Every October we get the same phone call: “I know it’s early, but…” It isn’t early. By the second week of October our November calendar in Champaign-Urbana is usually more than half full, and by Halloween the week before Thanksgiving is gone. Here is how the season actually works, so you can get the date you want.
The install season runs earlier than you think
Professional installers in Central Illinois work from roughly the third week of October through the middle of December. That window is fixed by two things: the weather, which gets ugly on rooftops after mid-December, and the calendar, which puts Thanksgiving, the traditional “lights on” night, at the end of November.
The result is that the entire region wants its lights installed in the same three or four weeks, and no installer can put every home up the week before Thanksgiving. We schedule installs across the whole window and use timers so lights installed in late October don’t switch on until you want them to.
When our calendar fills, week by week
- August and September: Returning customers re-book first, usually by text. New bookings made now get any week they want.
- Early October: New-customer bookings arrive in volume. The two weeks before Thanksgiving fill first.
- Mid to late October: November is mostly spoken for. Early December dates open up.
- November: We are installing every day. Remaining dates are early December and whatever cancellations free up.
- December: Limited availability, weather dependent.
If you want lights on by Thanksgiving, book by early October. If you’re flexible about an early December install, late October still works.
Why early installs are the smart move
Homeowners sometimes resist an October install because it feels too early for Christmas lights. It isn’t, because the lights aren’t on yet. We install the lines, connect the timers and leave them off until the date you choose. Early installs have real advantages:
- Better weather for the crew. October rooftops are dry and the days are longer, which means cleaner work and no weather delays.
- Lights on the moment you want them. Thanksgiving evening, your display is already up and tested.
- Time for adjustments. If you want to add a wrapped tree or change a color after seeing it, there’s time before the holidays.
- The early-booking discount. It exists because early installs make our season run smoothly.
What happens after you book
Booking is a quick quote request. We visit for a free design visit, measure your rooflines and trees, and give you a fixed, all-inclusive price. You approve it, and your install week is reserved. The week before, you get a reminder text. On install day, we’re there for a few hours and you don’t need to be home.
After that it’s our problem: free maintenance all season, takedown in January and storage until next fall, when you’ll get a text asking if you want the same design or something new.
Thinking about permanent lights instead?
If the annual booking scramble is part of why you’re reading this, permanent lighting removes it entirely. A one-time install gives you a roofline system that runs warm white every night and switches to Christmas, game-day or any other scene from your phone, with no season to book around. Our permanent lighting vs. seasonal comparison lays out both options honestly.
Either way, the advice is the same: decide early. The homeowners with the best-lit houses in December are the ones who made one phone call in September.