# Leasing Christmas Lights or Buying Your Own: Which Fits?

> Buy lights if you will hang them yourself for years. Lease when you want nothing to climb, fix, take down or store: one payment from $650 covers it all.

Page: https://fannonpropertyservices.com/guides/lease-or-buy-christmas-lights/  
Last changed: 2026-10-30

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# Lease the lights, or buy your own?

A box of strings is the small part. The job that comes with it every year is what you are really choosing.

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![A red and white roofline after dark](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/assets/own/portfolio/img_6520.webp)

*Red and white on a roofline, with a lit chimney and tree.*

## Buy, or lease.

| What you get | Buy your own | Lease from us |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fits when | You like the job and will do it for years | You want nothing to climb, fix or store |
| What you pay for | Strings, clips, cords and a timer | One payment, from $650 |
| Who owns them | You | We do; nothing stays with you |
| Hanging and takedown | You, every season | Us, with photos after the takedown |
| A bulb goes out | You, from a ladder | We fix it |
| Storage | Your attic or garage | Ours, all year |

### Is it better to buy Christmas lights or lease them from an installer?

Buy them when you will hang them yourself for years: a string bought once is yours, and LED strings, says the Department of Energy, are more durable and last longer. Lease them when you want nothing to climb, fix, take down or store. With us one payment from $650 covers all of that for a single-story front roofline near Annapolis.

## Three seasons, two ways

4 jobs

Come with a box of lights you own, every season: check, hang, take down, store.

Owning them means replacing any string with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections, says the NFPA.

*Drawing of three seasons: on the buying path each season has four steps, buy or check, hang, take down and store; on the leasing path each season is one payment*

- **3** sets of incandescent lights at most plugged end to end, says the CPSC
- **1** payment a season when you lease from us

Sources: National Fire Protection Association and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Checked on 11 October 2026.

## Rather lease them?

- ![Red, green and white lights on a roofline and a tree](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/assets/own/portfolio/img_6579.webp) [Christmas lights](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/christmas-lights/) Our leased lights: design, timer, fixes, takedown and storage.
- ![Red and white lights across the front of a two-story home and its garage](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/assets/own/portfolio/img_0583.webp) [What Christmas lights cost](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/guides/christmas-light-installation-cost/) What the one payment covers and what moves it.
- [Hire an installer or hang your own](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/guides/christmas-light-installer-or-diy/) The ladder rules, and when to hand the job over.

## Questions about owning or leasing

### Can I buy the lights from you instead of leasing them?

No. What we offer is a lease: the lights stay ours, and we put them up, fix them during the season, bring them down once the New Year is in and keep them in our storage. If owning your Christmas lights matters to you, buying your own strings and hanging them yourself is the better fit.

### Are LED Christmas lights worth paying more for?

Usually, if you plan to keep them for years. The Department of Energy's Energy Saver program says LED lights cost far less to run than incandescent ones, are more durable, last longer and are less of a fire risk.

### How many strings of Christmas lights can I plug together?

For incandescent sets, never more than three, says the CPSC. For any set, the NFPA says to read the maker's instructions for the number of strands that may be connected.

### When should I throw old light strings away?

When a cord is worn or broken or a bulb connection is loose: the NFPA says to replace a string like that. ESFI adds that every light string and extension cord should be inspected for damage before it is used.

### How do I replace a bulb or fuse on lights I own?

Unplug the string first. ESFI says always to unplug electrical decorations before replacing bulbs or fuses, and to keep light strings and extension cords clear of snow and standing water.

### Can indoor Christmas lights go outside?

Not unless the label says so. The NFPA notes that some lights are made for indoor or outdoor use but not both, and ESFI says every cord and decoration used outdoors must be marked for outdoor use and plugged into a GFCI-protected outlet.

Sources and further reading

- [Department of Energy LED lights](https://www.energy.gov/articles/how-do-holiday-lights-work)

## Get a free estimate.

Nothing to buy and nothing to store. Give us the address and the look you want.

[Call (443) 223-8643](tel:+14432238643)

[How estimates work](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/estimates/) [Towns we cover](https://fannonpropertyservices.com/service-area/)

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