When to put up and take down Christmas lights.
Up while the roof is dry in November, on whenever you choose, down after New Year's.
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The lights season around Annapolis
Early November to early January.
Hang by the weather, switch on by the calendar, take down once the holidays are over.
4:46 p.m.
is sunset in Annapolis on Thanksgiving, November 26, 2026.
Nov 13
is when the odds of a first freeze at the Annapolis station reach 1 in 2.
When should you put up outdoor Christmas lights?
Put outdoor Christmas lights up on a dry day in early November, before the roof turns icy: at the Annapolis weather station the chance of a first 32 degree night reaches 1 in 2 on November 13. Switch them on whenever you choose, and take them down after New Year's. We hang and take down lights across Anne Arundel County.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Naval Observatory, University of Maryland Extension and IKO. Checked on 11 October 2026.
Why early November: the roof
1 in 2
is the chance of a first freeze at the Annapolis station by November 13. IKO, a shingle maker, says never to hang lights with snow or ice showing, or in wet weather.
- 1 in 10 chance the first freeze has already come by November 1.
- 9 in 10 chance it has come by December 1.
Lights, from the first clip to storage.
From $650 Christmas lights
Design, installation on a timer, fixes, takedown and storage in one payment.
- Tool
Measure your roofline
Add up the edges you want lit, in feet.
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Light clips for shingles and gutters
What holds on a roof edge, and what puts a hole in it.
Questions about timing
Is October too early to put up Christmas lights?
Not for the hanging. The roof decides: IKO says never to work on it with snow or ice showing or in wet weather, and at the Annapolis station the chance of a first freeze is only 1 in 10 by November 1. Hang lights in October if the day is dry, and leave them off until you want them on.
What time is it dark enough for Christmas lights in Annapolis?
By about 5:15 p.m. in late November. On Thanksgiving 2026, November 26, the sun sets in Annapolis at 4:46 p.m. and civil twilight, the last usable daylight, ends at 5:15. The lights we install run on a timer.
How many hours a night are Christmas lights on in December?
From dusk until the hour you choose. On December 21, the shortest day, the sun sets in Annapolis at 4:47 p.m. and civil twilight ends at 5:17, so lights set to go off at 11 p.m. would be on for a little under six hours.
Does the end of daylight saving time change the lights?
It moves sunset an hour earlier by the clock. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on November 1, 2026, by the National Institute of Standards and Technology calendar, and that evening the sun sets in Annapolis at 5:05 p.m. A timer that works from the clock needs resetting that weekend; one that works from dusk does not.
When should Christmas lights come down?
After New Year's, and on a dry day. By January 2 the sun already sets at 4:55 p.m. in Annapolis, eight minutes later than on the shortest day. Our takedown and storage are part of the one payment.
What is the first frost date gardeners use around Annapolis?
October 25 for central Maryland, the planning date University of Maryland Extension uses for vegetable gardens. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 record of the first 32 degree night at the Annapolis station runs later, into November.
Get a free estimate.
Tell us the address and what you want lit. We hang Christmas lights across Anne Arundel County and on Kent Island, and take them down after New Year's.
