Holiday Sunshine

 SUSTAINABLE LIVING | by CELESTE TELL

REGARDLESS OF WHAT HOLIDAY(S) YOU CELEBRATE this time of year — and we celebrate several in our house — light is always a factor, adding warmth and brightness to the short days and dark nights. And, oh, by the way, the lights use a bit of electricity. So what could be better than solar holiday lighting?

SOURCE: AMAZON.COM

While solar-powered landscape lighting has been around for a while, the idea of decorative or indoor solar lighting is just beginning to take off commercially. IKEA has a new solar-powered desk lamp. But the most exciting thing is solar-powered string lights. They work just like traditional outdoor string lights, except instead of the power end having to snake around the house to an electrical outlet, there is a stake with a little solar panel on the end. Just stab it into the ground where it can get some sun (or, here in Seattle, some gray light) and it will store enough power to juice the lights for 6 to 8 hours at night. No electricity, no extension cords. Pretty sweet.

Googling will bring up a variety of options to order online or purchase locally. And there are all different designs, materials and sizes. From high end to low end there is something for everyone.