Christmas Lights Etiquette - When to Deck the Halls (Sponsored)

If you've visited downtown Boise lately, you may have noticed that it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! There trees have shed their leaves, there's snow covering our mountains, and downtown holiday decorations are already out in full force. But, how early is too early for decking the halls?

It's a hot debate here in the Treasure Valley.

If you install your Christmas lights in early November, you risk judgement from neighbors and friends who all have commentary on it being too soon. However, if you wait until after Thanksgiving, we're typically covered in two feet of snow. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to hang string lights during Snowpocalypse.

Is there a 'perfect' time to hang holiday lights? We wanted to find out!

According to Apartment Therapy, etiquette experts and neighbors alike, consider the day after Thanksgiving to be the appropriate time to hang Christmas lights. At this point, Santa has already welcomed the season on the Macy's Day Parade. With full tummies, we can look ahead at the next holiday.

Bad news? According to the Weather Network, Black Friday is also going to be a very cold day. With snow in our forecast here in the Treasure Valley, and temperatures in the high 30s, the record heat wave we experienced this summer has come and gone.

If this year is anything like years past, we can look for temperatures to vary between high 30s to low 20s.

So what do we do? There's a couple options.

Hang Your Lights Early

Who cares what your neighbors think? It's your home and you've been waiting all year to hang those suckers! Not only can you hang your lights in ideal weather, but you can be the first house on the block to bring the holiday cheer.

Alternatively, you can hang the lights early in the season yet wait to turn them on until the day after Thanksgiving. If you're great at planning ahead, and just can't wait to start playing holiday music, this can be a great option! Not only is this neighborhood approved, but it will make the transfer from Thanksgiving to Christmas that much more of a breeze!

Hire Someone to Install Your Christmas Lights for You

Something I tested out for the first time this year, is having someone install my Christmas lights for me. I didn't need to go through the attic to find my lights, worry about the weather, or the concern of going up my neighbors old ladder. Best part? Most companies here in the Treasure Valley not only install your lights for you, but they take them down as well. Yes, Christmas wishes really do come true!

I was even able to sneak some Seattle Seahawks colors in my design, and that's alright, because I can decorate differently next year if I want to.

There's some fantastic companies in town, but I used All Pro Lighting for reference.

Install Your Christmas Lights After Black Friday

Let's face it. It's cold, but the season always seems to sneak up on us! Whether it's early December or the night before Christmas, you want to get into the festive spirit, but you had other things to do. Like, enjoying a pumpkin spice latte in the new holiday mugs!

Not only can you compare how your house could look compared to your neighbors by waiting, but chances are you were able to score your seasonal decorations during an awesome Black Friday deal as well!

It might be 15 degrees outside, and you might not be able to feel your left leg, but it's ok, because the holiday lights are up!

Regardless of when you hang your holiday lights, just remember, it's whatever works for you! Whether you love planning in September, perhaps you would rather pay someone to hang your lights while you sip hot coco and watch Elf, or maybe you're out there in the cold enjoying the festive spirit on December 24th, there's recommended ideas, but the when is completely up to you. That is of course, if you even want to hang lights at all!

Just remember, some neighbors can be just as opinionated about how late you keep your Christmas lights up after the holiday season. But we'll save that conversation for another day.