Getting The ‘Hang’ of Christmas Lighting Installation

What You Need to Know About Installing Christmas Lights
Christmas decorations simply aren’t complete without a presentation of beautifully hung holiday lights. But while using a variety of lights to accent your home’s eaves, windows, and shrubbery is a great way to get into the Yuletide spirit, Christmas lighting installation can be tricky unless you know the basic “do’s” and “don’ts” of how to hang Christmas lights.

Getting Started With Outdoor Christmas Decorations

Before you climb a ladder, assemble your materials and tools. You’ll need several strings of Christmas lights, light clips for gutters and shingles, nail-on wire clips, and heavy-duty extension cords, plus a hammer, tape measure and long-nose pliers. To determine how many 50-foot strings of lights you will need, measure the length of the house along the ground, as well as its height and that of any bushes or trees you’re planning to illuminate. Don’t forget to measure any portion of doors and windows around which you also want to position lights. Inspect each light string before plugging it in, replacing broken or missing bulbs. To remove broken bulbs, put on a pair of gloves and use a pair of long-nose pliers. Discard any string with faulty wires. Then, plug in each complete light string and check it for burned-out bulbs. Unplug every string prior to replacing bad bulbs, and re-test to make certain all lights work. If a string does not light up at all, follow the manufacturer’s directions for checking for blown fuses. Replace each blown fuse once; replace the entire string if it blows again.

Stringing ‘em Up–Christmas Lighting Installation

Unless your home’s eaves are very low–in which case, a stepladder may suffice–position an extension ladder firmly on flat ground and against the eaves. The ladder should extend beyond the eaves and be set at a comfortable, safe climbing angle. If you absolutely must lean the ladder against a gutter, reinforce the gutter with a short piece of 2-by-4. Hang lights easily and safely without ruining your home’s trim and walls by using specially made plastic clips to attach the strings along your gutters and roof. The clips grip shingles and gutters; their lower hooks hold light strings and extension cords alike. To attach lights to window trim or other vertical surfaces, use tube light or nail-on plastic clips spaced 12 inches apart. You can buy these clips at any home improvement center. Avoid stapling or nailing light strips to trim, as both staples and nails can perforate or erode the protective insulation, causing a fire hazard.

Calling In The Pros–Christmas Lights Professional

Don’t have the time and/or patience to hang holiday Christmas lights yourself? Prefer not to agonize over why a string of lights way up along the roof line of your home just isn’t lighting up? Consider hiring a Christmas lights professional. Some companies handle only the Christmas lighting installation piece of the business, which is fine if you already have a specific idea of what you would like your lighting scheme to look like. Others offer a comprehensive menu of design services and will work with you to create a lighting configuration to perfectly complement your other Christmas decorations. But whether you hang your own lights or call in the pros, make beautifully hung lights a part of your holiday décor.