How to Replace Holiday Lights

by Darin McGilvra

Overview

Holiday lights are everywhere during December and many people have multiple strings of lights, nets of lights, or decorations with lights in their house, on the outside of their house, or in their yard. If more than one or two light bulbs go out, people often opt to replace the whole string, net, or decoration. However, it is often cheaper and easier to replace the individual light bulbs rather than an entire group of lights.

Step 1

Determine which bulbs need to be replaced. Plug in the lights and look for bulbs that are not working or that are broken. If the bulb is broken but it still lights, it still needs to be replaced for safety concerns. Mark the bad bulbs with chalk or pencil.
Step 2

Unplug the lights.
Step 3

Remove the bad light bulbs. In C-7 lights, they just unscrew. C-7 light bulbs are round or shaped like a teardrop and are larger than miniature lights, which are shaped like skinny cylinders with a small point at one end. Miniature lights have two small wires on each side of the base of the socket. Straighten the wires out and pull out the bad bulb.
Step 4

Put in the good bulbs. For C-7 lights, just screw them in, being careful not to hold too tightly to the glass bulb so you don't break it. In miniature lights, insert the two small straight wires into the holes in the bottom of the socket and push the bulb down into the socket. Bend the wires up, one on each side of the outside of the socket.
Step 5

Plug in the lights and make sure all the lights are working properly.

1
Replacement bulbs Chalk or pencil
Replacement bulbs
Chalk or pencil
There are LED (light-emitting diode) lights that can be used to replace either C-7 or miniature lights. LEDs are more expensive to purchase but are much more energy efficient and safer to use.
There are LED (light-emitting diode) lights that can be used to replace either C-7 or miniature lights. LEDs are more expensive to purchase but are much more energy efficient and safer to use.