The comparison people run is first-year cost, which permanent loses badly. The comparison that matters is ten-year cost plus ladder time plus what happens in January. Permanent Christmas lights.
Ten year view
- Permanent: one install, one cost, no takedown, no storage.
- Hung seasonally: ten installs, ten takedowns, ten invoices, ten Januaries.
- Permanent adds everyday use. Seasonal lights sit in a box eleven months a year.
The ladder problem
Most people who switch do it after a bad experience on a ladder in December, or after paying somebody else to take that risk for the fifth year running. It is worth pricing that honestly rather than treating it as free.
