Christmas Lighting
Christmas Light Takedown, Storage and Maintenance in Knoxville: What Happens After the Holidays
New Age Lights • August 2026 • Knoxville, TN • 7 min read
The season does not end on December 26
Most of the attention in the lighting business goes to the install. The part that decides whether you do it again next year is what happens afterward: how the lights come down, where they go, whether they work next November, and whether anyone came out when a section died in December.
This post walks through the post-holiday process as New Age Lights runs it in Knoxville, and includes honest advice for people who own their own lights and are doing it themselves.
What takedown actually involves
Removal is not the install in reverse. It is faster, but it has its own ways of going wrong, most of which involve the gutters.
- Power off and disconnected. Timers or app controllers are unplugged, extension runs are disconnected at the exterior outlet and coiled.
- Runs unclipped, not pulled. Each C9 run is released from its clips one section at a time. Pulling a run off a gutter from the ground is how gutter edges get bent and shingle tabs get lifted, and it is the most common DIY takedown damage we see.
- Clips removed. Gutter, shingle and fascia clips come off with the run. A clip left on the eave through summer is the thing you notice from the driveway in July.
- Coiled and labeled. Every run is coiled and tagged by where it hung: front eave, left gable, right gable, garage. This is what makes next year's install fast.
- Wreaths, garland and tree wraps. Removed from the entry and the trees, checked for damage, packed separately from the roofline runs.
- Roofline check. A last look along the eave for anything left behind, and at the gutters to confirm nothing has shifted through the season.
On a two-story home in Farragut or Hardin Valley, all of that happens from a lift, exactly as the install did. A steep pitch over a walkout is no lower in January than it was in November.
January timing in an East Tennessee winter
Removals run through January in roughly the order the displays went up, weather permitting. Most customers want the lights down in the first half of the month; some are happy to leave them through the first weekend or two.
The weather clause matters. Winter is the wettest season in East Tennessee, with December highs near 51°F and lows near 33°F and January no drier. Crews do not work rooflines in heavy rain or ice, so a wet stretch pushes the removal schedule back a day or two the same way it does installs. Maryville and the Blount County addresses nearer the mountains take more weather than central Knoxville and are scheduled with that in mind.
You do not have to be home. Everything is on the outside of the house, so the crew removes the display while you are at work and lets you know when it is done. Our office at 95 Midway Rd in Oak Ridge puts most of the metro a short drive away, so a second visit to finish a detail properly costs us a short trip rather than a day. Details on the Oak Ridge page.
Inspection and repair before next season
This is the step that separates a storage service from a shelf in a garage. After removal, every run is inspected before it is put away.
- Each run is powered up and checked bulb by bulb
- Failed C9 bulbs are replaced; on commercial-grade runs a single failed bulb does not take the section with it, so these are quick
- Sockets that took in water during the freeze-thaw weeks are replaced
- Connections and plugs are checked for corrosion
- Clips are sorted, and any that stiffened or cracked over the winter are discarded
- Wreaths and garland are checked and any damaged sections noted for replacement
The set that comes out of storage in October is a working set, not a box of surprises. Your roofline measurements stay on file, so the rebook goes up faster than year one, which is also why renewal years cost less; our Knoxville cost guide explains that.
Labeling and storage: what the pros do, and what to do if you own your lights
In a lease program the lights are stored offsite in a dry, temperature-stable space, labeled by customer and by elevation, and nothing lives in your garage. If you own your lights and are doing this yourself, the same principles apply and they are the difference between a pleasant October and a miserable one.
| Step | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Test every string before it goes away | Finding dead sections in January, when you can still replace them calmly, beats finding them in November |
| Label each run by where it hung | "Front eave, left of door" saves an hour of guessing next fall |
| Coil around a reel or a piece of cardboard | Loose bundles tangle and stress the wire at the plugs |
| Keep clips in a separate labeled container | Clips left on strings snag and break |
| Store dry and out of extreme heat | Moisture corrodes contacts; a hot attic is hard on plastic sockets and insulation over a summer |
| Note what needs replacing | Buy it in the off-season, not the week you want to hang it |
The honest observation is that most people do none of this, which is why the DIY cycle usually ends with a third of the strings dead by year three. Our DIY vs professional post covers the whole cost of owning your own display.
Why in-season service matters more here
Takedown is the end of the process. In-season service is the middle, and it is the part people forget to ask about until they need it.
A Knoxville display spends six weeks wet, freezes overnight and thaws by midday, over and over. That cycle is what loosens cheap clips and splits retail sockets, and even commercial-grade product can take a hit from a falling branch under the mature trees of Sequoyah Hills or Fountain City. When a section goes dark over the garage in the second week of December, it is the most visible failure a display can have.
In a turnkey program, you call and the crew comes back, typically within 24 to 48 hours. Service is part of the seasonal price, not an add-on, and being based in Oak Ridge is what makes that response achievable across the metro. If a quote you are comparing does not state a service response, ask; our Knoxville FAQ has our answer.
How a lease program handles all of it
| Lease program | Owning your lights | |
|---|---|---|
| Takedown | Scheduled in January, done from a lift, you need not be home | You, a ladder, and a cold weekend |
| Inspection and repair | Every run tested, bulbs and sockets replaced | You, in the garage, or next November |
| Storage | Offsite, dry, labeled by elevation | Bins in the garage or attic |
| In-season faults | Call, crew returns within 24–48 hours | Back up the ladder, or live with it |
| Next year's install | Faster and cheaper, measurements on file | Untangle, test, rebuy the dead third |
The lease price covers the whole cycle, which is what the per-foot number in a turnkey quote is buying. The full service description is on our Christmas light installation page.
The other January option
January is also when a lot of Knoxville homeowners decide they are done with the annual cycle. Permanent roofline lighting goes in outside the season, weather permitting, and once it is up there is nothing to take down, store or rebook. A track from JellyFish Lighting or Bosso Smart Lighting is color-matched to the fascia, rated around 50,000 hours, and runs warm white on an ordinary evening, color through December and Tennessee orange on a Saturday in the fall, all from an app.
It is not the right answer for everyone. If you want wreaths, garland and wrapped trees, or you are not sure you are staying in the house, seasonal still wins. Our permanent outdoor lighting cost guide has the numbers, and the consult for either option is free.
Frequently asked questions
When do professional installers take Christmas lights down in Knoxville?
Through January, weather permitting, in roughly the same order the displays went up. Most customers want the display down in the first half of the month. Winter is the wettest season in East Tennessee, so a wet or icy stretch pushes removals back a day or two the same way it does installs.
What does Christmas light takedown involve?
Unclipping every run from the roofline without pulling on the gutter or fascia, removing the clips, disconnecting power and timers, coiling each run and labeling it by elevation, and checking the roofline for anything left behind. On a two-story home that happens from a lift, the same as the install.
Do I have to be home for takedown?
No. Everything is on the outside of the house, so the crew can remove the display while you are at work. You are notified when it is done.
Where are the lights stored and who fixes them?
In a lease program the installer stores them offsite, inspects every run after removal, replaces failed bulbs and sockets, and has the set ready for the following season. Your measurements stay on file, so a rebook goes up faster. Nothing lives in your garage.
How should I store Christmas lights if I own them?
Test every string before it goes away, label each by where it hung, coil runs around a reel or a piece of cardboard rather than in a loose bundle, keep clips separate, and store everything dry and out of extreme heat. Half the frustration next November is untangling and finding dead sections, and most of it is avoidable in January.
What is in-season service and why does it matter?
If a section goes dark between install and takedown, the installer comes back and fixes it, typically within 24 to 48 hours for turnkey programs. It matters because East Tennessee's freeze-thaw December is hard on any display, and a dark section over the garage in the second week of December is the most visible failure a display can have.
Let January be someone else's problem
Install, in-season service, takedown, inspection and storage in one fixed price, from an office in Oak Ridge that covers the whole Knoxville metro. Rebook early and your set comes out of storage already cut to your roofline.
Get a free quote or call (865) 264-0180.
