Do You Pay the Same Price for Holiday Light Installation Every Year?

If you’re looking at the cost of having your Christmas lights installed this year, one common question you might have is: “Will I have to pay this much again next year?” Many Omaha homeowners assume that professional holiday light installation is an annual cost that resets completely each season, which can make it hard to plan ahead or even want to do the project with such a large price tag on the table.

At Brush & Roll Painting, we’ve been helping Omaha homeowners beautify their homes since 1996, first with paint and now with the addition of professional holiday light installation. We’ve seen how much joy a well-planned light display brings to families, and we also understand the confusion around what you actually pay for each year. 

In this article, you’ll learn exactly how annual pricing works for professional holiday light installation. We’ll break down what a one-time purchase is, what’s recurring, and what can affect your yearly costs. By the end, you’ll know how to plan your budget confidently, and how to make the most of your light display for years to come.

How Professional Holiday Light Installation Pricing Works

When you first hire a professional to install Christmas or holiday lights, you’re paying for two main things: the materials and the labor.

• Materials include the lights themselves, extension cords, clips, timers, and any accessories like wreaths or garlands.
• Labor covers the installation, removal, and sometimes storage (if offered).

The first year is always the most expensive because you’re purchasing the lights and setup for the first time. But here’s the good news: in future years, if you keep the same design, you typically only pay for labor, not materials.

Why You Don’t Pay the Same Price Every Year For Christmas Light Installation

Think of your holiday light installation as an investment that keeps paying off.

When you buy high-quality, commercial-grade LED lights from a professional installer, they’re built to last many seasons. So after that initial setup year, your costs drop significantly. You already own the lights, so the installer simply comes back to hang, test, and remove them once the season is over.

Example:

Let’s say your first-year installation cost was around $2,000 for roofline lights, wreaths, and a few trees.

In the following years, if you keep the same setup, you might pay only $600-$900 for labor, depending on the size of your home and how complex the design is. That’s less than half of what you paid the first time.

What’s Included in the Labor Cost Each Year to Install Christmas Lights

Even though you’re not rebuying lights, professional installers still put in quite a bit of work each season. The yearly labor cost typically covers:

1. Reinstallation – Crews carefully reinstall each strand in the same locations as before.
2. Testing and repairs – Lights are tested for burnt bulbs, loose connections, or wiring damage from storage.
3. Timers or smart controls – If you have RGBWW color-changing lights or Wi-Fi controllers, they’re checked and synced.
4. Takedown and packing – Once the holidays are over, your lights are neatly removed and packed for storage (either by you or the company).

That annual service saves you time and stress, no ladders, no guessing which strand quit working, and no trying to remember how you clipped the cords last year.

When You Might Pay More Than Labor for the 2nd & 3rd Year

There are only a few reasons why your price might increase after the first year:

1. You Add to Your Display

Maybe you started with roofline lights, but this year you want to light your trees, bushes, or add a few wreaths and garlands. Any new additions require new materials, which means a one-time cost for those lights, plus the additional labor to install them.

3. You Move to a New Home

Even if you bring your old lights, your new roofline or landscaping might need different cord lengths or mounting clips. That usually requires a bit of re-customizing.

4. Storage or Maintenance Fees

Some companies offer optional storage for your lights during the off-season. Others might inspect and repair lights before the next year. These services can add a small yearly fee, but they help your lights last longer and make next year’s install go faster.

The Cost Difference Between Store-Bought and Professional Lights

Some homeowners wonder if they could save money by buying their own lights and hiring someone to hang them. While that can seem cheaper upfront, it often doesn’t save much long-term.

Here’s why:

• Retail lights are not custom-cut, so installers have to work around extra cord slack. That can look messy or even cause circuit issues.
• Shorter lifespan: Store-bought lights typically last only 1-3 years before needing replacement.
• No warranty or service: If bulbs go out, you’ll need to troubleshoot or replace them yourself.
• Storage hassle: You’ll need space and proper storage to keep them from tangling or breaking.

Professional lighting systems, especially with RGBWW technology, are built for longevity, safety, and clean presentation. At Brush & Roll Painting, we will service them for 3 holiday seasons as part of the labor cost.

The Joy of a Custom Holiday Display That Lasts

For most Omaha homeowners, the real benefit of professional holiday lights isn’t just convenience; it’s how they make your home feel. Coming home to a perfectly lit house after work, seeing the glow from the street, or watching your kids’ faces light up when they see the colors change, that’s the payoff.

And the best part is, once you’ve invested in your setup, you get to enjoy that same feeling for the next two years for just the cost of labor. You don’t need to climb ladders, sort through tangled cords, or worry about replacement strands every December.

Christmas Light Installation in Omaha, NE

After your first year of professional Christmas Light Installation, you only pay for labor unless you add new lights or change your design. That means the following two holiday seasons become more affordable while your display continues to bring joy to your family and neighborhood.

If you’re planning your first professional holiday light installation in Omaha or want to understand how pricing works, Brush & Roll Painting can help guide you through the process. Since 1996, we’ve helped homeowners make informed decisions about their home improvement projects, from painting to lighting, without surprises or pressure.

Click below to get a quote and start planning your custom holiday display.

Or, if you’re not quite ready for a quote, use our holiday lights pricing calculator to get an instant idea of what your project might cost.