You’re not the only one who is gazing at that enormous pile of light strings in your garage and wondering, “Can I use these for my christmas lighting installation by EverLights?” A lot of people want to put up their pretty decorations, but they also want to use lights they already have. Is that anything that could happen? The real answer is that it depends. Let’s talk about it over a cup of cocoa.

It’s okay if a lot of professional installers have their own preferences. The folks who sell the lights are experts at what they do. The strands are all the same length and color, and the bulbs fit together properly. Most importantly, they know the lights will work. No flickering, no outages in the middle of the season, and you won’t miss that one essential footage. But that doesn’t mean you can’t utilize the bulbs you love or the ones you bought on sale last season.

For sure, some businesses will allow you use your own lights. But they usually want to look at them first. They’ll make sure that the strands can be used outside (not all of them can), that none of the wires are frayed, and that the plugs won’t catch fire. How sure are you that every bulb in those old twinkle lights in your attic works? It’s the worst feeling to find out that a string is dead right after someone put it on your roof and risked their life.

Talk to your installer ahead of time if you absolutely want a certain style or have lights that can’t be replaced. The best thing to do is work together, and the worst thing to do is try to figure out what everyone wants in December weather. With a little honest discourse, you can turn your holiday memories into curb appeal that even Santa would pause to look at.