As we dust off our cherished ornaments and start diving into the world of holiday decorations, there’s one star that really steals the show during this season: Christmas lights! Beyond their dazzling display, Christmas lights always bring a sense of warmth, joy, and holiday magic into our homes.
In this post, we’ll explore the wonderful world of holiday lights, with a special importance on the best way to hang Christmas lights indoors and outdoors. While a beautifully lit home is enchanting, we can’t forget that getting those lights up can be a festive challenge. From figuring out the best way to attach roof Christmas lights to learning what the least damaging ways to hang Christmas lights are, this post will share insider tricks and tips that will make decorating not just stress-free, but downright enjoyable. So, grab some cocoa and get ready to unwrap those radiant Christmas lights to turn your home into a winter wonderland with ease!
What to Use to Hang Christmas Lights
The best way to hang Christmas lights is by using the supplies below.
Christmas Lights
It goes without saying that this is the most important thing on the list!
Timers and Controllers
Being able to control when your lights go on and off is a massive time saver! Even if you’re not home, your house will be able to share the Christmas spirit with everyone in your neighborhood.
Christmas Light Clips
These help make Christmas light installation a breeze! If you’re hanging Christmas lights on gutters, windows, walkways, and more, this will give you a quality finish every time.
Ladder
For all those hard to reach places it’s best to have a wood or fiberglass ladder, or even a step stool, on hand when hanging Christmas lights.
Measuring Tape
Getting an idea of how many feet you’ll need before buying lights will help make sure no spot is left uncovered!
Best Way To Hang Christmas Lights for Outdoors
Be the first on your block to have a festive, twinkling display when you use these tips for hanging Christmas lights.
1. Measure the Surface
Before you end up with extra boxes of Christmas lights, it’s important to measure what you plan to illuminate. Measure surfaces like front porch columns, doors, and windows. Don’t forget to also measure the distance to your nearest outdoor outlet!
2. Choose the Type of Lights
The best Christmas lights for the job depends on where you plan to hang them. For gutter and roof Christmas lights, icicle lights with C7 and C9 bulbs are great options.
3. Choose the Christmas Light Clips that Correspond
You’ll want your Christmas lights to be tightly secured in a way that doesn’t damage the wires. For the roof Christmas lights, Christmas light clips that clip onto brick, gutters, and slide under roof shingles to hold bulbs in place.
4. Pick Up Some Power Stakes
If you’re looking to have a neat outdoor display, you can use power stakes. It’s a great way to avoid having cords running all over the place outside.
5. Test for Any Burned Out Bulbs
Before you hang any Christmas lights, it’s good to do a simple check to see if any of the lights are dull or burned out.
6. Use Bulk Socket Lines
Instead of stringing together regular lights, use bulk socket lines to save money and better customize your Christmas light display. With bulk socket lines, you can cut off your desired length using wire cutters and assemble the lines in any way you want.
7. Add Grounded Power Stakes
This power source option comes in various sizes and many have an energy-saving option when you put your Christmas lights on a timer.
8. Calculate Christmas Lights Wattage
The best way to prevent overloading a circuit or blowing a fuse is calculating power wattage. Most household circuits are 15 or 20 amps and circuits shouldn’t exceed 80% of their maximum wattage capacity. Ready for some helpful Christmas math?
- Total watts / 120 volts = amps
- Watts per bulb x number of bulbs = total watts.
How To Hang Christmas Lights Inside
With a few simple steps, your holiday tree and everything else indoors will be looking jolly in no time!
1. Choose Your Preferred Light Distribution
Before hanging any Christmas lights inside, you’ll need to decide which type you want to use. Between LED lights and incandescent bulbs, LEDs tend to be more expensive because they last longer and use less energy than incandescent ones. There’s also bulb shape and sizes to consider, from clear and frosted to round or cone-shaped.
2. Gather the Materials Needed
Once you know what types of Christmas lights you want, it’s time to shop! Knowing how to hang Christmas lights inside comes down to where you want to decorate. For Christmas trees, you’ll want about 100 lights per foot of the tree.
3. Hang the Main Stream of Lights
Now here comes the fun part! Top ways to hang Christmas lights inside include untangling wires before putting them up, hanging your lights horizontally on Christmas trees, and using plastic clips or zip ties to hold the wires taut where needed. Decorate to your heart’s content until your home is a twinkly wonderland.
4. Use Indoor Extension Cords
The unsung heroes of what to use to hang Christmas lights are definitely indoor extension cords. They offer the flexibility to arrange lights exactly where you want them without being confined to the location of outlets. Just make sure they’re out of the way so they don’t become tripping hazards.
5. Avoid Overplugging Light Strands
Light strands are meant to be connected, but for safety reasons, don’t plug more than three together. It’s also safer to avoid plugging strands of different lengths into each other.
6. Use a Lighting Timer
Indoor lighting timers help you set when you want your lights to come on in the evenings. Then, all you’ll have to do is sit back and admire the display!
Tips for Hanging Christmas Lights
- Use adhesive clips for windows, railings, or columns. Make sure you set the clips at an even distance away from each other for an organized, stunning display.
- You can use a smart plug to control the timing and pattern of your lights from an app on your smartphone.
- Top tips for hanging Christmas lights from Taskers includes choosing a mild winter day to install roof Christmas lights. The best ways to hang Christmas lights are being safe about it and avoiding installing on snowy or rainy days.
Hire Help to Hang Christmas Lights
Don’t stress about making your home merry and bright. By using these tips for hanging Christmas lights, and hiring a skilled Tasker for extra help, you’ll easily enjoy the Christmas spirit with lights that shine bright all season long.
