It’s not too late for those holiday lights

Just because you haven’t gotten around to it, it’s not too late to get those Christmas lights up this weekend and enjoy a couple of weeks of brightness through the holidays.

This week on Home Matters, Pete and Rob welcome David Gerkin from Junction True Value in West Seattle, to the show to talk all things light.

Forget those old incandescent bulbs. David says LED is the way to go. They’re about 80 percent more energy efficient, and you can get a reel with up to 200 lights on a single strand. They also easily connect, so you can quickly and conveniently run as long a string as you want with little effort.

Some traditionalists have shied away from them because of the flickering, but David says the chips have gotten a lot better over the past few years to produce a much warmer and steadier stream of light.

While you can get plenty of colors, clear is the most popular choice these days. Many people are going with the classic light rather than some of the greens and other hues that were more popular in past seasons.

Hanging lights has gotten a lot easier too. You don’t need to climb that wet, slippery ladder as much thanks to retractable poles that let you hang the lights from ground level. And rather than just hanging them on a bunch of nails hastily banged into the side of the house, you can get all in one clips that easily connect to the gutter or under your shingles.

Rob warns sticking a nail or hook into your fascia or siding can too easily cause damage and lead to rot, so it’s a good idea to spend a couple of bucks for those clips instead.

When it comes time to put your lights away after the holidays are over, David says don’t just bundle them up and throw them back in the box or crate. A simple solution is to cut out a bow tie piece of cardboard and then wrap the lights around to avoid those annoying tangles and broken lights when you open the box again next year.

This week’s Home Matters is brought to you by Junction True Value Hardware in West Seattle