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SNOW PASS BOSTONHoliday LightsInstall and January takedown

Christmas lightinstallationin Melrose, MA

Lights hung and taken down for Melrose homes.
Lights, install and takedown included.
From $695. Book by December 15.

Get my price and book

Text (781) 786-7669

Lights for Melrose homes

Most Melrose houses are colonials with about 34 ft of roofline: up to 60 ft, $695. We serve Melrose Highlands, Downtown Melrose, Cedar Park, East Side, Horace Mann, Mount Hood and the rest of Melrose.

A typical home in Melrose

What lights cost on the usual Melrose house

Melrose has a mix of housing: figures derived from the U.S. Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates, tables B25024 and B25003, indicate that 56.6% of homes are one-unit, 14.2% are in two-to-four-unit buildings, 27.6% are in buildings with five or more units, and 67.2% are owner-occupied. The median year built is 1938, so check whether an older home has accessible, weather-protected outdoor outlets before planning the lights.

Single-family57%
2 to 4 unit buildings14%
5+ unit buildings28%
Owner-occupied67%
Median year built1938
Example frontage30 ft
Example roofline34 ft
TierUp to 60 ft
Price$695
Same tier, bundled with a Snow Pass (10% off, up to $100)$625

Example, not a quote. Frontage and roofline are our estimates for this house type; the census figures are from ACS 2024 5-year estimates.

Start from this tier

about 34 ft of roofline to light
A colonial house typical of Melrose, Massachusetts, lit with warm white Christmas lights at dusk

Home for the Holidays schedule, Dec 4 to 6

Home for the Holidays runs from Friday 12/4 to Sunday 12/6.

The Chamber gives the weekend as 12/4 to 12/6 and prints no year.

  • The Chamber's Home for the Holidays page has the heading "2025 Events and Map".
  • Our arithmetic: Dec. 4, 2026 is a Friday, so the dates fit 2026.
  • Confirm with the Chamber before you head out.

Friday, Dec. 4

  • 5:45 pmHoliday singing with a local group on the lawn of City Hall.City Hall
  • 6:00-8:00 pmTemple Beth Shalom offers latkes, sufganiyot and beverages outside the Temple at 21 East Foster Street.21 East Foster St
  • 6:15 pmThe City Hall Christmas Tree is lit with Mayor Jen Grigoraitis.City Hall
  • Around 6:30 pmLed by the Melrose High School Drummers, Santa Claus arrives in downtown Melrose atop a Fire Engine.
  • 6:45-8:30 pmAfter the trees along Main Street are lit, join Santa at the Knights of Columbus for pictures, hot cocoa, holiday music, and more.

Saturday, Dec. 5

  • 10 am-2 pmOn Saturday, free trolleys run from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, originating at Cedar Park with stops throughout Melrose.
  • 11 am-12 pmCedar Park has 'reindeer' rides, cookie decorating, a hot cocoa bar and a visit from Santa.Cedar ParkChamber page, listed under its 2025 events heading
  • 1:40 pmThe last holiday trolleys leave Cedar Park at 1:40 pm, and the trolleys stop running at 2:00 pm.
  • All dayTrolley passengers are asked to leave strollers at home or at Cedar Park for the safety of all passengers.

Sunday, Dec. 6

  • 11 am-2 pmBrunch with Santa at Rising Eagle, 505 Main Street.505 Main St
  • 1-3 pmFree children's holiday party from the Mt. Hood Park Association12Mount Hood Golf Clubhouse, 100 Slayton Rd

Event questions

Melrose Chamber phone
781.665.3033

Menorah lighting

Show last season's item (1)
  1. Dec. 2025last season

    The city held its first official Hanukkah menorah lighting on a snowy Sunday night before the December 19, 2025 post, and the exact site was not stated.

Melrose has not posted a 2026 menorah lighting date. Ask the Chamber.

Where to see lights in Melrose

View private homes from the street or sidewalk, and don’t block driveways.

Show past years, not confirmed for 2026 (3)
  1. 2024not confirmed for 2026

    At 35 Irving St, Patch’s past coverage described white lights, two large wreaths and an eight-foot Santa waving near the side door. The owner told Patch the decorating begins right after Halloween.

  2. 2020not confirmed for 2026

    The Horace Mann neighborhood lined its streets with some 2,000 luminaries, small glowing bags on Howard, Cochrane, Damon, Cranmore, Boardman, Pearl, Lovell and Ruggles streets.

  3. 2013not confirmed for 2026

    WBUR’s past display coverage described a home on Washington St just south of Gould St with lights set to music, a lit live tree and a waving Santa.

Plan a drive-by on the Friday or Saturday of Home for the Holidays, and check that each spot is lit before making a special trip.

Historic District: when lights need approval

Does your house sit in the Downtown Historic District? That covers Main Street from Foster Street to Emerson Street and a portion of Essex Street. If so, exterior alterations visible from a public way need Historic District Commission approval and a Certificate of Appropriateness application.

Which board is which

The Melrose Historical Commission keeps an inventory of historic properties and updates it.

What about lights?

Melrose hasn't published a rule on temporary holiday lights. If your house is in the district, ask the Historic District Commission before you book.

Condo and HOA rules are separate, so check those too.

Power and safety on a prewar house

The median year built in Melrose is 1938, per the ACS 2024 5-year estimates.

  • Guidance states to plug outdoor electrical decorations into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), use electrical connection protectors to keep water out, anchor lights with insulated holders or hooks, not drive nails or staples through wiring insulation, not overload circuits, and bring outdoor electrical lights inside after the holidays.
  • The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services recommends using only lights rated for outdoor use for outdoor decorations.

A 15-amp circuit carries about 1,800 W, and a 20-amp circuit about 2,400 W, at 120 V. That is our own arithmetic, not state guidance.

We found no Melrose lights permit. Ask the Building Dept.

Our tip: put your display on a timer so it's off overnight.

Check for an outdoor GFCI before install day, and tell us where it is when you book. If you have none, have an electrician look at it, because we don't do electrical work.

Install-day parking and the overnight ban

Melrose's normal overnight parking ban runs from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. every night.

A crew that works in daytime stays outside the 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. ban window, so the ban does not touch an install day. There is no overnight parking on the street in the City of Melrose, and those who do so risk a parking ticket.

Guests and overnight exemptions

If you or a guest need the street overnight, ask the Police Department for an exemption on the city's Overnight Parking page. For a multiple-day exemption, fill out the form each day. The limit is 12 exemptions per year.

Snow emergencies

A snow emergency declaration may extend the hours in which cars must be removed from the roadway. Parking restrictions are announced on the city website and through its Everbridge alerts, so sign up for those.

Who to call

Police business line
781-665-1212

Questions about exemptions

Parking Clerk
781-979-4144

Ticket and parking questions, or visit the Collector's window at City Hall

Takedown, tree pickup and holiday trash

Christmas trees go out at the curb, and the Department of Public Works picks them up on your regular collection day during the weeks of January 5 and January 12. Skip the plastic bag. The City says trees in plastic bags cannot be collected.

Show last season's items (2)
  1. Dec. 25-26last season

    In Melrose, MA, curbside trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day on Thursday, December 25 and Friday, December 26.

  2. Weeks of Jan. 5 and Jan. 12last season

    Public Works will collect Christmas trees curbside on regular collection days during the weeks of January 5 and January 12.

Melrose has not posted the 2026-27 tree-pickup dates. Ask the City Yard, and check the city's Solid Waste page in late December.

Getting your tree ready

  • Take off the stand, tinsel, twine, lights and ornaments.
  • Trees in plastic bags are not collected or accepted at DPW.
  • You can also drop the tree at the Recycling Center during the first two weeks of January.

During the first two weeks in January, Melrose collects Christmas trees curbside, or you can drop them at the Recycling Center; the stand, plastic bags, tinsel, twine, lights and ornaments must be removed first.

Trees in plastic bags will not be collected or accepted at the DPW.

Gifts with your lights

Free lit door wreath and timer with every install

Every booking comes with gifts to keep. The bigger the display, the more fun shows up on your lawn.

  1. Every lights booking

    Smart timer plug and lit door wreath

    A lit wreath for your front door, plus a smart outdoor plug so your lights come on at dusk and you switch them from your phone.

  2. Order total $1,500+

    4 ft lit Santa

    A 4 ft lit LED Santa for the front yard, next to your lit house.

    Plus the smart outdoor timer plug and a lit door wreath

  3. Order total $2,500+

    Sleigh, 2 reindeer and a holiday card photo

    A lit sleigh with 2 reindeer, plus a dusk "holiday card photo" of your lit house, taken by our crew and texted to you.

    Plus the smart outdoor timer plug and a lit door wreath and the 4 ft lit LED Santa

Gifts are yours to keep. Your order total is what you pay for lights after any Snow Pass discount; the price tool shows which gifts your total includes.

See it before you book

See your house lit before you book

Text us a photo of your house and we'll send back a picture of it lit up.

Text us a photoor upload it here

Six roofline tiers from $695 to from $2,095; all prices, what is included and the full FAQ are on the main Christmas lights page.

Price it and book lights in Melrose

Need a tree too? Delivered to your door, from $149. See Christmas trees

Sources (31)

Each number on this page links to the passage it relies on. Checked 2026-11-01. We are not the town; confirm rules with Melrose before a storm.

  1. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays Friday 12/4 - Sunday 12/6
  2. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays 5:45 pm: Join us on the lawn of City Hall for holiday singing with local group!
  3. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays 6:00 - 8:00 pm: Temple Beth Shalom is once again offering delicious latkes (potato pancakes), sufganiyot (donuts) and beverages outside of the Temple (21 East Foster Street).
  4. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays 6:15 pm: Cheer and Sing, as we join Mayor Jen Grigoraitis, and light the City Hall Christmas Tree!
  5. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays Around 6:30 pm: Led by Melrose High School Drummers, Santa Claus will arrive in downtown Melrose atop a Fire Engine!
  6. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays 6:45 - 8:30 pm: After the trees along Main Street are lit, we hope you will join SANTA at the Knights of Columbus for pictures, hot cocoa, holiday music, and more!
  7. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays Saturday Fun: / All day on Saturday, the city will be full of fairs, performances, sales, specials, The Nutcracker, and all sorts of fun that will last throughout the weekend. / Special holiday trolleys will run from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, carrying shoppers throughout the shopping districts, for free.
  8. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays Be sure to visit Cedar Park for 'reindeer' rides, cookie decorating, a hot cocoa bar, and a visit from Santa between 11am - 12 pm!
  9. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays The last trolleys out of Cedar Park will be at 1:40 pm as the trolleys stop running all together at 2:00pm sharp so please plan your travels accordingly.
  10. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays For the safety of all passengers, we ask that you leave strollers at home or at Cedar Park.
  11. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays Brunch with Santa at Rising Eagle (505 Main Street) -- 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
  12. Melrose Chamber of Commerce: Home for the Holidays The Mt. Hood Park Association of Melrose is sponsoring their free annual “Children’s Holiday Party” on Sunday, December 6th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Mount Hood Golf Clubhouse (100 Slayton Road, Melrose, MA).
  13. City of Melrose: The Week Ahead, Holidays 2025 Posted on December 19, 2025
  14. City of Melrose: The Week Ahead, Holidays 2025 Thank you to the many dozens of people who braved a snowy Sunday night for the City’s first official Hanukkah menorah lighting, especially Rabbi Jessica Lowenthal and the congregants of Temple Beth Shalom, who helped organize this warm and optimistic event
  15. Melrose Patch: Christmas Light Spotlight, 35 Irving St. illuminated with white lights and two large wreaths placed on the home. The most unique component of the decorations however is the eight foot Santa Claus waving at passers-by near the side door.
  16. Melrose Patch: Christmas Light Spotlight, 35 Irving St. According to Langathianos, the decorating begins right after Halloween.
  17. Melrose Patch: Melrose Neighborhood Brightens Up Holiday Season Residents of the Horace Mann neighborhood lined the streets with some 2,000 luminaries this weekend, releasing some pent-up holiday cheer.
  18. WBUR: Where to See the Greatest Christmas Lights Around Boston Washington Street just south of Gould Street, Melrose / Lights blink in synch with music, a giant live tree twinkles with lights and a life-sized Santa waves at this Melrose home.
  19. City of Melrose: Historic District Commission If you are making exterior alterations to a property that are visible from a public way in the Downtown Historic District (along Main Street from Foster Street to Emerson Street and a portion of Essex Street) the Commission will need to approve the work. Visit the Forms and Applications section of the website and submit a Certificate of Appropriateness Application to the Office of Planning and Community Development.
  20. City of Melrose: Historical Commission Maintains and updates an inventory of historic properties.
  21. City of Melrose: Snow Emergency Final Updates The city’s normal overnight parking ban remains in effect from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. every night.
  22. City of Melrose: Parking Office There is no overnight parking on the street in the City of Melrose and those who choose to do so are at the risk of receiving a parking ticket.
  23. City of Melrose: Parking Office If you have a guest or non-recurring need to park on the street overnight (e.g. the driveway is being paved), you may request an exemption from the Police Department on the Overnight Parking page.
  24. City of Melrose: Parking Office If you require a multiple day exemption, the exemption form must be completed each day and there is a limit of 12 exemptions per year.
  25. City of Melrose: Preparing for Winter Weather In addition to the normal prohibition on overnight street parking in Melrose, a snow emergency declaration may extend the hours in which cars must be removed from the roadway.
  26. City of Melrose: Preparing for Winter Weather Emergency alerts and parking restrictions are announced on the City website and via the City’s Everbridge alerts system—make sure you’re signed up for alerts to get timely updates by phone, text and email from the City!
  27. City of Melrose: The Week Ahead, Holidays 2025 Curbside trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day on Thursday, December 25 and Friday, December 26. Curbside Christmas tree collection by the Department of Public Works will take place during the weeks of January 5 and January 12 on regular curbside collection days.
  28. City of Melrose: Yard Waste, Curbside Collection and Drop Off Remove stand and all plastic bags, tinsel, twine, lights, ornaments, etc. Trees in plastic bags cannot be collected.
  29. City of Melrose: Sidewalk Plow Routes If you have any questions or problems, please call the City Yard at 781-665-0142.
  30. cityofmelrose.org During the first two weeks in January, Christmas trees are collected curbside or may be dropped off at the Recycling Center. Remove stand and all plastic bags, tinsel, twine, lights, ornaments, etc.
  31. cityofmelrose.org Trees in plastic bags will not be collected or accepted at DPW.

Also hanging lights near Melrose

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