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It doesn’t quite feel like Christmas until you see lights twinkling on houses throughout your neighborhood. However, for those who don’t own Christmas lights projectors, the hours it takes to string those lights only to discover one of them is out (and is taking out other lights with it), just aren’t worth it.
If you’ve never used one, projectors for Christmas lights may seem overly techy. But when it comes to holiday decorations, they’re a great way to save time and effort while still creating a festive display. Holiday light projectors can cast everything from snowflakes and snowmen to laser light shows with a kaleidoscope of colors, so it’s easy to find a model that matches your aesthetic. Still, there’s more to consider than visual appeal, which is why we tested nine popular options and spoke to the tech entrepreneur Chris Dukich to get his expert insights on how to choose a Christmas outdoor projector.
To ensure we recommend only reliable models with attractive displays, our hands-on tests examined ease of setup and operation, included features, and light display quality during the day and night. The LEDMall 8-Patterns-in-1 Christmas Lights Projector earned the top award for its IP67 waterproof rating and beautiful holiday patterns. Keep reading to see the rest of the models we awarded, along with a shopping guide and tips to determine which features to consider when looking for the best Christmas light projectors for your home.
- BEST OVERALL: LEDMall 8-Patterns-in-1 Christmas Lights Projector
↓ Jump to Review - BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: Sunbox Live Holiday Christmas Lights Projector
↓ Jump to Review - BEST CHRISTMAS DESIGNS: LEDMall Motion Pattern 3-Models-in-1 Christmas Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR BIG HOMES: Y Yuegang Christmas Projector Lights
↓ Jump to Review - BEST INDOOR: Spooboola Party Lights Disco DJ Lights Projector
↓ Jump to Review - BEST FOR TREES: Poeland Firefly Laser Christmas Lights Projector
↓ Jump to Review - ALSO CONSIDER: Lunmore Christmas Firefly Garden Lights Projector
↓ Jump to Review
Our Top Picks
Choosing from the many Christmas light projectors available can be daunting. We sifted through the options to find brands and models that rose above the competition for their performance, options, and durability.
Best Overall
LEDMall 8-Patterns-in-1 Christmas Lights Projector
Product Specs
- Coverage: 2,500 square feet
- IP rating: IP67
- Display distance: Flexible
What We Like
- Remote control with color, speed, and timer settings
- IP67 waterproof rating will withstand harsh elements
- Includes installation hardware and a locking security cable
What We Don’t Like
- Limited head movement compared to other options
The LEDMall projector creates beautiful light displays in eight patterns with three diode lasers. Its Christmas laser lights selection includes dancing patterns in red, green, and blue rather than discernible images like Santa Claus or a snowman. The laser movement creates the illusion of twinkling lights.
Of all the Christmas laser light projectors, this model earned high marks from us with its durability and flexible installation options. We tested it both indoors and outdoors, which was a simple matter of screwing and unscrewing the sturdy tabletop base or the ground stake to the stand. However, the projector head has a more limited range of movement for angling it off its stand than some other projectors have. There are also mounting screws to attach the unit’s base to a wall or ceiling.
We appreciated its sturdy metal construction, which, along with its high IP67 waterproof rating, seemed ready for any harsh elements of the holiday season. And we just really enjoyed the complex patterns it creates, which include different shapes and spirals as well as twinkling dots.
This projector also comes with a lockable cable to deter thieves. Its remote control has multiple options for setting color combinations or single-color displays, motion speed controls, and an auto-off timer with 2-, 4-, 6-, or 8-hour durations.
What our tester says: “I found the sweet spot for achieving a large spread of light coverage while maintaining vibrant brightness to be about 15 to 20 feet away from a surface, but the projector is versatile in that I could find ways to make it look great 2 feet away from a tree or 40 feet away from a wall.” —Markus Rovito, Product Reviews tester and writer
Read our full review: LEDMall 8-Patterns-in-1 Christmas Lights Projector
Get the LEDMall 8-pattern Christmas light projector at Amazon or The Home Depot.
Best Bang for the Buck
Sunbox Live Holiday Christmas Lights Projector
Product Specs
- Coverage: 323 square feet
- IP rating: IP65
- Display distance: 10 to 39 feet
What We Like
- Has 16 slides for a range of holidays and celebrations
- Remote offers speed options and a timer
- Preinstalled slide made it easier to set up than comparable options
What We Don’t Like
- Does not come with AAA batteries for the remote
- Not bright enough to be very effective in outdoor daylight
This SunBox projector may not be the least expensive option on this list, but with 16 interchangeable slides for a range of occasions, it’s a great value. Each slide projects themed images dedicated to several holidays, including:
- Christmas
- Thanksgiving
- Halloween
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Easter
- April Fools’ Day
- Valentine’s Day
- Independence Day
- New Year’s
In terms of Christmas house lights, this projector has four separate slides with festive trees and wreaths, snowmen, stockings, and jolly ol’ St. Nick. The slides themed for birthday parties and other celebrations each feature simple but pleasant cartoon-style images that rotate around the projection space. There’s a slide compartment at the top of the projector, and after turning off the power, it was easy for us to change the slides by unscrewing the compartment lid and exchanging slides.
The projector is graded for indoor and outdoor use, and we tested it in both situations. It was a quick process for us to screw the ground stake or tabletop/floor base on or off the stand depending on where we wished to place it. We also intuitively figured out the remote control’s options for setting a 2- or 4-hour auto-off timer, turning on the flashing mode, making the flashing faster or slower, and setting the motor speed for rotating the slide images faster, slower, or not at all.
While this projector provides a great value for versatile holiday lighting options, during our tests, its mostly lightweight, plastic construction did not seem as durable as some other projectors in this roundup. We also didn’t think it was bright enough to be very effective in daylight, and it did not include AAA batteries for the remote.
Get the Sunbox Christmas light projector at Amazon.
Best Christmas Designs
LEDMall Motion Pattern 3-Models-in-1 Christmas Lights
Product Specs
- Coverage: 2,500 square feet
- IP rating: IP67
- Display distance: Flexible
What We Like
- 18 laser patterns: 6 Christmas, 6 Halloween, and 6 general
- Timer options of 2, 4, 6, or 8 hours are convenient
- Includes locking security cable to prevent theft
What We Don’t Like
- Some report red laser goes out over time
This LEDMall three-models-in-one projector takes motion Christmas lights up a notch with 18 moving patterns—six of them dedicated to Christmas. The Christmas patterns include candy canes, snowflakes, gingerbread houses, bells, and Santa Claus. There are also six patterns dedicated to Halloween (such as haunted houses, ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns) and six general-use patterns for any type of party or decorative lighting.
This model was the biggest, most robust, and most capable projector in this roundup. It’s very similar to our Best Overall LEDMall projector pick. It has the same shape, durable build, IP67 waterproofing, and included accessories such as a locking security cable, but it is larger and has more projection patterns. Its Christmas and Halloween patterns impressed us the most and make this projector worth the extra cost. The details were sharp and bright when we placed the projector at distances of 10 to 30 feet, but these lasers are powerful enough for users to place them even further away, although at a cost of decreased brightness.
Despite its size and weight, its extra-sturdy stake secured it into the ground well when we installed it outside, as did its base for flat surfaces when we installed it inside. A longer-than-average 25-foot electrical cord may eliminate the need for an extension cord. At 25 feet away, this projector can cover a 2,500-square-foot space. Although everything about this projector worked well in our testing, some users have reported that the red laser stopped working in their unit.
What our tester says: Though a majority of exterior Christmas projector machines come with remotes, this one stood out. “It’s the most full-featured remote of all the projectors we tested. We really appreciated the remote’s three shortcut buttons for cycling through the Christmas, Halloween, and general laser light patterns. It also let us set the laser pattern motion speed and includes timer buttons for 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-hour auto-off settings.” —Markus Rovito, Product Reviews tester and writer
Get the LEDMall 3-models-in-1 Christmas light projector at Amazon.
Best for Big Homes
Y Yuegang Christmas Projector Lights
Product Specs
- Coverage: 3,800 square feet
- IP rating: Projector IP65, adapter IP44
- Display distance: 33 feet
What We Like
- 3,800-square-foot coverage is perfect for large or homes
- 300-degree rotating head ensures an ideal projection angle
- Patterns stay clear at up to 33 feet
What We Don’t Like
- Adapter isn’t as weatherproof as the projector
- Short power cord
The Y Yuegang projector may be small in size, but it covers a whopping 3,800-square-foot area when placed at a distance of 33 feet. The projector head rotates 300 degrees, which gave us a lot of freedom during setup to try different angles and find the best one to get the most out of our available space. We enjoyed very clear images from all five laser light patterns, including Christmas trees, bells, snowflakes, and Santas. We also liked how the projector altered the timing of its patterns to make their motion less repetitive.
We could make quick changes from the remote control’s “mode” button to cycle the display from all-red to all-green to red-and-green lights. The remote also controls three motor speed settings, and its timer section has 2-, 4-, 6-, and 8-hour buttons, with a “reset” button for turning the timer off.
We tested this projector both indoors and outdoors, and it was easy to transition from outside to inside by unscrewing its ground stake and screwing on the base to set it on a table or floor. However, we were disappointed with its short power cord of 16.4 feet, which for us meant we needed an extension cord to place it at the end of its range of 33 feet away from a wall. Also, the adapter/electrical plug is only IP44 rated, protecting it from low-velocity water sprays, but it’s not as weather-resistant as the IP67 projector. That means some setups may need some sort of cover over the adapter.
Get the Y Yuegang Christmas light projector at Amazon.
Best Indoor
Spooboola Party Lights Disco DJ Lights Projector
Product Specs
- Coverage: N/A
- IP rating: Indoor only
- Display distance: N/A
What We Like
- 2 music control settings for linking the light display
- Flexible tripod can stand or hang
- Remote sets colors, speed, and music response options
What We Don’t Like
- Music must be very loud or close to the projector’s microphone
The Party Lights Disco DJ lights projector by Spooboola goes beyond creating a simple display to encouraging a full dance breakdown. Its festive projector lights blanket walls and ceilings with hundreds, if not thousands, of light points in three pattern modes: auto, flash (strobe), and sound. The sound mode responds to fluctuations in music playing or other surrounding sounds, and there are two music settings for the sound mode available from the remote control. One music setting shows no lights at all if there is no sound, and the other goes to auto pattern mode when there’s no sound, then responds to the sound when it’s there.
Regardless of the mode, all the light combinations and patterns add to the holiday fun with plenty of red and green. While this light projector is built in the style of dance club/party lasers, we thought its colors and brilliant patterns make it entirely appropriate for sprucing up indoor holiday decor. We found the lights to be superbright and sharp. And with the remote control, we could quickly set the mode, the color combination (red only, green only, or red and green), and the speed of the light motion effects.
This projector was easy for us to set up and gave us flexible setup options because it has both a small, removable, adjustable tripod stand as well as a removable bracket good for screwing into a wall, ceiling, etc. for semipermanent installation. With the bendable tripod legs, we could place the projector on a table or wrap it around a sturdy object to get the best angle. Note that this product is for indoor use only.
What our tester says: “One downside of this model was the microphone’s response to music in the sound modes. In testing, we had to make the music source either very loud or put it very close to the projector—otherwise its response to sound was poor.” —Markus Rovito, Product Reviews tester and writer
Get the Spooboola Christmas light projector at Amazon.
Best for Trees
Poeland Firefly Laser Christmas Lights Projector
Product Specs
- Coverage: 2,500 square feet
- IP rating: IP65
- Display distance: 10 to 20 feet
What We Like
- Focused light makes colors appear brighter
- Lights show up well on uneven surfaces like trees or brickwork
- Includes locking security cable
What We Don’t Like
- Some users have reported a faulty remote
The Poeland projector light creates a laser light show that—as we discovered in our testing—shows up on trees just as well as it does on flat surfaces. We tried the Poeland projector against both deciduous and coniferous trees, and its bright, focused lights stayed clearly visible against their leaves, needles, and branches. That makes this model attractive for users who may want to use it as an alternative to time-consuming and back-breaking light stringing on their yard’s trees. Other laser light projectors can also show up well on trees, but we particularly liked this one for that purpose.
This Christmas laser lights projector has two installation options, including an outdoor ground stake and a platform for indoor use. For those planning to project the lights onto trees, we confirmed that the larger and thicker-than-average ground stake is quite strong for staking into a tree-filled area that may have roots close to the ground’s surface.
The timer offers four auto-off settings: 2, 4, 6, and 8 hours. We appreciated that its included security kit—a locking cable with keys—secures the projector in place to deter thieves, and the remote control let us adjust colors, movement speed, and the built-in timer. While everything about the Poeland projector worked well in our testing, a few users have had the remote control stop working within the first season.
Get the Poeland Christmas light projector at Amazon.
Also Consider
Lunmore Christmas Firefly Garden Lights Projector
Product Specs
- Coverage: Up to 2,500 square feet
- IP rating: Projector IP65, adapter IP44
- Display distance: 10 to 20 feet
What We Like
- Excellent weather resistance ratings
- Projector angles 180 degrees from its stand
- Solid build and performance
What We Don’t Like
- No dedicated Christmas light patterns
With its max 2,500-square-foot coverage, design, and other features, the Lunmore is very similar to our Best Overall LEDMall model except for its construction, which uses more plastic than solid metal. However, the Lunmore projector still boasts impressive weather resistance, with IP65 dustproofing and waterproofing, as well as an operating temperature range of -40 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit for use in a variety of conditions.
After testing this model indoors and outdoors, we determined that, for its build quality and price, it’s a very good middle-ground Christmas light projector. Though it’s solidly constructed, it’s not built like a tank the way that the LEDMall models are. For that, buyers will pay a price somewhere between those other models, which we think is fair.
The Lunmore does not have dedicated Christmas patterns, but red, green, and blue lights are entirely appropriate for the season. Users can choose to turn the individual colors on or off from the remote control to create red-and-green patterns, all-blue patterns, etc.
Get the Lunmore Christmas light projector at Amazon.
Jump to Our Top Picks
How We Tested the Best Christmas Light Projectors
To determine which Christmas light projectors to test, we considered more than 60 models based on brand reputation, features, quality, and review consensus of the individual projectors. Then we thoroughly tested the final list of products in the real world—both indoors and outdoors (when the projectors were rated for outdoor use)—under different ambient light conditions.
We judged each Christmas light projector based on the setup procedure, available features, ease of use, and end results. Factors such as price, included accessories, build quality, and aesthetics also factored into our overall assessment. All of the Christmas light projectors for outdoor use have some level of weather resistance. We tested them all outdoors, but because we could not put them through every weather condition during the testing period, we also considered their ingress protection (IP) ratings. More information on IP ratings is in the Durability and Waterproofing sections below.
What to Consider When Choosing Christmas Light Projectors
Christmas projector lights, patterns, and display size are only a few of the considerations that factor into a buying decision. Shoppers will also want to think about waterproofing, installation, and control. These features make a difference in performance, display quality, and whether the product will create a Christmas display that’s the envy of the neighborhood.
Patterns and Projection Range
Some Christmas hologram projectors have a single pattern like starry twinkling lights or snowflakes, while others have up to 20. Many of those extra patterns go beyond Christmas to include Thanksgiving, birthdays, and other occasions. For fans of spooky season, there’s also a whole host of Halloween projectors on the market.
Projection range indicates the farthest distance the projector can be from the target (usually the house or an outdoor movie screen) and still create a clear image or light display. Anywhere between 20 and 40 feet is average, though some may have a longer range or only a short 10- to 12-foot projection range. If the projector is placed beyond this range, the displayed image loses clarity—something you may have experienced during a backyard movie night.
Durability and Waterproofing
Outdoor Christmas lights must withstand wind, rain, and snow to be useful in many local climates. How well a projector can do this is measured by its IP rating, which indicates the device’s level of water resistance and/or resistance to particles like dirt and dust.
Example IP ratings include IP67 or IP44. The first number indicates the particle-proof level of the projector, with a 0 offering no protection and a 6 being airtight. The second number indicates protection from liquids. It ranges from 0 to 9, with 9 being submersible and 0 being no protection. If there’s an X in the rating, such as IPX7, it means that the manufacturer did not test the item for particle resistance but did test it for water resistance.
According to Chris Dukich, founder and CEO of Display NOW, a digital signage company, “You should particularly concentrate on IP65-rated projectors.” Outdoor Christmas projector lights should have a rating of at least IP65 to withstand rainy weather. However, projectors used in more extreme winters may require an IP67 rating.
Installation
A big benefit of Christmas light projectors is that setting them up is simpler than hanging Christmas lights. Most Christmas light projectors cleared for outdoor use include a ground stake to secure them in place, which is pretty easy to install. Other outdoor lighting designs for the holidays may have a built-in tripod or a base that can rest on a flat surface or be screwed into a wall or ceiling. Most models have more than one installation option.
Those looking to add a projector to traditional lights may want to consider a Christmas light installation service to keep things quick and easy.
Remote and Timer
Tromping out into cold weather to turn on Christmas lights or a projector isn’t exactly holiday fun. Models that come with a remote and built-in timer save time and money in the long run. A remote allows for light display adjustments and control from the front porch or even inside the house, depending on the remote control’s range.
Timers make sure the projector only runs when it will be visible, namely when it’s dark. They typically run on an 8-hour-on/16-hour-off or 6-hour-on/18-hour-off cycle. Some models come with several automatic timer settings, which lets users turn the projector on once and forget about it.
FAQs
Maybe you started by buying a holiday inflatable and aren’t sure which Christmas light projector to add. If you have lingering questions before you make your final choice, we have answers. Check out some of the most common questions about these festive products.
The number of Christmas light projectors you need depends on the square footage of the display area. Some projectors can cover up to 3,800 square feet, while others cover only 600 square feet. Estimate or measure the square footage of the display area and buy a projector that will cover it. If it’s a particularly large area, you might need more than one projector.
Christmas shower lights can be projected onto a tree with varying levels of success, and some models work better than others on trees. Generally, the lights display best on a flat surface, which of course a tree is not. However, moving light displays can make a tree look like it’s lit because the light continually catches the branches.
Setting up a Christmas light projector is easiest if you read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Depending on the projector’s specs, you may need a tape measure to determine the optimal distance from the display area. Then, adjust the projector angle, secure it, and plug in an extension cord.
The appropriate distance varies from model to model. Some models project best between 15 and 20 feet from the display area, while others display best at 30 to 40 feet. Check the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Christmas light projectors provide the best images on a relatively flat surface, like a house, garage door, or interior wall.
When asked if Christmas light projectors use a lot of electricity, tech expert Dukich said, “Most run on LED bulbs, consuming less electricity than even a string light type incandescent bulb. Typical use of a projector wouldn’t go beyond 10-15 watts, which means that you could have the outside of your house lit up for the entire festive season for something just below the cost of a couple of pumpkin spice lattes.”
Meet the Tester
Markkus Rovito thoroughly tested all the Christmas light projectors first-hand. He has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing electronics, software, and other technology for publications such as Popular Science, Futurism, and more.
Additional research provided by Stacey L. Nash.
