When Is the Best Time of Year to Think About Christmas?

For many, Christmas might feel far away when February rolls around, but for lighting planners, local councils, BIDs, and businesses, February is the ideal moment to start thinking about the festive season ahead. With lead times, design choices, and installation scheduling all to consider, early planning delivers the best product selection, smooths out the preparation, enabling greater impact on footfall and community engagement.

• Full choice of product range: By February, suppliers typically have their full seasonal range available. Waiting later in the year, particularly into summer, means that many companies will start reducing bespoke offerings to focus on manufacturing and delivery. In many cases, new products are no longer available from around June or July, leaving customers limited to stock items only. Planning in February gives you access to the widest range, including any new designs, motifs, or bespoke options your town or organisation may be considering.

• Smoother service experience: Securing your lighting strategy early in the year makes for a smoother overall experience:

• Timely ordering and delivery with fewer bottlenecks

• More time to coordinate with designers and installers

• Better installation scheduling can be achieved

By contrast, last-minute planning can lead to limited delivery slots, rushed installations and higher costs.

• Reflecting on last year's display: When Christmas is still fresh in everyone’s minds, February provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on what worked well and where improvements could be made. This can help refine your lighting strategy to better drive footfall, boost local spending, and create displays that truly connect with the community. Whether a motif felt dated or a particular street needed more coverage, reviewing while memories are recent gives clarity.

• Practical advantages of installation: While typically schemes are installed in early Winter or late Autumn, making a decision in February for tree lighting, can see the installation achieved much earlier, enabling your Spring/Summer events to benefit from beautiful backdrops. In February, trees are still relatively bare, making installation easier and safer - without having to work around dense foliage. This is particularly useful for areas with mature trees, where late installations can be more complex, time-consuming and costly.

• Creative Freedom: February is when creativity has room to breathe. Designers and manufacturers are not yet constrained by production deadlines or material constraints, meaning there is greater scope to explore bespoke elements, refine concepts, and create displays that feel fresh rather than familiar.

Planning early gives the various teams involved the space to make confident, well-considered decisions. Without looming deadlines, councils and businesses can properly explore options, compare designs, consult stakeholders, and align budgets from the outset. This early visibility is particularly valuable when working across multiple parties, from internal teams and elected members to BIDs, sponsors, and local businesses, ensuring everyone is working toward the same shared vision.

Rather than settling for “what’s available” later in the year, early planning allows for intentional choices that support footfall, reinforce local identity, and enhance the overall community experience. It also gives teams time to explore funding opportunities, sponsorship models, or phased investment approaches, helping to maximise value while avoiding last-minute compromises or unexpected costs.

To help you plan effectively, here is a simple guide:

• January - February: Finalise your lighting strategy, select products, and confirm any bespoke motifs. This is the ideal window for ordering and design approvals.

• March - April: Securing your lighting strategy early in the year makes for a smoother overall experience:

• May - June: Confirm installations and logistics. Ensure all delivery dates are locked in. After this period, many suppliers focus on fulfilment rather than new orders.

• Late Summer: Final checks and early communication with your installation partner to secure dates.

• Creative Freedom: February is when creativity has room to breathe. Designers and manufacturers are not yet constrained by production deadlines or material constraints, meaning there is greater scope to explore bespoke elements, refine concepts, and create displays that feel fresh rather than familiar.

Planning ahead ensures you are not rushed, gives you better product range, and makes the entire process more efficient and cost-effective.

Thinking about Christmas lighting in February isn’t early, it’s strategic. By beginning your planning in late winter, you unlock the best choice of products, enjoy smoother logistics, and give yourself time to refine your approach based on the previous years’ experience. Whether you are looking at bespoke motifs, sponsorship opportunities or simply making improvements, early planning delivers returns in community engagement, footfall, and overall experience.

References:

1. Why Professional Event Planners Start Crafting Christmas Events So Early

2. 100 Days to Christmas: Household displays offer lessons for place managers planning festive programmes