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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Lifestyle
Ellie Davis

Best Christmas lights in 2024: Tree lights and outdoor decorations for your home

The most magical time of the year has earned its reputation largely due to the influx of twinkly lights that fill our streets and homes during the Christmas period.

While not an expensive purchase, the addition of string illumination around our trees, lining the trims to our humble abodes and strung in mid-air in bright hues and angelic shapes ignites a childlike sense of wonder and delight. Done right, it can be a real sight to behold.

The annual switch-on event sees the most well-known streets in the city ceremoniously complimented with LED light displays, from Regent’s Street to Carnaby. This marks the start of the most wonderful time of the year and turns even the darkest of days into a winter wonderland.

You can recreate the seasonal feeling with twinkling delights in the comfort of your own space. It need not be limited to solely fairy lights though. Giving your home a Christmassy glow-up includes installing the help of classic winter figures like adorable baby penguins or sweet snowmen as well as tree toppers and wreaths.

Some of this year’s biggest decoration themes include adorning door frames and mantlepieces with foliage, baubles and some well-placed lights. And when it comes to the traditional tree decoration, Christmas 2024 is all about the bigger, the brighter, the better – minimalism is so last year.

What’s more, these sparkling pieces will set the mood for your winter hosting. Whether it’s the festive feast or pre-big day celebrations, creating a cosy ambience is of the utmost importance and the easiest way to create this vibe is through soft lighting – this means forgoing the daunting big light and opting instead for the warm glow of lit seasonal staples (as well as the flickering of a beautifully scented candle).

Shop the best indoor and outdoor Christmas lights below

Indoor Christmas lights

Lights4fun 20 Warm White LED Connectable Christmas Candle Indoor Fairy Lights

For Harry Potter fans young and old, bring the magic of Hogwarts' Great Hall home with the help of Lights4fun. They're selling this string of candle lights, that in the dark, look as though they are floating in thin air. Accio Christmas cheer!

Buy now £27.00, Amazon

Christmas Tree Star Topper Lights

This star-shaped light-up Christmas tree topper cannot go unmissed. Like a beacon of glowing, golden Christmas light, you don't even need the extra plug. Completely battery operated, we predict this tree topper will be a big hit this Christmas - affordable but luxe, it's the perfect topper to wow the crowd. Available in silver too.

Buy now £22.99, Amazon

Lights4fun 1.8m Paper Star LED Christmas String Lights

Star light, star bright - bring a warm festive glow to your interiors with this 1.8m strand of lights, finished with paper stars to give a Christmassy glow. They work with three AA batteries (not provided) which means you’re not tethered to a socket - you can drape them anywhere around the home that needs a bit of dressing up.

Buy now, Lights4fun

Christmas Wreath with Lights 20 Inch Pre-Lit

This trad-look festive wreath has 40 LED bulbs in and amongst the artificial fir branches, gold leaf and berries and festive pinecones. It needs three AA batteries (not included), is waterproof and comes with a timer so you can hang it on your front door without worrying about remembering to turn it off.

Buy now £46.40, Amazon

Yosion LED String Fairy Christmas Lights

With 8 different light effects and memory function, these LED fairy lights are placed on dark green wire cable to match with classic Christmas trees and produce a warm glowing light. Priced at £12.99, they’re also perfect for decorating on a budget. Various sizes available.

Buy now £12.99, Amazon

Outdoor Christmas lights

WeRChristmas Extra Thick Pre-Lit Mixed Pine Garland

For a traditional take on a garland, this pine piece will do the trick. WeRChristmas has done the hard work for us with the 9ft thick mantle or door decoration. The accent is mains operated with a 3m wire and adorned with 80 LEDs, 12 pine cones and 32 sets of berries.

Buy now £59.99, Amazon

ANSIO Christmas Lights 720 LED 9m/29ft Cluster Christmas Tree Lights for Indoor & Outdoor

One of the easiest ways to really plump up your Christmas tree is by using cluster lights. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, this 720 LED cluster light set comes with a 10m lead wire and a timer.

It's not just a plug-in and walk-away setup either, although it certainly can be, this clever kit has eight different light settings including a slow fade, waves, slow glow, flash, sequential, and twinkle. And of course, if you prefer a static setting it's as simple as just plugging it in. There is also a multi-colour option.

Buy now £33.12, Amazon

Lights4Fun 10m 20 LED Twinkly Smart App Controlled Festoon Lights Amber & White

Turn your phone or home tablet into a remote for these lights which can be operated through a smartphone app over WiFi. Twenty LEDs roll through warm hues (amber, white and warm white) to create an enchanting glow and can be arranged to create a display. They’re also compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so you can switch them on just by saying it out loud.

Buy now £89.99, Lights4Fun

Habitat 30 Warm White Festoon String Light

While most festoon lights have a clear bulb, Habitat’s design is semi-opaque, creating a much softer glow that’s more for creating atmosphere than real lighting. The 3V lights consist of 30 bulbs on 14.3m of cable with the initial length measuring 5m so you can plug it into the mains indoors.

Buy now £40.00, Argos

Lights4fun 60cm Pre Lit Outdoor Christmas Wreath

A classy Christmas pairing, this pre-lit wreath will make an elegant addition to any home. Using six AA batteries (sold separately) you can set a timer for six hours of gorgeous nighttime illumination.

Buy now £74.99, Lights4fun

Festoon Lighting 15M 120 LED Battery Operated Globe Lights

Suitable for outdoor and indoor decoration​, this 15-metre multicoloured festoon globe light strand comes complete with a remote control where you can select eight different types of flashing modes.

Using three AA batteries, this set is also waterproof and offers a one-year replacement and refund warranty — so if something should go awry within those 12 months, you'll be okay for next Christmas.

Buy now £15.99, Amazon

Santa's Savers 100 LED Battery Lights

This small five-metre box of warm LED battery-operated lights is perfect for city flats and those looking to decorate with a sprinkling of Christmas rather than a smothering.

Buy now £4.99, The Range

noel LED Icicle Lights

Give your windows the Christmas treatment with magical icicle embellishments. These LEDs can be used both inside and outside with eight functions like a chasing effect to bring sparkle and festive feels. There are 600 or 1000 LEDs on an eight-metre wire. They come in white, warm white, blue and this mix of blue and white.

Buy now £17.99, The Range

Premier Decorations - 960 Multi Action Snowing Icicles LED Lights with Timer

Add shimmer and sparkle to your home with this epic 960 LED set of fairy lights that will serve to illuminate the entire space. There are a variety of settings, from subtle to the full Christmas touch. The bulbs are energy efficient and there’s a timer for eight or 16 hours. It is 33.8 metres in length and can be used both indoors and out.

Buy now £50.00, Amazon

Kwaiffeo Christmas Lights Outdoor Decorations, 10 Tube 240LED Meteor Shower Lights

Hang the icicle lights at the front of your house or from one tree to another for a cascading water effect. There is 16ft of cable and the lights can be used inside and outside.

Buy now £19.99, Amazon

NOMA 5 Hanging Firework Outdoor String Light, Warm White

Add an interesting touch to the outside of your home with this set of five sparkle lights that are designed to resemble snowflakes or fireworks. The statement pieces can be placed both inside and outside to decorate your home or trees. They are 15cm in diameter, made up of 60 white LEDs and have a six-hour timer built-in.

Buy now £18.99, John Lewis

Snowflake Fairy Lights

These adorable snowflake fairy lights have steady and twinkle settings to create a truly jolly effect. The battery-operated lights have an on/off switch as well as the option for a flash or to remain steady. It’s 20ft long.

Buy now £7.99, Amazon

Lights4fun Pro Connect 50m 500 Blue & White Connectable String Lights Black Cable

Decorate your house and garden with these electric blue fairy lights that feature 500 LEDs on the row. Wrap around tree trunks outside or around a bannister indoors for the full Christmassy effect. The lights are 50m long but if you need for an even larger surface, you can connect multiple together by just screwing them at the end of each set.

Buy now £185.00, Lights4fun

Selfridges Acrylic LED Penguin Family

This adorable penguin family will make a cute accompaniment to your winter wonderland. There are five statues at 12cm made up of white LEDs.

Buy now £45.00, Selfridges

Light Up Reindeer Doe & Fawn Acrylic Christmas Figures

These reindeer lights will give Santa’s Grotto a run for its money and give your home the full Christmas look.

Buy now £129.99, Amazon

Winter Wonderland Acrylic LED Snowman

No winter scene is complete without a snowman and this friendly figure will light up your front garden (literally) with bright hues. It’s made up of multicoloured LEDs with a 5m cable. It measures 60cm x 51cm x 31cm.

Buy now £27.99, The Range

The Christmas Workshop Snowflake Silhouette

Measuring 75cm in height, this snowflake will make a statement addition to your outdoor light display so all you need is a snowy Christmas.

Buy now £36.99, Amazon

CHRISTOW Candy Cane Christmas Lights

Let the whole neighbourhood know how to find you with these colourful outdoor Candy Cane lights. Don't have a path to place them on? Plunk them down in a few indoor houseplants for the Christmas party season.

Buy now £21.99, Amazon

Christmas LED Projector Lights Outdoor

Deck the halls of your home with festive joy and beautiful snowflakes. There’s a reason why this design is so popular – it just feels magical watching the designs dance around across surfaces.

The projector is made of sturdy stuff and will keep the display still through anything the elements throw at it. Place around 5 metres away and adjust as you need with the 360-degree head. There’s also a spike to place into the ground for added stability.

Buy now £35.99, Amazon

Christmas Projector LED Lights

A projector is for life, not just for Christmas and with this model, you can illuminate your home no matter the event. It comes with 12 switchable slides for all occasions. Of course, there are the signature seasonal motifs like a Christmas tree, Santa or a snowman but you’ll also find Halloween-appropriate spooktastic images of ghosts, as well as presents and words to elevate birthday celebrations.

The lights can be used indoors or out (it’s waterproof!) and operate via remote control. There is also a timer setting so you can have it automatically switch on and off.

It affixes to the ground with an underpinning and should be placed within three to five metres for the optimal projecting experience. The lamp is adjustable 180 degrees and you need a power source to plug it in. No batteries required.

Buy now £43.99, Amazon

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