While Christmas lights may lift our spirits in the dark winter nights, they can also have a negative impact on wildlife and the environment according to experts.

Birds are most affected according to Nicola Koper, professor and ornithologist at the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Manitoba.

"Luckily Christmas lights on most peoples' houses should not make too much of an impact on wildlife or birds. If you are trying to minimize the impact you're having on wildlife, the best choices would be lights that put out relatively less energy." Koper says, though, that there are good options to now lessen the impact on birds. "LEDs are not quite as bright as the old-fashioned lights, so they would be better choices."

Koper says that while individual houses may not make much of a negative impact, there is a higher risk with fixtures at apartment buildings, towers, and commercial buildings. "Those can be bright enough to actually affect birds that are moving.

"We can also reduce the impacts of lights at night on birds by using red lights instead of white. That actually means some of the coloured lights we use for Christmas can have less of an impact than white -- which birds gravitate to," she added.

Bruce Owens from Manitoba Hydro says that LED bulbs will also help you save energy and lessen your energy footprint when using outdoor and indoor lights.  

Owens says that since 2004-2005, old light bulbs that screw in have been phased out, and most if not all bulbs available are LED.

"They're the only thing you can buy now and put up on your house and on your tree. We do advise to use a timer on outdoor and indoor lights so they aren't on all day or on all night, and you're not consuming the amount of electricity that you don't want to be."