As my great-grandfather Ebenezer Wappler used to tell me, nothing says “Happy Holidays!” like doing the exact same thing, the exact same way every year. From dry turkey to cold gravy, from Uncle Pete telling his favorite jokes to a smooch on the cheek for Grandma, it‘s not the holidays if things change too much, too fast.

For many of us, these time-honored traditions include stringing colorful holiday lights. Some techniques of seasonal illumination date back to our forefathers in the days of yore. (Confession: I have no ideas when the “days of yore” were. I believe they were the Eisenhower years). Timeless lighting styles include stringing’em along the rain gutters, running them around every window, outlining the peaks and gables of the roof, and winding them in perfect spirals around every available tree.

But perhaps we should break from tradition this season and instead of decorating with the same old lights switch to something a little more modern? After all, nothing’s better than a gift that keeps on giving, and the new Light Emitting Diode (LED) holiday lights are just the thing for treating you and yours to a cleaner, greener and smarter way to celebrate for seasons to come.

The LEDs come in about as many styles as you can think of, and probably a few you can’t. Colors? Only every one you can imagine. Shapes? From the classic “C6” egg-style bulb to twisty rope lights that do tricks the old, incandescent lights could never do. If you are looking to dazzle the neighborhood with your creativity and spirit, the LEDs are your new choice. Plus, they use about 75 percent less electricity than standard lights, and are safer as well because they operate at much cooler temperatures.

Ever mistakenly touch an incandescent bulb after it’s been on for a few minutes? Big mistake, and big blister, too. They get hot because an incandescent bulb makes a lot more heat than light, wasting some 90 percent of the energy it consumes. The LEDs, on the other hand, take most of the energy they use and turn it into light – which is kind of the point, right? In fact, the LEDs are so efficient they use from 10 to 25 percent of the energy while making for 100 percent of the holiday joy.

PSE is distributing 3,000 free strings of LED holiday lights this season, each with 100 efficient bulbs. Punching the calculator reveals that’s 300,000 lights ready to put an energy-efficient yet heart-warming glow into neighborhoods across the area. For more on the LED lighting events, go to PSE.com or drop me a line at AskAndy@PSE.com.

A few things, like splurging on a second piece of pumpkin pie or watching too many football games, are just downright mandatory in order to fully savor the season. But some traditions do need to change, or at least evolve, and the time is here for the incandescent bulb to make way for the LED. Give them a few years, and they’ll be traditional, too.

Andy Wappler is a senior public relations manager at Puget Sound Energy. He joined PSE in February 2008 after being chief meteorologist at KIRO-TV. He looks forward to hearing from you at AskAndy@PSE.com.