Category: Christmas Lighting

Nothing says ‘Christmas’ like tinsel, mince pies and more lighting wires than you can shake a festive stick at. Putting up your Christmas lights can mean untangling a sea of cables and, even once you’ve done that, finding a place to put the controller often means it gets lost and you’re stuck with the same lighting patterns day in, day out. Now we’re deep into the 21st century, that just seems so old-fashioned. What you need is Wi-Fi enabled lights!

The internet has given us many modern benefits to help mankind, but sometimes even the smallest improvements make the biggest differences. Our range of Wi-Fi enabled lights are a gadget lovers dream.

Providing you have an iOS or Android device and one ‘Master’ set, you can control up to 20 more sets of Wi-Fi enabled Christmas lights, giving your home a festive illumination with the click of a button.

For all the technology that makes these lights possible, the overriding factor isn’t the technical wizardry within, it’s the fun that they bring on the outside. We’re all used to seeing Christmas ‘fairy’ lights with a range of differing lighting patterns or colours. Your choice is usually either whether you want coloured or white, static or chasing. They’re nice enough, but we can do better than that this Christmas.

Once plugged in, Wi-Fi lights are controlled from the SMART Bright app that you can download for free for your smartphone.  Once connected to your phone or tablet, you’re given the choice of 2 timer functions so you can set the time of day that they turn on and off.

You can set this to happen twice a day to work around your own schedule. Having two distinct settings means you can have one timescale that adapts whilst you’re at work during the week and another at weekends when your time at home works out differently. Now we’re in the depths of winter and the nights are closing in, this is both an incredibly useful feature in itself, but also a great security option.

With your timings set, you can then decide how you want the lights to look. Rather than being limited to a set routine of flashes, you can control every aspect of the lights. You can choose whether to have them illuminate sequentially, steady-on, twinkle or a combination of all three. When you’ve chosen that, you can also adjust the brightness on a sliding scale to create exactly the mood you want to set. To add the finishing touches to your customisable lights, you have the ability to fine tune the speed at which the lights follow their set sequence. Simple as that.

The only choice you have to make is whether to have 1000 warm white, bright white, blue or red / white LED lights adorning your Christmas tree this year. Whichever you choose, you’re going to make this Christmas, a beautiful Wi-Fi Christmas.

When we think about Christmas lights, we tend to think about candles or fairy lights on the tree. In recent years, even fibre-optic lights have begun to encroach on this traditional duo. Technology has given us many things and this includes lights. There are now so many different variations of the way lights are lit, but also in the materials we can use to make them. Acrylic has given us a range of lights that may never have been possible without it.

Acrylic is a coverall term for products that are derived from acrylic acid or related compound. When it comes to lighting, it refers to a clear, glass-like plastic known as PMMA, or poly(methyl) methacrylate! It’s no wonder why most people call this ‘acrylic glass’!

It works as a light because around 92% of visible light can pass through acrylic, and it also is less likely to break down when exposed to long-term sunlight or electrical light. Lighting designs have become incredibly sophisticated in recent years. This has been made possible thanks to acrylic, and the fact that it’s only around half as heavy as its glass counterpart.

Manufacturers use acrylic, rather than glass, because of its many advantages. Acrylic is actually stronger than glass and therefore much safer, especially around the home. This is a clear benefit when dealing with lighting, but also because it’s a better insulator.

They’re not just confined to novelty or Christmas lights, although they do look great, but acrylic is used as both a base material or as part of the shades. At the time of year though, let’s see what they can bring to your home this Christmas.

One of the best manufacturers of acrylic lights, especially around Christmas time, is Konstsmide. We wrote a blog about them specifically right here, and their designs are the epitome of both acrylic lighting and Christmas combined, but they’re not the only one.

Both Konstsmide and Premier Decorations both do a delightful range of acrylic lights, so there is bound to be one that will literally light up your Christmas holidays.

Acrylic lights can be used both inside and outside the home. They come in a multitude of styles, all produced to the highest quality and can be powered by battery or via the mains. Whether you want to bring out the fun side of Christmas with some acrylic animal lights, you can use them in the windows or in the porch, but they also look fantastic in the garden to create your own alternative nativity scene.

Inside the home, they really come into their own. If you want to go for a very contemporary look with a large LED snowflake, lighting the way into your home, or the more traditional festive ornaments like a gingerbread house or church that can adorn your home, our range of acrylic lights will give you exactly what you’re looking for.

Let’s be honest, Christmas lights only add to the tangled mess of cables our homes have become. If you don’t need anymore plug extensions, then we’ve got a range of battery operated lanterns that will add a beautiful Christmas glow without the need for additional wires.

The way we celebrate Christmas comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and our acrylic lights are no different. From the modern to the traditional, from the subtle to the playful, we have something for you. Check them out and have a wonderful well-lit Christmas!

It’s hard to believe, but Christmas is on its way. No sooner have we paid off the last one, than the festive period is upon us again. Christmas means so many things to so many people. For you it might mean time off from work, spending time with family and friends, eating your own bodyweight in chocolates or just relaxing in front of the fire and a good movie, Christmas is an amazing time of the year.

Of all the iconic Christmas imagery we have to choose from, nothing says Christmas more than lights. Whether they’re on the tree, in the garden, strewn across furniture or decorating the outside of our homes, lighting plays an ever larger part in our lives and none more so than at Christmas.

If your mind is already thinking ahead to Santa’s annual visit and are wanting to really make Christmas a time of year that lights up the faces of your loved ones, then we have everything you need to make it extra special.

The best thing about Christmas lights is that they are so adaptive to your own style. If you have children and want to go all out to create something even Saint Nick’s grotto would be proud of, you can do that. If you prefer to remain restrained without giving out too many ‘Bah Humbug’ vibes, you can do that too. Any combination of stylish or full-on lighting designs can be used when Christmas comes around.

Most people will have a Christmas tree as the focal point of their festive decorations. Whether you choose a real tree or an artificial one, the festive lights that adorn it provide an amazing sense of occasion.  We have some fantastic LED trees with multi-action lights already included. If you prefer to go ultra-contemporary, you could forgo the actual tree entirely and just have a wooden symbolic tree or iconic star, like those from Dar Lighting, that have the lights already built in.

Christmas lights come in many shapes and sizes. Whichever style you’re going for we’ll have something for you. If your Christmas tree lights are sorted, then there are other ways to bring some beautiful coloured lights into your room.

String lights offer you a level of creativity with your lighting that other forms of illumination just can’t match. Whether you want to light up your trees or shrubs in the garden or decorate windows and doors to bring festivities into every room in your house, we’ve got you covered. String lights now come in a range of styles that go way beyond typical ‘fairy lights’ including reindeers, gingerbread men (or women) or delightful polar bears. The kids are going to love them just as much as the adults.

In recent years, the number of homes that have their decorations spilling out of the door and into the garden have increased enormously. If you’re wanting to keep up with the Joneses (or even set the bar high for them yourself) then we have some amazing acrylic animals to create your own alternative nativity scene and help light up the neighbourhood. Our range includes the classic reindeer but also a moose, a St. Bernard dog or the classic penguin. They all look incredible in the darkness, but still retain a sense of style without being tacky. No-one wants that in their nativity, even if it includes penguins.

Whatever you might be asking Father Christmas for this year, make sure he can find his way to your home with some beautiful lighting, both inside and out. You wouldn’t want to end up on the naughty list.

The holiday adverts are appearing on our screens, supermarket shelves are full of chocolate and festive goodies and here at Castlegate Lights we cannot wait to start decorating our homes for Christmas! Whether you prefer a classic, traditional approach or prefer to throw caution to the wind and experiment with new colours and styles, our Christmas lights selection is the perfect place to start shopping. Here are our top picks from this years’ selection.

Red Parcels with Snow Top and Green Bow

Nothing says Christmas is coming like these fun, festive parcels lights from Premier Decorations. This set of three lights incorporates 40 warm LED lights and a stunning green mesh bow. We offer these lights at a fantastic £29.99 so grab a bargain and add a few more presents under the tree!

Konstamide Star Lights

Fans of the minimalistic Christmas look will appreciate these beautiful LED star lights by Konstsmide. The 10 acrylic stars are filled with white LED’s that are perfect for outdoor use, if you are looking to give your home a classic holiday look, these stars would look fantastic draped across the guttering.

Konstamide Small Standing Acrylic Polar Bear

Say hello to this little festive fellow! We love this cute standing decoration from Konstsmide, suitable for both indoor and outdoor use it is the perfect addition to the family home. The light incorporates 64 white LED’s giving it a cheery Christmassy glow. Take a look at the other additions to the family and add more holiday creatures to your home this year in our full Christmas Lights collection.