Permanent vs. Seasonal Christmas Lights

Seasonal Christmas lights are clipped to your roofline for the holidays and taken down after, so your home looks like itself the rest of the year. Seasonal fits most homes that want a classic Christmas look and nothing fastened to the house; permanent fits owners who want the roofline lit for many holidays a year and plan to stay put. Permanent lights don’t come down: they’re mounted in a track along the eaves and usually run from an app all year. We install seasonal lights, not permanent ones.

What’s the difference between permanent and seasonal Christmas lights?

It comes down to how long the lights stay on your house.

Seasonal lights go up in the fall and come down after the holidays. They’re strands clipped along the roofline and peaks, plus trees or bushes if you like. When they come off, the house looks the way it did before.
Permanent lights don’t come down. Most are LED lights set in a thin track fastened along the fascia or under the eaves, wired to a controller and run from a phone app all year.

Does Double Take install permanent lights?

No. We install seasonal lights, and we don’t install permanent lights. We hang your lights in the fall, take them down on a date you pick, and pack them into labeled bins in our storage unit until next year. If a permanent system fits you better, this guide shows what to ask.

What do permanent lights look like during the day?

By day, a permanent track is a thin strip along your fascia or eaves. Most are made to blend in with the trim, but how much it shows depends on your trim color and roofline.

Seasonal lights show by day while they’re up. Because we measure your roofline and custom-cut every strand, there are no extra cords or spare lights hanging off the house, and once they come down, nothing is left behind.

Do permanent lights damage your house?

Installed well, a permanent track shouldn’t cause trouble, but it is fastened to your house, usually with screws into the fascia or soffit. If it ever comes down, expect small holes to patch and paint.

Seasonal lights don’t have to leave a mark, as long as they go up with clips instead of nails or staples. Our professional clips grip your roofline without puncturing shingles, leave no sticky residue and never pull on your gutters. Here’s how a seasonal install works, start to finish.

How does Idaho weather affect each one?

Treasure Valley winters bring cold snaps, wind, snow and ice along the eaves. Boise’s first measurable snow comes around November 23 on average, so seasonal lights are easiest to hang on a dry roofline in early to mid November. Here’s when to hang lights in Boise.

We use commercial-grade LED lights and a weather-ready install built for Idaho winters. If the weather knocks something loose mid-season, call us and we’ll come back to fix it.

A permanent system stays outside through every season, from winter ice to the long, hot Boise summer. Ask any installer how it holds up to sun and cold, who fixes a section that goes dark, and what the warranty covers.

Do HOAs allow permanent Christmas lights?

It depends on your HOA, so read your CC&Rs before you commit to either one.

Permanent tracks are a lasting change to the outside of your home, so your HOA may want an approval request before the install.
Seasonal lights come down after the holidays, but some HOAs have rules on how early they go up and when they come down. Tell us when you ask for a quote, and we’ll plan the install and takedown to match.

We haven’t found a Treasure Valley city rule on when holiday lights have to come down, so your HOA’s rules are the ones to check.

Pros and cons of seasonal Christmas lights

Pro: nothing stays on the house. After takedown, your home goes right back to normal.
Pro: change it every year. Light the front this year, add the sides next year, wrap a tree, or add wreaths and garland.
Pro: a smaller decision. Nothing is fastened to your home for years.
Con: it’s a yearly job. The lights go up every fall and come down every winter. With us, that’s our job, and every fall we text you to get back on the schedule.
Con: book early. Install calendars fill up as the holidays get closer.

Here’s what changes the price of a seasonal install.

Are permanent Christmas lights worth it?

They can be, for the right home. Here’s the trade-off.

Pro: no yearly ladder work. Once the track is up, nobody hangs or takes down the roofline again.
Pro: any night of the year. Most systems run from an app, with settings for any holiday.
Con: the up-front cost. A permanent system is usually a much bigger one-time cost than a season of installed lights.
Con: it’s fastened to the house. Taking a track down later means patching holes.
Con: it shows by day. The track is on your trim all year, even when it’s off.
Con: roofline only. Trees, bushes, wreaths and garland are still a seasonal job.
Con: approval and power. You may need HOA approval, and the system has to be wired to power on the house.

Which one is right for your home?

Seasonal is a good fit if you want a classic Christmas look, you’d like trees, bushes, wreaths or garland too, you don’t want anything fastened to your house, or you might move in a few years.
A permanent system may fit if you want your roofline lit for many holidays a year, you plan to stay put for a long time, and you don’t mind a track on your trim.

Who installs seasonal Christmas lights in the Treasure Valley?

We do, for homes and businesses across Boise and the Treasure Valley. We custom-cut every strand, hang it all with roof-safe clips, test every strand and walk the display with you before we leave. We also wrap trees and bushes and hang wreaths and garland. We’re locally owned, fully insured and based in Meridian.

Want clear glass behind the lights? Fall, after sprinkler season, is a good time for exterior window cleaning and gutter cleaning, before the clips go on. Get a free window quote.

Get your free lighting quote and tell us how much of the house you want lit: front only, front and sides, or front, sides and back. We answer every quote request within one business day, with zero pressure to book. Or call or text (208) 418-7929, Monday through Saturday, 8am to 7pm.

Permanent vs. Seasonal Christmas Lights: Which Is Right for Your Boise Home?