDs enclosed in colored cases that offer a warm white hue.

Length

If you’re going the string light route, be sure to measure your space to make sure you buy the right size. Luckily, most string lights are sold in sets that connect, so if one strand isn’t quite long enough to get the job done, you can simply plug it into another one and carry on.

Design

Putting up Christmas lights became common practice in the late 19th century, but back then, there were only a few options on the market. Now, there are so many that it’s hard to make a decision. We’ve included everything from traditional string lights to bulbs shaped like snowflakes. So, when you’re designing your holiday decoration scheme, be sure to consider the look you want: classic, unique, or totally unexpected.

Power Source

Like we said, there are so many more options than there were more than a century ago. Now, your lights can do their thing from solar power, batteries, or electricity, so think about what would work best in your outdoor area. If your front porch gets a lot of sunlight, we suggest going the solar-powered route because it doesn’t require any electricity, and, let’s face it, sunlight is free! The only downside is that your lights may shine dimly on cloudy days. Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with plug-in options, which can stay lit until you turn them off. Battery-operated lights are ideal for anyone without an outside electrical outlet nearby.

LED Snowflake String Lights

When we think of Christmastime, snow—specifically, snowflakes—come to mind, which is why we're loving these long strands of pre-lit string lights. Unlike traditional styles, these don't wrap around railings and up trees. Instead they hang vertically, giving the illusion of giant snowflakes (think one-square-inch) floating down from the sky. One reviewer notes, "They're beautiful, twinkly, and fully in the winter spirit. Untangling [them] takes a minute but it's totally worth it for the ambiance."

Candy Cane String Lights

As delicious as these sparkle-dusted candies look, they're not edible. They're also not nearly as enormous as they may appear in the photo. In fact, they're about the same size as your typical Christmas ornaments, so if you want to add a touch of whimsy to your tree, you can't go wrong with these. Otherwise, string them up outside to give your neighbors a real feast for the eyes.

Outdoor Cascade Tree Lights

These are the kind of twinkly lights you can leave up all year. Simply attach them to tree branches and let them do the rest of the work. Similar to our first option on the list, these don't wrap around the branches. Rather, they cascade downwards, creating a seriously festive (and, dare we say, romantic) look. One happy customer says, "We purchased three sets of these lights. They are beautiful and unique."

Globe String Lights

As the picture so astutely points out, these waterproof globe lights plug into an outdoor electrical source, so you never have to worry about them going dim due to drained batteries or minimized solar power. Feel free to change the settings on the handy remote control, which can shift between eight different modes. One reviewer says, "I love these lights! The twinkle mode is beautiful and it really makes the coziest light. I wouldn’t use it if you want to light up your entire room very brightly, but for some accent lighting and vibes it’s amazing."

Candy Cane Pathway Markers

Light the way to your front door with these pathway marking lights shaped like red-and-white candy canes. Each order includes 12 lights, so feel free to space them as far or near one another as you like. "These candy canes were just the right size and looked very festive in our driveway. Hope to use again this year," one happy reviewer notes.

Outdoor Solar String Lights

These teardrop-shaped fairy lights will make your garden look magical. They're solar-powered to avoid overloading your home's electricity, and the cool white will reflect beautifully off of snow. "I like these because they look like icicles. Since they are solar, I don't have to worry about which outlet to use or overloading the circuit by having too many strands," one reviewer writes.

Lantern with Pre-Lit Ornaments

Have these elegant lanterns filled with ornaments flank the front door or garage for a warm welcome home all winter. Be sure to place them under cover on the patio, as they're meant for covered outdoor use. "I purchased this lamp because I knew it would look perfect on my front porch with my other decorations," wrote a reviewer. "It's a great height and the glowing clear bulbs make it warm and inviting."

LED Icicle Lights

Hang string-light icicles from your roof with these warm white strands, or get them in cool white, multi-color, and color-changing options. "These are lightweight and easy to put up on my house. The lights are small but bright and the cord is very long," one reviewer notes. "I can do a different setting every night instead of just plain steady lights. I hope they last!"

Meteor Shower LED Lights

Looking for a unique alternative to the traditional icicle string lights? These meteor shower-inspired lights look like falling stars cascading from trees (or wherever else you hang them from). You can score them in white, as seen here, or in a cool blue or purple. "For the price, the falling rain/snow/meteor (depending on color and your imagination) effect of these lights is fantastic. The lights fire in sequence down the tube, looking like a rain, snow or rainbow meteor shower," one reviewer says. "When you first turn them on, they are synced up, but the longer they remain lit, they fall out of sequence and fall into a pattern of falling rain, which looks very cool and unique."

Warm Christmas Lights

If you like the textured look of those beloved vintage strawberry-shaped bulbs, but aren't into lots of colorful lights, which undoubtedly feel more contemporary, this pick will give you that coveted nostalgic feeling. And with individual clips attached to each light, it's easy to line your roof (or just about anything). One customer says, "These lights are perfect for Christmas and any time of the year. The amount of light they give off is just right."

LED Christmas String Lights

On the other hand, add some color to the mix. These lights boast the same strawberry shape as the previous set, but these ones come in more fun colors that plain white. What's more, each set can be connected to another so that your whole exterior light setup is synced. One reviewer notes, "I was very pleased with the colors and quality of these lights. I had one garland inside and one outside. Both worked great through the whole season."

Green Wire Christmas Lights

For the ultimate classic Christmas string lights, these bright green-wired ones will get the job done. You can also get them in either of the other colors, if neutral isn't your go-to. One reviewer says, "They are bright and look wonderful on my outside Christmas tree."

Waterproof Christmas Lights

If tinier bulbs are more your style, these mini LEDs are a great option—they come in multi-color and warm white, and will give your tree (or roof, or wherever!) a pretty glow without the bulbs being too in-your-face. One five-star reviewer loved that these lights were so long and waterproof.

Copper Fairy Lights

With over 12,000 reviews, these copper-wire fairy lights are solar-powered, so they'll automatically start to light up your house (or trees, or bushes!) as soon as the sun goes down. One of the 8,000-plus five-star reviewers says, "These lights are so pretty and the lighting is great. I've ordered three sets for my trees. So pretty, I'd highly recommend."

Snowflake String Lights

You don't need snow to have a white Christmas this year, thanks to these snowflake lights that look festive just about anywhere. And if pure white isn't your thing, these lights also come in warm white.

Why trust us?

House Beautiful shopping editors are constantly scanning the market for the best furniture and home decor items you may need for your home. For this particular story, Associate Shopping Editors Janae McKenzie and Jessica Cherner spent hours researching and reading about outdoor lights in order to find the best ones with the most positive reviews. Some of our top picks feature more than 9,000 five-star ratings! Rest assured, all of our favorite finds on this list are popular for a reason. Just be sure to read the product specs, pros, and cons to make the most educated purchase for your space. No matter what you end up snagging to dress up your outdoor area, you really can't go wrong.

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