When it's time to hang those holiday lights, do you grumble over tangled wires, wobble up rickety ladders and spend hours tracking down burned out bulbs? After all that effort, does it seem like you just flung them onto the tree to dangle where they may?

If your lights are less like a Courier and Ives postcard and more like the Nightmare Before Christmas, raise your hand. You might need a lesson in lighting design.

"You have to have an idea or look in mind that you want," said Robert Holley, co-owner of A Touch of Grass landscaping in Aurora, whose services include installing holiday lights. "We meet with homeowners to talk about what they're looking for, then make suggestions on what will or won't work."

This year, the hottest trend in holiday lighting is keeping cool and eco-friendly with LED bulbs, said Jeff Oxley, vice president of operations for Swingle (on the Web at myswingle.com), a company that lights up landscapes from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.

Though they're expensive, energy savings over the long life of LED bulbs makes up for their cost.

Swingle's lighting designs range from simple to highly sophisticated, and can be seen at Park Meadows mall, the Wildlife Experience or the Symphony in Lights at Northfield Stapleton.

Swingle owns the lights they use and Holley strings up what the homeowner provides, but both stress the importance of hiring professionals to put up your lights. As members of the Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado (alcc.com), their businesses are dedicated to safety and quality.

Costs for professional installation vary, from $150 to $2,000, depending on the time involved. If you hang your own lights, follow these steps for safety:

* Use outdoor-rated lights with fuses in their plugs; they can take the weather. Check each set before hanging. Don't us those with cracked sockets or frayed wire.

* Avoid connecting too many strands to one outlet. Read the package instructions for number of strands you can string together.

* Be sure your extension cord is certified for outdoor use and can take the load.

* Make sure your ladder has firm footing, and get someone to help keep it steady while you're on it. Don't over-reach when hanging lights; move the ladder frequently as you hang the strings.

* Never climb in areas with power lines overhead.

Here are some tips for do it yourself designers:

* Start simple by outlining the roof and one or two trees. If the roof is blocked by trees, focus your lights on other landscape features, such as shrubs.

* Light shrubs in a spiral, or make life easy by investing in net lights to toss over the plant.

* Larger trees light better than young ones, whose branches don't support many strands. Wrap the trunk in white, then circle the canopy with a different color.

* If the tree is too close to the house, spiraling the canopy isn't for you; instead, wrap a few individual branches to highlight the tree, including the trunk below and between the branches.

* Stick to one size bulb for a smooth, finished look to the display. Mixing small and large bulbs often confuses the eye, making your display look haphazard.

Carol O'Meara, a local gardening expert, may be reached at omearac@yahoo.com