The first year is always an investment because you have the material cost from purchasing the lights. The price for the following year typically is reduced by 40-50% of the intial cost.
Nick Hiatt
Owner, Saint Nick's Christmas Lights, Portland, Oregon
I spent 25 years on ladders around the Northwest before Saint Nick's was ever a company, and I've been designing and installing custom holiday lighting in the Portland area ever since. I write these guides myself. No fluff, just what I'd tell you standing in your driveway.