Christmas countdown calendar

As we move into the final third of the calendar year, it can feel like a matter of days before Christmas tree lights start twinkling in the windows of houses everywhere.

But there are still several other calendar dates to enjoy before Christmas arrives - and versatile decorations like outdoor tree lights can help you to celebrate throughout the autumn-winter season.

Back to School

It's not technically a celebration, but once the last of the summer bank holiday weekends is out of the way, it's not long before the kids go back to school.

For many parents, it's the end of a long summer of road trips, weekends away or even longer breaks in Britain and abroad.

But that's no reason why you shouldn't enjoy home sweet home, and it's not too early to put up some outdoor Christmas tree lights.

Choose a neutral colour like warm white LED lights to keep your garden well lit as the darker evenings draw in and put your feet up while there are still some warm days left to come.

Halloween

If you've always wanted to set up a haunted house for Halloween but don't like the idea of trick or treaters in your house, why not create a haunted garden instead?

Outdoor LED lights come in some spooky colours - even festive Christmas LED lights become ghostly green or blood red if you decorate around them with cobwebs and spooky silhouettes.

Halloween comes hot on the heels of the clocks going back, perfect timing to make the most of the darker evenings and give the local kids the fright of their life.

Bonfire Night

Many of us still like to celebrate Bonfire Night, although there's growing awareness of issues like the risk to wildlife from bonfires and the noise nuisance of loud fireworks.

You can still have a garden display though - opt for quieter, more colourful fireworks if you don't want to disturb the neighbour's dog.

Again outdoor garden lights make it easier to see what you're doing when lighting fireworks and can quickly be switched off once it's lit, unlike the glow from an actual bonfire.

Christmas

With everything else that's going on, don't forget to decorate the garden for Christmas itself - from outdoor Christmas decorations to multi-coloured LED tree lights and everything in between.

Our great range of pre-lit Christmas decorations and outdoor pre-lit Christmas trees make it easy to add colour and light to your garden for the season.

Choose outdoor battery lights if there's no convenient place to plug in, or choose from our range of mains powered garden lights you can run on a timer for Christmas or all year round.

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve can feel like the official end of Christmas and the turning point as a new year begins with spring on the way.

It's also a great excuse to light the last of any leftover Christmas candles - while keeping them shielded from any wind, rain or snow - and sit out amongst your Christmas garden decorations once more.

Many people still set off fireworks at midnight, a tradition that really found favour on Millennium Eve, and if you bundle up warm enough or sit by a patio heater, it can be a great way to welcome in the new year.