christmascentral.com

As the weather gets warmer and the sun stays out longer, the last thing most people are probably thinking about is Christmas.

Why would you? You’ve got months to worry about Christmas shopping, Christmas decorating, Christmas clean-up and Christmas stress.

But it is always good to get your Christmas planning (and shopping) out of the way early. Why? It’ll save you time, worry and, ultimately, money.

Sales:

Last season’s Christmas designs might be dated by retailer standards, but really, does Christmas ever go out of style? Check sales or closeouts - especially at online retailers like Christmas Central - to find Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, Christmas trees and more for much, much cheaper than you would, say, in November when demand is at its highest.

Plan your decorating:

It’s November, the day after Thanksgiving. And it’s time to hang your Christmas lights. You initially think you could do the same thing you do every year - wrap your trees in lights, cover the bushes, etc. But one strand is dead, three more are missing bulbs, and your wreaths disintegrated after your basement flooded last spring. How are you going to decorate your house?

That’s why it’s a good idea to have a look at how your Christmas decorations, lights and more are stored - you’ll have a better idea of how you want to decorate, and what you have that will make it work. Need to buy new lights? Get them now, while they’re cheap. Planning ahead will only save you headaches.

Those are a couple tips we have for saving yourself Christmas stress in May. Have you got any others?

Christmas lights are a bear to put away (as we mentioned before), but instead of simply stowing them away, why not get some more use out of them? Christmas lights can be repurposed for other uses - accent lighting, crafts, school projects and much more. The best part of reusing them is that you don’t have to deal with putting them away.

The Patio Party

We here at Christmas Central are always up for a good party, and with warm spring and summer weather on the horizon, the patio is where it’s at. Our favorite way to light up the patio? Well, other than tiki torches and lanterns, we’ve found Christmas lights are the best for mood lighting on our patio. Forget a bright, harsh spotlight; just string lights along the railing of your deck or patio for subtle ambient lighting perfect for an evening party.

Got colored Christmas lights but at a loss for making them work out of season? Try this patio light project, courtesy HGTV, using water bottles to jazz up the look. It looks like a pretty simple project, and one that can add a unique look to your patio.

More than just a patio

The Home Improvements Depot has a list of other alternative uses for Christmas lights: Try using them as under-counter lighting, the tried-and-true dorm room decoration route, or (my personal favorite) television backlighting.

Got a bar? Try a project similar to this liquor bottle lamp set up, but instead of an LED touch lamp, try stuffing a bundle of Christmas lights in the bottle - set those bottles up behind your at-home bar and you’ve got a sweet set-up for entertaining.

Another cool DIY decoration: grab a Mason jar (or a mayonnaise, pickle or peanut butter jar, empty of course) and spiral a strand of lights along the outside of the jar. Then fill the empty space with glass beads, marbles or even potpourri. Cap it off, plug it in, and you’ve got a cute little kitchen decoration. With the potpourri, the warmth of the Christmas lights even help spread fragrance.

Have any other ideas? Leave us some comments!

(Photo courtesy the StateHornet.com)