When to Hang Christmas Lights in Oklahoma (and When to Book)

Many Oklahoma homeowners hang Christmas lights between the first week of November and the week before Thanksgiving, when temperatures are still mild enough to work on a ladder. If you want a professional installer, start calling in September or early October, because installation schedules tend to fill up in November.

When is the best time to hang Christmas lights in Oklahoma?

For most of central Oklahoma, the best window is early to mid November. The days are usually still in the 50s and 60s, the ground has not frozen, and you are not working on a roof with numb fingers. Plenty of people like to have everything done before Thanksgiving weekend so the display is ready when the season starts.

Going earlier is fine. Nothing says lights have to be turned on in November, and hanging them on a pleasant October weekend beats doing it on a 35-degree morning. Just leave them unplugged until you want them lit, and test every strand before it goes up.

Going later is where people get into trouble. By December you are more likely to deal with wind, cold, and the occasional ice event, and cords and plastic clips get stiff and brittle in the cold. Bulbs crack, clips snap, and a job that goes quickly on a mild November day can drag on when it is cold and windy.

How do Oklahoma’s fall winds and cold snaps affect a light installation?

Oklahoma weather swings hard in the fall. A 70-degree afternoon can be followed by a north wind and a freeze two days later. That matters for lights in a few practical ways.

• Wind: Loose strands whip against gutters and shingles and wear through insulation on the wire. Every run should be clipped down at regular intervals, not just draped or held by a couple of hooks.
• Cold: Plastic clips and cord jackets lose flexibility as temperatures drop. Hang lights when it is above freezing and, if possible, well above it.
• Ice and moisture: Connections outdoors should be kept off the ground and out of standing water. Ice loads on branches can pull on anything wrapped around them.
• Ground conditions: Stakes for walkway or bed lighting go in much easier before the ground gets hard and dry, or frozen.

If you only remember one thing, it is to plan the install around the forecast, not the calendar. Pick a dry, calm, mild day and have a backup day in mind.

How far ahead should you book a professional holiday lighting installer?

Holiday lighting is a highly seasonal service. Many people want their lights up around the same time, so installer schedules tend to fill up in November. As a general rule, start asking about availability in September or early October. Earlier is better if you have a larger property, a custom design in mind, or an HOA or commercial site with several buildings.

Booking early usually gets you a few things beyond just a date on the calendar: time for a walkthrough, time to settle on a design, and a choice of install dates instead of whatever is left. If you wait until Thanksgiving week, you may find the only openings are in December, or none at all.

We work with residential, commercial, HOA, and government customers, and the same timing logic applies to all of them. Bigger properties need more lead time, not less.

What goes into a professional holiday light installation?

The details vary from company to company, so treat this as a general picture of how a well-run job works, not a description of any one crew’s process. A typical professional installation has a few stages:

1. Walkthrough and planning. Someone looks at the roofline, trees, shrubs, entryway, and power sources, then talks through what you want lit and what you would rather leave alone.
2. Design and materials. The installer decides how many feet of roofline, how many trees to wrap, what colors and bulb types to use, and where power will come from.
3. Installation. Lights are clipped in place along the roofline, wrapped on trunks and branches, or set into beds and walkways. Good installers test each section, tuck cords neatly, and set up timers so the display comes on and goes off by itself.
4. Service during the season. Bulbs and strands occasionally fail. It helps to know in advance who to call if a section goes dark.
5. Takedown. Lights come down after the holidays, often in January, and need to be stored properly so they work next year.

Holiday Lighting is one of the services we offer within our landscape design and install work. You can read more on our holiday lighting page.

What should you ask a holiday lighting company before you sign?

Whether you hire us or someone else, a few questions will tell you a lot about how the season will go:

• Is the quote itemized, and does it cover installation, takedown, and storage, or are some of those extra?
• Who supplies the lights, and are they commercial-grade or the same strands you would buy at a store?
• What happens if a section goes out in December, and how quickly can someone come back?
• When will the install happen, and what is the plan if the weather does not cooperate?
• Can they provide proof of insurance? Anyone working on your roof should be able to show it.
• When will the lights come down, and is that date in writing?

Clear, specific answers are a good sign. Vague answers about dates and what is included tend to turn into problems in late November.

DIY or professional: which makes sense for your house?

Plenty of Oklahoma homeowners do a fine job on their own, especially on a one-story home with a straight roofline and a couple of shrubs. If that is you, a few habits help:

• Measure the roofline first so you buy the right amount of lights.
• Test every strand on the ground before hanging it.
• Use clips made for gutters and shingles, not staples or nails, which can damage wiring and the house.
• Plug into a GFCI outlet, and do not run more strands end to end than the package allows. LED strands draw much less power than older incandescent ones, which makes this easier.
• Use a timer so nothing is left on all day.

Professional help makes more sense when the job involves a steep or two-story roof, tall trees, a large property, or several buildings. Ladder falls are a real risk at this time of year, and high rooflines and tall trunks are where most of that risk sits. It also makes sense if you simply do not want to spend a November weekend on a ladder, or if you want a more designed look than a single string along the eaves.

If you are not sure which side of the line your house falls on, it costs nothing to ask. You can reach us through our contact page and tell us about your property and what you have in mind.

A simple timeline to work from

• September to early October: Decide what you want lit, call installers, and check your existing lights if you plan to reuse them.
• Mid to late October: Confirm your install date, replace dead strands, and make sure outdoor outlets and timers work.
• Early to mid November: Installation window, weather permitting.
• Early January: Takedown, and a good time to label and store everything properly.

The main point is that the calendar runs earlier than most people expect. Lights go up in November, but the planning happens in early fall.

Frequently asked questions