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Christmas lights bring instant holiday cheer, whether they’re adorning a Christmas tree, fireplace mantel, stair banister, or a home’s exterior. When it comes time to shop for Christmas lights, however, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available.
Luckily, you can ensure you’re getting a great product by knowing where to shop. The following recommendations for the best places to buy Christmas lights were selected based on their brand reputation, consistent product quality, and excellent value.
1. Walmart
Known for: Walmart offers everyday low prices on countless household items, including Christmas lights.
Price: $ to $$$
Our Recommendation: Holiday Time Clear Mini Christmas Lights—Get at Walmart for $8.82
This mini Christmas light set from Holiday Time includes 300 incandescent lights. Customers can choose between clear or multicolor lights for a total lighted length of 59 feet. The lights are safe to use both indoors and outdoors and feature green wiring that camouflages and blends into any tree or garland.
Walmart was founded in 1962 and today has 10,526 stores worldwide where shoppers can buy everything from groceries to clothing to holiday decorations. Walmart offers both in-store and online shopping via walmart.com.
When it comes to Christmas lights, Walmart has thousands of products available, ranging from affordable strings of indoor mini lights to heavy-duty options designed to withstand harsh winter weather outdoors. If you’re doing some last-minute shopping, Walmart is great in a pinch; there are a number of picks that’ll ship straight to your door within 2 days.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Walmart
2. Christmas Lights Etc.
Known for: Christmas Lights Etc. offers thousands of holiday light options and other festive decorations.
Price: $$ to $$$$
Our Recommendation: C7 Warm White LED Christmas Lights—Get at Christmas Lights Etc. for $17.99
These C7 LED Christmas lights are retro in shape and design and feature warm white light. The bulbs are spaced 8 inches apart and the string features a total of 25 lights, each of which has a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours.
While shoppers can purchase Christmas lights from any number of big-box retailers, those who are looking for something specific may have better luck with a niche shop like Christmas Lights Etc. This online store opened in 2000 and specializes in holiday decorations, though its offerings aren’t limited to Christmas lights. The store also sells Halloween lighting, patio decorations, and a variety of artificial Christmas trees. Christmas Lights Etc. also sells individual bulbs in a variety of sizes, styles, and colors—just in case you’re in need of a replacement bulb.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Christmas Lights Etc.
3. Amazon
Known for: Shoppers can find almost anything their hearts desire on Amazon, including a wide selection of Christmas lights.
Price: $ to $$$$
Our Recommendation: BrizLabs Incandescent Christmas Lights—Get on Amazon for $28.99
Get a 300-count pack of Christmas lights at an affordable price with BrizLabs’s Incandescent Christmas Lights. Go traditional or choose a unique color option, like purple or orange, for an offbeat look.
Amazon is an expansive multinational company with branches reaching into nearly any industry one can imagine. Alongside Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook, it’s one of the country’s Big Five information technology companies. Amazon’s online retail business seems to get more popular every year, with shoppers being drawn in by the site’s competitive pricing and wide product availability.
When it comes to holiday decorations, Amazon has a wealth of options, with more than 10,000 results for Christmas lights alone. Those who are on a budget will likely find what they need, and subscribers to Amazon’s Prime membership program get free 2-day shipping on all of their orders.
Shop all Christmas Lights on Amazon
4. Festive Lights
Known for: Festive Lights, as the name suggests, offers a wide variety of Christmas decorations with a focus on lighting.
Price: $$ to $$$$
Our Recommendation: Smart App Controlled Twinkly Christmas Fairy Lights, Gold Edition—Get at Festive Lights for $250
These smart fairy lights come with a free mobile app that allows users to control them remotely via smartphone. Customers can get creative by drawing their own designs in the app, which are then transmitted via Wi-Fi to the lights. This high-tech pick not only allows for a variety of gold, silver, and bronze color combinations but can even be synced with the beat of the music for a multisensory light show effect.
Festive Lights is based in the UK and has been providing holiday decorating options since 1999. Today, the company offers worldwide shipping. It offers a wide variety of options in terms of lighting, from simple string lights to more high-tech smart lighting systems that are sure to impress the neighbors. Festive Lights also sells accessories for shoppers who need to perfect their indoor and outdoor setups. It’s important to note that U.S.-based shoppers are required to pay for shipping for orders of $300 or less.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Festive Lights
5. Lowe’s
Known for: Lowe’s is more than just a standard hardware store and offers a variety of household products and essentials.
Price: $$ to $$$
Our Recommendation: GE Energy Smart Multicolor LED Christmas String Lights—Get at Lowe’s for $39.98
GE Energy Smart 100-Count Multicolor LED Plug-In Christmas String Lights have a classic C9 shape with a diamond-cut finish but use energy-efficient LED lights. The 66-foot string features 100 lights, and it continues to operate even if one bulb burns out.
Founded in North Carolina in 1921, Lowe’s has been around for 100 years. Until 1989, Lowe’s was the biggest hardware store chain in the nation, until the company was surpassed by The Home Depot. Lowe’s has 2,197 stores in the United States and Canada and also runs a robust online shopping hub.
Lowe’s Christmas light section is well organized, guiding shoppers to choose the style, color, and type of lights they’re looking for in order to narrow down their options. It has thousands of picks for holiday lighting and is well stocked with products from the industry’s top brands.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Lowe’s
6. Pottery Barn
Known for: Pottery Barn offers stylish rustic furniture and home decor items that are perennially on-trend.
Price: $$$ to $$$$
Our Recommendation: Rustic Leaf String Lights—Get at Pottery Barn for $59
These rustic string lights features mini LED lights as well as glittering artificial leaves to create a classy effect on a dining table centerpiece, banister, or doorframe.
Pottery Barn is a high-end home goods chain that has been around since 1949. The brand is known for its rustic chic furniture and decor items and has a number of stores in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Mexico. Over the years, Pottery Barn’s offerings have expanded to include additional branches and collections, such as Pottery Barn Teen and Pottery Barn Apartment.
Pottery Barn is a go-to shopping destination for those looking for on-trend holiday decorations—though the number of available products is more limited than at larger big-box retailers. While Pottery Barn may only offer a smaller selection of Christmas lights, shoppers can be assured that any product they choose from this retailer will be stylish and of top-notch quality.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Pottery Barn
7. Target
Known for: Target is a one-stop shop for affordable clothing, groceries, household essentials, and holiday decor.
Price: $ to $$$
Our Recommendation: Christmas LED Starburst Novelty Lights—Get at Target for $20.00
These Christmas LED Starburst Novelty Lights lend sparkle to any holiday display. With 140 multicolor twinkling lights this 2-pack provides a pop of color inside or outside. Battery-powered, they don’t require an outlet and they come with a timer for easy shut-off.
Target is the country’s eighth-largest retailer, with 1,844 stores in the U.S. as of 2019. Target has become a popular shopping destination for home decor items in recent years, with on-trend picks that rival the options available at much pricier chains.
When it comes to holiday decorating, Target has just about anything you could imagine, including a wide variety of Christmas lights. The pricing is always competitive, and Christmas lights start as low as $5. The site makes it easy for shoppers to find what they’re looking for by subcategorizing LED lights, incandescent lights, projection lighting, lit decor, and electrical supplies.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Target
8. Bronner’s
Known for: Bronner’s is considered by many to be the world’s largest Christmas store, with a massive holiday-themed store in Frankenmuth, Michigan.
Price: $ to $$$
Our Recommendation: Santa With Tree Night Light—Get at Bronner’s for $22.99
While Christmas string lights are easy to come by, Bronner’s offers unique holiday lighting options like this Santa With Tree Night Light, which features Santa making a special delivery.
Those living near Frankenmuth, Michigan, are certainly familiar with Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the self-appointed “World’s Largest Christmas Store.” Located in a chalet-style building situated on 7.35 acres, the store was founded in 1945 by Wally Bronner and is visited by 2 million shoppers every year.
Bronner’s stock is expansive, and even those living outside of Michigan can get a taste of the store’s offerings through the online store. A search for “Christmas lights” brings up 225 options, ranging from simple string lights, to holiday-themed nightlights, to lighted tree toppers, and more.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Bronner’s
9. Grandin Road
Known for: Grandin Road specializes in unique home decor and has a well-curated selection of Christmas decorations.
Price: $$ to $$$
Our Recommendation: Vintage Pastel Light Strand—Get at Grandin Road for $31.60
This strand of pastel lights has a retro style with pastel bulbs in a curlicue shape. They’re safe to use both indoors and outdoors, and the store sells replacement bulbs as needed.
Along with other esteemed interior brands like Frontgate, Ballard Designs, and Garnet Hill, Grandin Road is part of Cornerstone Brands. The company began sending out its product catalog in 2003, and today it reaches millions of households every year.
Holiday decorations are a particular specialty at Grandin Road, and shoppers can find figurines, ornaments, tree skirts, and other decor items along with lighting options. While Grandin Road may not have a wide variety of Christmas light options on its site, all of the products available are unique and are designed to stand out from the readily available holiday decor that you’ll find elsewhere.
Shop all Christmas Lights at Grandin Road
10. Etsy
Known for: Etsy is a go-to for finding vintage treasures and hand-made artisanal goods.
Price: $ to $$$$
Our Recommendation: Vintage Christmas Tree Lights—Get at Etsy for $32.95
While innovations in technology have given us long-lasting LED light bulbs with long lifespans, there’s still something charming about vintage Christmas lights. This string of vintage Christmas tree lights comes in a vintage Noma box and is still functional despite being decades old.
Etsy is an online marketplace where individual vendors can sell vintage finds and hand-made items. It’s an excellent place to find one-of-a-kind gifts and unique items that support small businesses. Shoppers can even narrow their search to find local vendors and artisans in their area. There are seemingly countless categories of products on Etsy, from clothing and accessories to art, paper goods, personalized gifts, and home decor items. When it comes to holiday shopping, consider Etsy for nostalgic retro Christmas ornaments and even working Christmas lights from decades past.