When it comes to outdoor Christmas decor, you can go one of two ways: subtle, quiet, understated, and sophisticated, or bright, flashing, colorful, and nostalgic. Whether white or color LED Christmas lights are better can get surprisingly heated!
So let’s take a look. Which Christmas look is superior? Which one evokes the true spirit of Christmas? Let’s get into it!
The Look: Classic vs Nostalgic
This is a classic Christmas-time debate: Do you want to go for white or something more colorful for your track lights? Finding a solution could well save your marriage (or at least cut a few arguments short …).
Classic white has a lot going for it: It’s subtle pretty, and it evokes the feeling of entering somewhere warm and lovely on a cold, frosty winter night. It can highlight the beauty of your home without being over-the-top, and it won’t clash with your outdoor decorations. A gentle twinkling pattern like Starry can bring about the feeling of Christmas magic in a sophisticated and understated way.
On the other hand, colorful lights are nostalgic. They remind us of Christmas mornings as kids, waking up to presents under a tinsel-covered tree. There’s just something infectiously joyful about it.
The vibe is very different for both. Depending on which look you choose, you can really switch up the way the exterior of your home feels, and it’s easy to complement your outdoor decor using flood lights in matching colors, too. Flood lights in warm white will make your home and garden glow in a warm, welcoming way, while colorful flood lights create a fun, dramatic display—perfect for lighting up inflatable snowmen!
HOA Compliance vs Showstopping Displays
One thing to note is that you may have HOA compliance to think about. If you live in an area with a homeowners association, you need to check the guidance to see what is allowed and what isn’t when it comes to holiday decorating. (If you’re seeking HOA approval to install Gemstone Lights, we can help!)
If you’re ever unsure, warm white is the best choice; a subtle animation like Starry or Sway is always a safe, understated choice and can evoke a lovely glittery feeling without being too over-the-top.
But if your HOA gives you the go-ahead—or you live in an area without one—you can design your Christmas lights without thinking about limits. Some neighborhoods go all-out with their Christmas lights or may even encourage neighborhood-wide themes—smart lighting makes it super easy to join in without buying new lights each year.
If you want to draw attention to your home, we’d recommend using one of our animations. Select Wave with different colors to enjoy soft, gradual movement or Marquee for more of a party vibe. You can see them in action in our Animations gallery, and they’re fun to play around with.
Subtle vs Dramatic
Even if you’re set on white or colorful lights, within each category, there are countless variations to choose from, which can completely change how your lights feel when you look at them from the street. Take the below example from our Instagram:
This is a cool, almost blue-toned white that is very evocative of cold, frosty nights. Compare that to this example from our gallery:
This is an entirely different feeling, a little cozier, but both have a classic and understated look. If you have a modern home, you like a clean aesthetic, and your indoor decor is subtle and sophisticated, classic white is the perfect option to create a sense of continuity between outdoors and indoors.
Meanwhile, if you want colors, you can’t ever go wrong with a classic red, white, and green option, like this one from our gallery:
Or, capture the nostalgia of old-fashioned C7/C9 bulbs by setting your lights to all the colors of the rainbow, like this option from our gallery:
In terms of which to go for, you could also match your outdoor Christmas lights to your interior decor. If you like a classic Christmas look, you can’t really go wrong with red, white, and green. But the latter example is perfect if you like that ’80s bright and colorful look.
You can create custom Christmas patterns, so if you have a specific theme for your indoor decor (like Scandi-style red and white, or electric pink, blues, and greens) you can set these up so create a smooth transition from outdoors to indoors.
Why Not Have Both?
The excellent thing about smart lights is that they can be switched up however you want, whenever you want.
If you have opposing opinions in your household about whether you should go for classic, twinkly Christmas white or a bold, vibrant, pulsing array of colors, you don’t have to argue: just do both. We’d recommend setting up a system: perhaps alternating nights or having warm white lights in the week and red and green over the weekend.
Plus, setting up party lights for special Christmas occasions is easy. Hosting a kid’s party? Choose the brightest, most fun flashing lights for them. Have a dinner party with friends? Go for sophisticated, twinkling white to set the vibe.
These can be scheduled in advance using timers. Using the new app, you’ll have access to 64 timers at once, which means your Christmas timers won’t interfere with the regular timers you use in everyday life.
So perhaps the answer isn’t white or colorful; maybe the answer is both!
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Do you have pre-made Christmas patterns on the app?
Answer: Yes! The app offers a range of festive options for all holidays, not just Christmas. You can browse them, test them out on your lights, and even customize them to suit your taste.
Question: Can I make specific lights a different color than the rest?
Answer: Yes. You can isolate and control specific lights. This means making certain areas stand out, which can create an impact that ranges from subtle to striking.
Using the new app, you can control up to 4,096 lights individually. This means if you want to control specific areas (for example, many of our customers want to have a different color for entryways into the house), you can isolate those lights and create a ‘zone’ for them, controlling those areas separately.
This means you can highlight your home’s architectural features, even at Christmastime, and make the lights work for your property’s specific, unique features.
Question: Can I change my lights even if I’m not at home?
Answer: Yes, you can change the lights from anywhere! If you have an internet-connected device with our app installed, you can switch up the lights from work, on your commute, or even while on vacation. You can check the real-time status of your lights, too, so you can tell if someone in the house is playing around with them (always helpful if you have kids around).
Our Final Thoughts
The beauty of our smart lights is that you can control them at any time. That means no ladders, no string lights, and no effort.
Plus, if you ever change your mind and feel like going for bright colors after years of classic white, it’s easy to change over using the app. It’s one of the reasons why our customers enjoy using their lights in the festive season; they can concentrate on putting up their Christmas tree instead!
If you want to learn more, contact one of our Authorized Dealers for a quote.