There are a few different types of fiber-optic decorations. Often, seasonal or holiday decorations incorporate fiber-optic lights in items such as Christmas trees and plastic snowmen. Sometimes these items are made almost entirely of fiber-optic lights, while other times the lights are used to accent a complete item. Another example of a fiber-optic decoration is one that can be worn, such as a wig with fiber-optic strands attached to it. Fiber-optics are also used to dress up mundane items like sporting equipment or to add visibility to items so that they can be used more effectively when it is dark.
Many themed figurines and holiday decorations are made up primarily of or accented with fiber-optic lights. For example, a Christmas-themed snowman might be filled with white fiber-optic strands inside a translucent body. Another example is an angel that is made up primarily of cloth and wood, but is accented with multicolored shifting strands. During Halloween, a ghoulish figurine hung on a door might have orange and purple shifting fiber-optic lights billowing out of its clothing. These are just a few examples; sometimes non-holiday themed figurines are built in a similar fashion.
Other fiber-optic decorations include pre-lit Christmas trees. These trees come in various sizes, from small desktop Christmas trees to full-sized trees meant to imitate an actual tree. Sometimes fake branches and needles of these fiber-optic decorations will be entirely made of fiber-optic strands, while other times the fiber-optic strands are used to accent traditional plastic trees. Often, primarily fiber-optic Christmas trees are so lightweight that additional decorations cannot be hung from them, unlike traditional fake trees that are only accented by fiber-optics. The lights on a fiber-optic Christmas tree are often programmed to blend through different colors.
Another category of fiber-optic decorations are an assortment of ornamented items. Toys, sporting equipment, and wigs are some examples of unconventional items that fiber-optic manufacturers have tried to decorate with lights. For example, a wig might be made up entirely of fiber-optic strands originating from a cap. As an example of sporting equipment, a flying disc might have a few fiber-optic strands incorporated into its plastic so that it can glow in the dark. Lastly, an example of a very simple fiber-optic decoration is a set of strands that emerge from a handle, a decoration that might be toted by revelers at an outdoor rock concert.