If tradition holds, First Lady Michelle Obama (or maybe Jill Biden) will top the National Christmas Tree sometime in the next two weeks leading up to the lighting ceremony on December 3. In the meantime, the sun will have to substitute as the tree top.

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President Obama and family will light the National Christmas Tree and Pageant of Peace on December 3.

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Traditional incandescent holiday light strings are slowly being replaced by newer, more efficient and longer-lasting LEDs.

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LED holiday lights are still not as cheap as their incandescent brethren, but they'll last far longer and eat up less energy. And you can string 43 of these 60-light sets together in one circuit without risking an overload -- that's 2,580 LEDs!

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Some houses already have their holiday light displays up.

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