Best Time to Install Christmas Lights in Houston

By the Glacier Lights crew · Christmas light installers in Houston, TX · Updated October 2026

The best time to install Christmas lights in Houston is the first three weeks of November, booked in September or October, so every strand is up, tested and on a timer before Thanksgiving weekend. Takedown follows in the first weeks of January.

Houston doesn't have a snow deadline. Nobody here races to hang lights before the gutters freeze solid, which makes it tempting to wait, and that is exactly why so many homeowners call the week before Thanksgiving and find every crew booked. The local calendar is short, crowded and shaped by weather that surprises people who moved here from up north. Here is the timeline we recommend, month by month.

The Short Answer: Houston's Holiday Lighting Timeline

• ✓ September to October: design consult and booking
• ✓ Early to mid November: installation
• ✓ Thanksgiving weekend: lights on
• ✓ December: enjoy, with in-season service calls as needed
• ✓ January: takedown and storage

September: Design Consult and Booking

September feels early, and for most of the country it would be. In Houston it's the sweet spot for booking. Installers have a finite number of crew days between early November and Thanksgiving, and a two-story home with wrapped live oaks can take a full day on its own, so the best dates fill first. Booking now gives you the widest choice of install weeks instead of whatever is left.

It's also when the real planning happens. A free design consult covers your roofline footage, the trees worth wrapping, entry garland and wreaths, seasonal pathway lights and where each run will plug in. Strands are custom-cut to the exact length of each roof run, which takes measuring time. If you live behind a gate or have household staff, September is when gate codes, access windows and crew arrival times get sorted out.

September is a good month to reread your deed restrictions too. Houston has no zoning, so civic associations and property-owner associations set the exterior rules, and some address how early decorations go up or how long they stay. Check your own association's documents rather than relying on what a neighbor remembers.

October: Finalize the Plan

October is still a fine time to book, though the calendar is tighter. This is when designs are finalized, strands are cut and tested, and install dates are confirmed. Most families keep Halloween decorations up through October 31, and Diwali lands in October or November depending on the year, so the plan works around both. Installs begin in early November, after the jack-o'-lanterns are gone.

Use October for two easy homeowner checks that save trouble later. Plug a lamp into each outdoor outlet you expect to use and confirm the GFCI resets cleanly. Then remember that daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday of November, which moves sunset an hour earlier overnight, so a plain clock timer set in October is wrong a week later. A photocell or an astronomical timer that tracks sunset avoids that.

When to Put Up Christmas Lights in Houston: Early to Mid November

This is the heart of the season. Houston's November weather is usually ideal for roof work, with highs that often sit in the upper 60s and 70s, lower humidity than summer and enough daylight to finish a large property in one visit. Most residential installs happen in the first three weeks of the month.

Installation and lighting are two separate dates. Your lights can be fully installed on November 8 and stay dark until Thanksgiving night. Timers are set to your chosen start date, so there's no pressure to switch on early, and no pressure on your neighbors either. Homes with big live oaks or magnolias to wrap benefit most from an early slot, because tree work is the slowest part of any install and the most sensitive to wind; our outdoor tree lighting page shows how trunks and canopies are wrapped.

Thanksgiving Weekend: When to Turn On Christmas Lights

Across Houston, Thanksgiving weekend is when the city lights up. Many families flip the switch on Thanksgiving night after dinner, others on Friday. Either way, the goal is to be finished, tested and on a schedule by then. Homeowners who call the week before Thanksgiving are competing with everyone else who waited.

Houston sunsets land around 5:20 to 5:30 p.m. from late November through mid-December, so a photocell that switches on at dusk and a timer that switches off between 10 p.m. and midnight cover the evening without anyone touching a plug. Many homeowners add a few extra hours on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, which is a one-minute change on most timers.

December: In-Season Service Calls

Once your lights are on, the job isn't over. A cold front can loosen a run of garland, a landscaper's string trimmer can nick a low cord, squirrels can chew a wire in a magnolia, and a GFCI outlet can trip after a wet night. A full-service install includes in-season service calls: you call, and we schedule a service visit to find and repair the cause instead of leaving a dark section until January.

A few habits cut down on calls. Ask your landscaper to trim around trunk wraps by hand, turn sprinkler heads away from wrapped trunks and plug connections, and keep pets from chewing at cords along the porch. If a whole side of the house goes dark at once, press reset on the nearest GFCI before you call; that alone solves many rainy-night outages.

When to Take Down Christmas Lights: January

Most takedowns happen in the first few weeks of January. Plenty of families keep lights on through New Year's, and some through Three Kings Day on January 6. If your association sets a removal date, give it to us when you book so takedown is on the calendar before the season starts. Lights left up into February start to look tired, and a clip left under a shingle edge can hold the tab up and let wind-driven rain in, so takedown removes every one.

How Houston Weather Shapes the Schedule

Our winters are mild, but they're not uneventful. A realistic plan builds in a little flexibility for three kinds of weather.

Cold fronts and wind

A strong front can bring gusty north winds for a day or two behind it. Crews don't work steep or two-story roofs in high wind, so a front can shift an install by a day. It's also why clip choice matters: all-in-one gutter and shingle clips hold each socket firmly, and garland is tied off at several points so it rides out a windy night without sagging or flipping.

Rain and humidity

Wet tile and slate are slick, and nobody should be on them. Rain days get rescheduled, which is another reason to book early and leave room in the calendar. Rain is also the most common cause of in-season outages, usually a tripped GFCI. Plug connections lifted off the ground, a drip loop ahead of each outlet and weatherproof in-use outlet covers make a real difference.

Hard freezes

Houston doesn't freeze often, but it does freeze. February 2021 is the one everyone remembers. A hard freeze also arrived just before Christmas 2022, and January 2025 brought rare snow to the city. Commercial-grade LEDs handle cold well. Ice on the roof is the concern, and it pauses any install or takedown until it melts.

The practical takeaway: don't plan your install for the last possible weekend. A week or two of cushion before Thanksgiving absorbs a rainy Tuesday or a windy front without putting your reveal at risk.

What to Have Ready Before Install Day

• ✓ Gate codes and access instructions shared in advance
• ✓ Exterior outlets working, with GFCIs reset
• ✓ Pets inside and side gates unlocked
• ✓ Landscapers and pool service told to expect the crew
• ✓ Your HOA or civic association rules on hand

If you have household staff or a security patrol, let them know the date and the crew's arrival window. On larger properties the crew also confirms where a lift can park without rutting the lawn, which matters after a week of Houston rain.

Commercial Properties Run on a Different Clock

Businesses and HOAs run on budget and board calendars, so they should start in summer; our commercial Christmas lighting guide has the timeline.

Or Skip the Calendar Entirely

Permanent lighting doesn't care what month it is. RGBW eave track, matched to your trim and run from an app, can be installed any time of year, and once it's up you switch to a Christmas scene with a tap. Spring and summer installs avoid the November crunch entirely. Learn more about permanent Christmas lights.

How Glacier Lights Schedules Your Install

When you book, Glacier confirms the design, cuts and tests every run, and, for fall bookings, assigns an install window in early to mid November. If rain or wind moves a date, we call to reschedule rather than work a wet or gusty roof. Before leaving, the crew sets your timer for the night you've chosen to switch on, and your January takedown date goes on the calendar at the same time.

Book Before the Rush

If you're reading this in September or October, you're right on time. Whether you're in Bellaire, Katy or anywhere across the Houston area, the earlier you book, the more control you have over your install date. Curious what moves the price? Our Houston cost guide explains it. Then see what's included in our Christmas light installation service and ask for a free custom quote.