Short answer: landscape lighting runs from a transformer plugged into an outdoor outlet, and holiday lights usually plug into outlets too. They can coexist, but the total load on a circuit has to stay within its limit, and the outlets should be protected and covered. Our minimum service call is $95.
The two kinds of lighting
Landscape lighting in most yards is low-voltage. A transformer plugged into a house outlet steps power down, and buried wire carries it to fixtures. Holiday lighting is usually plug-in: strings, nets and wraps on a cord, plugged into an outdoor outlet or run from a timer.
Both depend on the same house circuits. A circuit has a limit, printed on the breaker, and everything plugged into it adds up. A pump, a garage freezer and a door heater might share the same one. When the holiday display goes up, the total can climb beyond what the circuit is meant to carry. The breaker trips, and often it trips at night.
Questions to ask first
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which outlet does the transformer use? | It should have room to spare |
| What else is on that circuit? | Heaters and pumps draw a lot |
| Is the outlet GFCI-protected and covered? | Required for outdoor safety |
| What is the load of the holiday strings? | Check the label on each |
| Are the cords outdoor-rated? | Indoor cords do not last outside |
How to share power safely
- Find which outlets share a breaker. Switch the breaker off and see what goes dead.
- Add up the loads from the labels. Keep the total comfortably within the circuit limit.
- Give the transformer its own outlet if you can.
- Use a separate outlet for the holiday display.
- Put each system on its own timer. Landscape lights and holiday strings rarely want the same hours.
- Keep plugs off the ground, out of damp mulch and covered.
- Never daisy-chain extension cords beyond what the labels allow.
Why separate timers help
Landscape lights are usually on from dusk to a late hour. Holiday lights might run a shorter stretch. If one timer controls both, you lose the choice. If the holiday lights go on the same switch as the transformer, turning off the display kills the path lights too. Keeping them apart means a tripped holiday circuit does not leave you in the dark.
What if the breaker keeps tripping
Once is a warning. Twice is a signal. Unplug the holiday lights and reset the breaker. If it holds, the load was too high. If it still trips with the display unplugged, the problem is somewhere else, such as water in a connection or a fault in the landscape run. That is a service call, minimum $95.
Using professional holiday lighting
Our holiday and event lighting is installed clean, with takedown, at $10–$15/ft installed. We plan the load, the outlets and the timer so you do not have to. For returning clients, we reinstall your stored lighting each season, from $350–$1,500. Our crew works with the landscape lighting already in your yard, since we do both. See our holiday lighting page.
A quick way to spot an overloaded outlet
Warm plugs, a plug that feels soft, a faint burning smell, lights that dim when another one turns on and a breaker that trips at the same moment each evening are all signs of too much load on one outlet. Any of them means unplug the extra lights and move them to a different outlet. If the problem remains with only the landscape transformer connected, stop and call. A fault in the lighting run should be found, not tested again and again.
When to call us
Call when breakers trip, lights flicker when a second system comes on or you want holiday lighting planned around what you have. We offer same-day service, answer day and night and are family-owned, licensed and insured. See our lighting page.
FAQ
Can I plug holiday lights into the same outlet as my landscape transformer? It depends on the total load and the circuit. A separate outlet is safer.
Why does my breaker trip when I turn on the display? The total load is probably too high for the circuit, or a connection is wet.
Do holiday lights need a GFCI outlet? Outdoor outlets should be GFCI-protected and covered.
How much does holiday lighting cost? Holiday and event lighting is $10–$15/ft installed, with takedown.
Prices from our price list. Updated October 2026.