Usually, by this point in November, I am happily singing along to just about any Christmas song I can get my ears in the vicinity of. This year, I haven’t been able to get into it yet though. Maybe it’s transitioning to this warmer weather? Maybe it’s enough other life changes happening distracting me from the impending holiday season. Whatever the reason, I am realizing that Christmas is quickly approaching, whether I’m ready or not. Case in point: Home Depot will take your old, broken incandescent holiday lights to recycle and give you a discount on LED strands for three more days! I caught wind of this deal a little late, so I’m kind of rushing to share it with you, but here are the details.

Honestly, I’m not seeing people around me pulling out their Christmas lights yet, but maybe this deal is an incentive to do so. At least having a way to recycle them is great, even if you aren’t super excited about the discount as sales will likely be coming too.

Switching from incandescent Christmas lights isn’t something I’ve really given thought to so far. Their hues are pretty cool, but definitely different than what we grew up with and sometimes change is tough! But maybe making the switch is something I should seriously consider this year.

Here’s why:

LEDs last longer.  Although incandescents are initially cheaper, the EPA says incandescent bulbs typically burn 1,000 hours, while LEDs have a 50,000-hour lifespan and give off up to 10 times the energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you could potentially use the same strand of LED lights for 40 holiday seasons.

LEDs are safer.

• They stay cool, reducing the risk of fire.

• They’re more resistant to breaks because they aren’t made of glass.

• Up to 25 strands can be connected to one another without overloading a wall socket.

LEDs save you money. Yes, they cost more initially, but pay you back in energy cost savings. The estimated cost of buying and operating holiday lights for 10 seasons is $122.19 if you use incandescent C-9 lights, but only $17.99 for LEDs.

If you want more interesting stats to convince you the switch is a good idea, here’s a link to the EPA’s blog post about the topic and here’s what the DOE has to say.

(Thanks to Wachusett Region Recycling Resource for initially bringing the Home Depot deal to my attention in their latest post!)