The lights go up in late fall. The season is sold months before that.
Storefronts plan in late summer and last year's homes rebook in the fall. By the time most people search, the best install dates are taken.
- Lock in storefronts and plazas while it is still summer
- Rebook last year's houses before you chase new ones
- Ask for next season the week the lights come down
Plan the lighting year backward from the install dates. Storefronts and community entrances sign first, by late summer. Last year's customers rebook next. New homes come from Facebook in early October, and Google catches the November searchers who still need a date. January, when the lights come down, is when next season starts selling.
The order the year runs in
Commercial projects often need 60 to 120 days from signing to install, and one Dallas area installer tells businesses to book by August (Christmas Lights Experts DFW, 2026). Homes follow. Each month has one job:
- August: proposals for storefronts, plazas and community entrances
- September: rebook last year's homes
- Early October: the Facebook offer for new homes
- November: Google for late searchers, while dates remain
- January: takedown, and the ask for next year
Storage is what brings them back
One M&A advisory firm's valuation guide puts repeat rates at 75% to 90% a year for customers who buy install, takedown and storage, and 40% to 55% for install-only (CT Acquisitions, 2026). So the plan sells the full package first. Year two's marketing is then mostly a phone call to people whose lights already sit on your shelf.
Real work you can check
Websites we built
Swipe
A holiday lighting client, October 2026
The client’s text after a lead from the Facebook ads turned into a sold job. Cropped only to keep names out.
See all the client resultsWhat clients say
“Ty and the team at To The Max Media have been great to work with. They're easy to communicate with, full of smart ideas, and always deliver on time. Their work has helped our holiday lighting business grow and book terrific jobs we simply wouldn't have landed otherwise. Highly recommend them to any business looking to take its marketing to the next level.”
A few things you might be wondering
Should I chase new homes or last year's customers first?
Last year's. They know your work, and if you store their lights, rebooking is an easy yes. Fill those dates, see what is left, then spend on new homes. Ads for new customers should only sell dates you can still keep.
How much of the year does holiday lighting really take?
One supplier's business guide says 10 to 14 weeks bring in 80% to 90% of the revenue (Christmas Lights HQ, 2026). Many companies run it as a winter line beside lawn care, landscaping or pressure washing, which keeps crews working when the summer trade goes quiet.
Do commercial accounts need their own pitch?
Yes, and an earlier one. Storefronts and plazas buy a managed service: design, install, service calls, January takedown and storage. One Dallas area installer prices that at $7 to $12 a foot and takes 5% to 10% a year off multi-year contracts (Christmas Lights Experts DFW, 2026).
What should happen the week the lights come down?
Ask for next season while the customer is still pleased with this one. An early booking price that ends in spring gives them a reason to say yes now, and it tells you in March how full next fall already is.
See what fits your business.
One holiday lighting installation company per service area, first come, first served, while you are a client.
About a minute of questions, then you pick a time.
Explore the holiday lighting installation market details
The holiday lighting installation year, and where the money is
Researched, not guessed. Every line names where it came from.
- Peak
- Lights go up October through December, and those weeks carry most of the year's revenue. The work is sold earlier: commercial books by August, and the best residential dates go by mid-September.christmaslightshq.com
- Shoulder
- Late September into early October, before the crew fills up, and again in January, when the lights come down and you ask for next year.
- Quiet
- February through July. The work is a winter line for landscaping, lawn care and pressure washing crews, and summer is when you prep and buy lights.
- What triggers a call
- The neighbors' lights went up first; First Christmas in a new house; Nobody in the house should be on a ladder; The neighborhood decorating contest; A property manager needs the plaza lit; Saw a permanent system and wants the price
- Typical residential job
- One M&A advisory firm puts a season of lights put up, serviced, taken down and stored at $1,800 to $4,500 (CT Acquisitions, 2026). A permanent system fitted to the roofline runs $2,500 to $5,000.ctacquisitions.com, 2026
- Commercial
- $4,500 to $35,000 a property in one M&A firm's guide (CT Acquisitions, 2026). Storefronts, plazas and community entrances. They book in August.
- Comes back
- Every year, if you store the lights for them. Customers who buy the whole package, install through takedown and storage, rebook at 75 percent or better, by one M&A firm's guide (CT Acquisitions, 2026). Ask for next season right after takedown.
Meta first for holiday lighting installation. Here is why.
- First channel
- Meta first. Nobody is searching for lights in September and October, but that is when your season gets booked, so a lit roofline on Facebook is what fills your calendar. Google matters in November, when people finally search and the prime dates are gone.
- Second channel
- Google search. It catches the November rush, when most people finally go looking, and it keeps running year round for homeowners shopping permanent lighting.