Whether you take the Martha Stewart route of tasteful Christmas lighting or you want to unleash your inner-Clark Griswold and illuminate your block, keep these tips in mind…

Plan Your Lighting Display. Make a rough sketch of the area that you’ll be lighting, including available power outlets. Keep this sketch with your lights when you store them at the end of the season so there is no guesswork the following year. In fact, take pictures or narrate a video to yourself on your cellphone for reference.

Make Use of Accessories. Electrical timers have come a long way in the past few years and can handle a lot more than they used to. Don’t daisy chain your extension cords! Make sure they are all the correct length and that they are rated for outside use! And remember, zip ties and gutter clips are your friend!

Store Everything Properly. Untangling lights can take all the fun out of decorating. Use labeled bins, tags, and winding frames to keep light strings tamed and in order. And store the lights by individual project, so that you have everything you need at hand when you start each area.

Use LED Lights for ALL Your Holiday Lighting. Light-emitting diode (LED) light strings are an energy-efficient alternative to incandescent light strings that save money, glow at lower temperatures and last longer than standard incandescent holiday lights.