Every holiday, one install
Holiday lighting
Holiday lighting used to mean hiring a crew every November and paying them again to take it down in January. A permanent system replaces that: LEDs installed once under your roof edge, then changed from an app for whatever the calendar says. Twin Cities installs are priced by the foot of roofline and quoted in writing after a free measure — versus $800–1,500 every single season for traditional install and removal.
What one system covers
It isn't only December
People buy it for Christmas and then use it constantly. That is the pattern in every market this product exists in.
Christmas
Red and green, warm white, or classic candlelight. Scheduled to switch on December 1 and back on the 26th.
Halloween
Orange and purple, with flicker and fade scenes built in.
Fourth of July
Red, white, and blue — the one week a year the whole street notices.
Game days
Purple and gold on a Sunday. Green and gold if you must.
Birthdays & graduations
A color per kid. Costs nothing to run and they remember it.
Every other night
Warm white along the roofline. This is what it does 300 nights a year.
Set it in October, done for the year
The holidays run themselves
- Schedule every holiday once — the system changes itself on the right dates.
- Invisible by day. The track color-matches your trim; nobody sees it until you light it.
- No ladders, no clips, no January takedown in the cold.
- Nothing to untangle or store — it lives on the roofline year-round.
Before & after
Same house. Same night.
Drag the slider to see the transformation.
Free app · no subscription
Every holiday is one tap
- Change the whole house from your phone — colors, scenes, brightness.
- 16 million colors plus a dedicated warm white.
- Works with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
- Front, sides, back — control each zone on its own.
Straight talk
When we're the wrong call
If you're selling the house inside two years, a permanent system probably doesn't pay off — hire a seasonal crew and keep your cash. If you only want lights up for three weeks and you like the look of traditional C9 bulbs on a peak, that is also a legitimate preference and not something we install. If you're weighing a seasonal crew against installing once, we put what Christmas light installation costs in Minneapolis year by year on its own page.
We install permanent systems only. We'd rather point you to a good seasonal installer than sell you the wrong product and collect a deposit for it.
Booking an installer
Christmas light installation in the Twin Cities — what we actually do
Gray Duck Lighting is a Twin Cities holiday lighting company that installs permanent systems only. Instead of hanging strands each November and pulling them in January, we mount color-matched LED track under your roof edge once — it disappears against the trim by day and runs Christmas, Halloween, game days, and warm white the rest of the year from an app.
The process is short: we measure your roofline on site, quote in writing by the linear foot, and schedule the install. Best window in Minnesota is August through early October — dry fascia, full daylight, and the house is lit before Thanksgiving. We install across the metro: Minneapolis, St. Paul, Edina, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove, Wayzata, Woodbury, Chanhassen, Bloomington, Lakeville, Apple Valley, Eagan, and Shakopee.
If what you need is a seasonal crew for one November, we are the wrong call — and as above, we would rather point you to a good one than sell you the wrong product.
Questions
Holiday lighting, answered
Is permanent holiday lighting better than hiring someone each year?
It depends on how long you plan to stay in the house. Seasonal install-and-remove runs $800–1,500 a year in the Twin Cities and you pay it forever. A permanent system is a one-time cost, measured to your roofline and quoted in writing. If you are moving in two years, hire the seasonal crew. If you are staying five or more, the permanent system comes out cheaper and you also get accent, game day, and security lighting the other eleven months.
Do you install traditional Christmas lights too?
No. We install permanent systems only. If you want strands hung this season there are good seasonal crews in the metro and we are happy to say so — we would rather point you somewhere useful than sell you the wrong thing.
Can I change holiday colors myself?
Yes, and that is most of the appeal. Red and green in December, orange and purple for Halloween, red-white-blue in July, team colors on a Sunday — each takes about ten seconds in the app. You can also schedule scenes by date so the house changes over without you touching anything.
Who does Christmas light installation near me in the Twin Cities?
We do — but only the permanent kind. Gray Duck Lighting installs LED track under the roof edge on homes across the Twin Cities metro: it stays up year-round, is color-matched to your trim so it disappears by day, and changes color from an app instead of being hung and pulled every season. We measure the roofline, quote in writing, and install once. If what you want is strands hung this November and taken down in January, that is a seasonal crew's job and not ours, and we will tell you that on the phone rather than take a deposit. Call or text 952-900-2733.
How far ahead should I book holiday light installation in Minnesota?
August through early October is the easy window. The fascia is dry, the crew has thirteen-plus hours of usable daylight, and the system is on the house well before Thanksgiving. November is possible but tighter — it is the busiest stretch of the year and an ice-covered fascia is genuinely unsafe to work on. If you miss the fall window entirely, spring is a perfectly good time to install; you will simply have the system in place for next season instead of this one. No manufactured urgency: that is just what the Minnesota calendar does.
What does a holiday lighting company in Minneapolis charge for installation?
Permanent holiday lighting is priced per linear foot of roofline and quoted in writing after a free on-site measure. The number moves with how much roofline you have, the height, and how many stories the crew is working from — which is why nobody who quotes you sight-unseen is quoting you accurately. For comparison, traditional seasonal install-and-removal runs roughly $800–1,500 a year in the Twin Cities and you pay it again every November.
Worth reading first
Before you book
When to Book Permanent Christmas Lights in Minnesota
August to early October is the right window for a Minnesota install — daylight and dry fascia, not fake urgency. What changes after Thanksgiving.
4 min read
Are Permanent Christmas Lights Safe? What the Manufacturers Actually Publish
Permanent lights run on low-voltage 12V or 24V power. But only three of six brands publish any safety listing at all — here's exactly what each one says.
6 min read
The Brand On The Box Matters Less Than The Crew On The Ladder
Eighteen months fixing other crews' permanent lighting taught us what actually fails — and why the brand on the box matters less than who hangs it.
8 min read
Free design consultation
Let's see what your house looks like lit
We'll measure your roofline, show you the options, and give you a real number. No pressure, no all-night pitch.