Colored Christmas Lights Observation. Vintage vs LED.

[LaurieAnn]

I grew up in the 70's and my family always put up the colored Christmas lights. But now the LED colored lights are all you see and I understand they're much more energy efficient. But these bright LED colors feel more like a carnival display or Vegas show. I think they're fun to look at but they don't give off that traditional Holiday look that I remember when I was a kid back in the day. I can't put my finger on why they look so different other than the addition of the purple color. What really pushes my OCD over the top is seeing houses decked out with a mixture of the dim vintage colors along with the bright LED colors. The 'warm' clear LEDs still look somewhat traditional and that's what we've been using outside on the house. Just stating a personal observation and wondering if others feel the same way.

 

[MacNut]

Not only is the color cooler but LEDs have a slight flicker that older incandescent lights don’t have.

 

[BorderingOn]

I agree but I think it’s to do with quality and color temperature more than the technology. The old ones did look great when new but the paint faded quickly. I’ve seen plenty of LED strands that look great but the cheap ones are as you describe.

 

[WinkWink726]

I completely understand what you're talking about and I agree!
I've always been a fan of classic white lights outside, and when I was a kid, they almost had a yellowish hue to them (reminiscent very slghtly of candlelight), but the new white LEDs are so "blue" that it looks too shiny and new, and not "Christmas-y" at all, IMO

I also like the vintagey feel and patina on things, though

 

[maflynn]

Count me in on liking the older lights over the LEDs.

 

[D.T.]

We switch over to LEDs as the old lights give out, the tree lights are all LED (we have lights on the mantel, stairs ), they have a casing that's slightly opaque, kind of a refracting type of effect, nice, kind of softens up the light, gives it more of an old school effect.

Nothing beats them working year after year, no heat generated (and though it's probably minor, less power consumed).

 

[Mousse]

I completely understand what you're talking about and I agree!
I've always been a fan of classic white lights outside, and when I was a kid, they almost had a yellowish hue to them (reminiscent very slghtly of candlelight), but the new white LEDs are so "blue" that it looks too shiny and new, and not "Christmas-y" at all, IMO

They have LED in warm white.
I like LED's, but not the tiny bare bulb kinds. But I do use them for wrapping the trees. I use mostly frosted C7 and C9 to give the LED light a more dispersed, traditional look. And the icicles for the light show. The kids want a huge "Merry Christmas" sign for the roof. I guess I'll buy some G50 bulbs for those.
I try to keep the lighting to a reasonable level. I used to have a neighbor who went overboard with the lights; you had to wear sunglasses to go outside at night.

 

[old mac]

I like the old light better, but the upside down trees are disgusting.

 

[MacNut]

I like the old light better, but the upside down trees are disgusting.

How do you water it?

 

[BarracksSi]

The cheapest ones look terrible. Cold white hues instead of that warmer incandescent-type glow.

I don't really like the nets-o'-lights you can get, either, that you'd drape over a bush like a blanket. They look so unnatural. And lights wrapped around tree trunks, too, just look lazy, when the most visually appealing part of the tree is the body of branches.

To be pedantic for a moment: They ALL flicker, but the older incandescent filament bulbs reacted slower to the current as it switched directions (being run on AC current, after all) so their glow never went fully "off". Get a camera and shoot a long-exposure shot while waving it around, and you'll see the incandescent bulbs' light trails showing pulses in brightness.

 

[gkarris]

I love LED's for regular lighting since they finally have warmer lighting options.

I don't know where the small holiday lights stand, though...

 

[D.T.]

don't really like the nets-o'-lights you can get, either, that you'd drape over a bush like a blanket. They look so unnatural.

It's like the Uncanny Valley but in the context of Christmas lights (totally agree).

 

[Mousse]

And lights wrapped around tree trunks, too, just look lazy, when the most visually appealing part of the tree is the body of branches.

Aye. Just wrapping the trunk is ugly. But if they put out the effort to wrap the branches as well it looks amazing.

 

[D.T.]

Aye. Just wrapping the trunk is ugly. But if they put out the effort to wrap the branches as well it looks amazing.

Though a few years we wrapped our palm trees, they're the super tall, skinny Mexican Fan palms, and we wrapped the trunks - which is really all they are - with dual strands of white and red so the look like big tall candy canes

 

[WinkWink726]

They have LED in warm white.
I like LED's, but not the tiny bare bulb kinds. But I do use them for wrapping the trees. I use mostly frosted C7 and C9 to give the LED light a more dispersed, traditional look. And the icicles for the light show. The kids want a huge "Merry Christmas" sign for the roof. I guess I'll buy some G50 bulbs for those.
I try to keep the lighting to a reasonable level. I used to have a neighbor who went overboard with the lights; you had to wear sunglasses to go outside at night.

LOL, my uncle used to do his house in those big beautiful bulbs (I think they were C9s--does that sound right?)
Anyhow, my aunt used to joke that their "electric meter spins faster than her mind when they get the bill from it"

 

[MacNut]

LOL, my uncle used to do his house in those big beautiful bulbs (I think they were C9s--does that sound right?)
Anyhow, my aunt used to joke that their "electric meter spins faster than her mind when they get the bill from it"

Ya the old C9s were power hogs. And a pain to hang.

 

[Apple fanboy]

How about a third option of not bothering at all? That's what I do!

 

[Allyance]

LOL, my uncle used to do his house in those big beautiful bulbs (I think they were C9s--does that sound right?)
Anyhow, my aunt used to joke that their "electric meter spins faster than her mind when they get the bill from it"

We had a historic house in upstate NY, and used to put the old series light strings on the hedge across the front. I got tired of trying to figure out which lamp burned out in the middle of the winter, so I switched to the 110v C9's (in parallel). Beautiful, had to install 2 30 amps circuits to run them! Built a outlet board with two set of GFI outlets for safety, then ran 3 or 4 extension cords for each side. That got too expensive after a while.

 

[jeyf]

days of old led's came in (3) colors; red, green and blue. Also infra red which was their most efficient color. Now a days you can get any color you want. Current led construction uses the infra red emission onto colored phosphor. The phosphor can be any color.

dont they sell premium led Christmas lights to simulate the old A9 light bulbs?

 

[Tech198]

I don't really mind..... all u gotta do is show me a house that sparkles at night time in different colors, and i'll slow down..

What you go with, it'll get attention