Transform your home into a festive winter wonderland by hanging Christmas lights on the exterior, creating a magical display that spreads holiday cheer. Consider incorporating various lighting styles, such as string lights, icicle lights, and net lights, to add depth and dimension to your decorations. Don’t forget to adorn trees, bushes, and other outdoor elements to extend the enchantment to your entire property.
To achieve a cohesive look, select a theme or color scheme that resonates with your personal style. Whether it’s classic white lights for an elegant touch or vibrant hues for a lively atmosphere, the choices are endless. Take advantage of modern technology with programmable LED lights, allowing you to synchronize colors and patterns for a dazzling light show. Embrace the holiday spirit and showcase your creativity by illuminating your home with festive Christmas lights for all to enjoy.
Here are our top tips for hanging Christmas lights on your house:
Review light inventory and equipment on hand
Unearth those plastic tubs in the garage or in the attic to retrieve your cherished Christmas lights. Examine their condition and check if they are suitable for outdoor use, illuminate the strings to ensure they are in working order, replacing any burnt-out bulbs.
Make sure you have enough lights by measuring the areas that will be lit
Determine the dimensions of the areas on your home earmarked for decoration, including windows, door frames, fences, and railings. Take note of the power source or extension cord location. Keep in mind that additional or longer strands may be required if you intend to wrap them around posts or plants. Simplify your decorating process by opting for net lights for bushes and shrubs, eliminating the need to estimate the number of strands needed to cover branches.
Design a master light plan before you start decorating
Stand across the street from your home and assess areas that you are planning to enhance with lighting. Contemplate accentuating distinctive architectural features by draping lights along eaves, pillars, posts, windows, and doors. Determine which bushes, trees, lamp posts, window boxes, and planters could contribute to your overall display with added illumination. Lastly, consider suitable lighting options for paths and stand-alone figures to complete your festive setup.
Configure your power setup so you don’t have cords draped across your yard
Ensure outdoor lights are connected to circuits protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to minimize the risk of electrocution. To streamline your setup and prevent numerous cords running back to the house, consider employing power stakes—portable devices that provide power where needed with a single cable to the house.
Have hangers and fasteners ready to attach the lights to your house
Swap out hammers and nails for plastic holiday light clips, providing a safe and secure way to affix lights to various surfaces, including shingles, gutters, posts, window frames, and railings. For illuminating walkways, driveways, and garden edges, opt for light stakes. These plastic accessories are easily removable after the holiday season and can be reused in the following years.
Connect your Christmas lights to timers
Avoid the hassle of trudging out in the dark and cold to manually control your lights by utilizing lighting timers to automatically manage your display’s on and off cycles. Depending on the configuration of your lights and the extent of your illumination, you may require multiple timers. Ensure precise synchronization and use only timers specifically designed for outdoor use to streamline the process.
Don’t forget to light up your garden and vegetation
Why limit the festive decorations to the front yard? Extend the holiday cheer to the backyard, where you likely spend more time, by adorning deck railings, embellishing trees with lights, or transforming yard structures such as sheds and greenhouses into illuminated holiday displays.