Christmas Lights Etc Sets Up Disaster Relief Fund

Superstorm Sandy Hits East Coast

Christmas Lights Etc is proud to announce that with every sale, they are donating to the Red Cross to help disaster victims like those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy, known as the Superstorm or even Frankenstorm by some media outlets, created floods and dangerous conditions all throughout the Northeast Coast as one of the worst disasters to ever hit that area.

Even after a week, some neighborhoods still do not have power. Many homes and businesses were completely destroyed, and many more damaged by water. Luckily, the American Red Cross is targeting this area for relief aid, and Christmas Lights Etc is supporting them by providing monetary assistance with a disaster relief fund.

Humanitarian Aid for Natural Disaster Relief

Residents in need of Disaster Relief

Natural disaster relief is an important part of helping any community get back on its feet, so from now until November 11th, Christmas Lights Etc will be donating 10% of every retail purchase to the American Red Cross as part of their disaster relief fund. To do your part, all you have to do is enter the coupon code SANDY at checkout, and the donation will be sent to the Red Cross.

All items that are for sale benefit from the coupon. Artificial Christmas trees, Christmas greenery, and Christmas lights will all have 10% of their sales dedicated to the Red Cross with use of the coupon. So please, when shopping this year, keep the victims of Hurricane Sandy in mind and enter the code SANDY at checkout.

More Information About Disaster Relief Funds

To read more about the announcement from Christmas Lights Etc, read their press release on PR web. To learn more about relief efforts and humanitarian aid for Hurricane Sandy victims, visit RedCross.org.

How to Make: Unique Outdoor Christmas Decorations

Chicago Botanical Gardens Outdoor Christmas Decor

The more unique a decoration for Christmas, the more sought after it is, and in recent years outdoor Christmas decor has become a contest of bigger and brighter. Lightshows, government buildings, and botanical gardens are filled with bright lights and brand new designs whether they be lights, motifs, or even hand made crafts. Some of the best shows, in fact, are the ones that make some of their outdoor Christmas decor.

Chicago Botanical Gardens' Original Style

Bright 5mm LED Strings

The Chicago Botanical Gardens is well noted for its light show, which draws in thousands of people each year. One of their most popular display items is their Christmas ball lights, created by installers to look like perfectly spherical lighted bushes. Large outdoor Christmas decorations are a staple to the Chicago Botanical Gardens light display each year.

These lighted LED Christmas balls are very popular decorations and are relatively easy to construct. Making crafts with Christmas lights can bring families together during the holiday season, and creating these lighted Christmas balls would make for a great family project. By coupling Christmas lights with chicken wire, you can make an outdoor yard decoration that exudes an elegant look for any yardscape. The supplies are simple: Chicken wire and some great 5MM LED light strings!

How to Make a Christmas Ball with Chicken Wire

Christmas Ball Lights

Once you purchase your chicken wire, cut it into the size you would like and shape it into a cylinder. Smaller cuts will make smaller Christmas lighted balls, while larger cuts of chicken wire will make larger one. Take the cylinder and form it into a sphere. Chicken wire is easy to bend and very flexible, so creating the circle will be no trouble at all.

Once the sphere is created, wrap lights throughout it, securing them by weaving them in and out of the chicken wire. Make sure the end plugs are available so that you can run power to the Christmas lights ball. Christmas ball lights usually need one string per foot diameter if using LED lights, and two strings per foot if using incandescent. LED lights are highly recommended for larger balls, since the low wattage allows many more strings to be connected, and energy savings are significant.

Once the sphere is bright, hang smaller balls from trees with clips or zip ties, and place large lighted balls on the ground. These homemade outdoor Christmas decorations look great anywhere, so create many to brighten up the entire yard.

Outdoor Christmas Decor with LEDs

Christmas Ball Decoration: Chicken Wire with LEDs

Many have asked, and now you know: Chicken wire balls coupled with LEDs create imaginative round Christmas lights for the yard.

If you'd like to use our images, feel free to do so. We love seeing our pictures used, but please link back to ChristmasLightsEtc.com when sharing. Have fun while you work with these chicken wire balls, and good luck!

Planning for Christmas Lights 2013? Shop Sale!