It just wouldn’t feel like the holidays without Christmas lights. Adorning your home, tree, and even your entire neighborhood, hanging up your Christmas lights is the best way to add some festive glow to your December.
How to Hang My Christmas Lights
But sometimes, especially if you’re a first-time homeowner or you’ve recently moved, you may not know exactly where to hang up your Christmas lights. While this is always a personal decision, there are some tips and ideas to help you plan out your Christmas lights display or check out some outdoor lights from Blingle! Greater Austin.
To help you get started this holiday season, we’re offering some ideas for where you should hang up your Christmas lights this year. From your rooftop to your balcony to your porch (and don’t forget your Christmas tree) there are so many unique and creative ways to light up your home and yard this holiday season. Read on to get started.
ROOFLINES AND EAVES
When determining where to hang your Christmas lights, a popular place to start is your rooflines and eaves. Use light clips to safely and securely string up your lights along your roofline. Many homeowners love using icicle lights along their eaves to give their home a chilly and festive look for the holidays.
FRAMING WINDOWS
Using Christmas lights to frame your windows can be a great way to light up both your indoors and outdoors at the same time. The framing technique looks especially impressive if you have large windows to show off.
Like your rooftop, using icicle light can be an effective way to create a white Christmas display no matter where you live.
TREES, BUSHES, AND HEDGES
For families with larger yards, you don’t want to make your house do all the work for your holiday display. Light up the flora around your home by draping and stringing up Christmas lights on your trees, bushes, and hedges. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you have an accessible power outlet nearby so you’re not spending all your holiday budget on extension cords. This, again, is why it’s smart to have a plan before you get started.
Speaking of extension cords, make sure you only use those that have been designed for outdoor use. Try to keep your extension cords away from walkways and other high traffic areas and tape them down for better control and safety.
When choosing which lights to use for your trees and bushes, look for those made for outdoor use so that they can endure any adverse weather conditions. A popular option for bushes and hedges is net lights, which you can easily drape over your wider bushes and they’ll fall uniformly.
How to Secure Christmas Lights on Bushes
This will give your outdoor display a clean look without excess time spent aligning each and every string of lights. For lighting up your trees, consider using larger bulbs like C7 or C9 Christmas lights. Essentially, these lights will let you do more with less as they cast off more of a glow.
CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS
You certainly can’t forget about your Christmas tree when it’s time to bring out your lights for the year. A Christmas tree without lights would simply look a little dull—even with the best Christmas ornaments adorning the branches.
LED Christmas lights are a popular choice for several reasons, but work especially well on your tree since they’re much safer than glass bulbs. Start at the bottom of your tree and work your way up. Stringing some lights at the interior of your branches can create a sense of depth on your tree.
TIPS FOR GETTING YOUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS READY
Location is important when getting ready for the holidays, but there are other things to keep in mind when getting your Christmas lights up and ready to go. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when getting your Christmas lights looking great this year:
Using light clips: for safety and security, make sure you’re using light clips to fasten up all your strings outside this year. Simply using nails or staples isn’t as secure of an option and may even lead to electrical hazards.
Check your lights: before you get all your lights strung up and ready to plug in, you should check all your lights (new ones and old) to make sure they work properly and you don’t have any burned out fuses or bulbs.
For some strings of Christmas lights, even just one bad bulb can ruin the entire string. There’s nothing more frustrating, of course, then thinking you’re done and your lights aren’t working.
Light types: not all Christmas lights are created equally. In recent years, LED Christmas lights have become the much more popular option compared to traditional incandescent bulbs.
LED Christmas lights use far less energy, last longer, and are safer since they don’t burn as warm and aren’t made of glass. If you’re looking for an upgrade this year, look to LED lights.
Safety: safety should always be your top priority when hanging up your Christmas lights—no matter whether you’re inside or outside. Use a large, secure ladder when working on your eaves and only use UL-approved extension cords. Also, make sure you’re never overloading one power source.
CONCLUSION – WHERE SHOULD I HANG MY CHRISTMAS LIGHTS?
When December rolls around (or sooner for some families), it’s time to start thinking about the holidays and planning out your Christmas decorations. While, sure, you could always wait until the last minute and throw it all together. You may also have your Christmas lights be installed any time of the year by EverLights. While, sure, you could always wait until the last minute and throw it all together.
To get the most out of your lights and wreaths and ornaments, it’s smart to have a plan before you unpack those boxes. Knowing where you’ll be hanging your Christmas lights will help you determine how many you need and how long this project might end up taking.
Your Christmas lights strategy will depend on the size of your living area. Starting outside and working your way in is one popular strategy as you’ll get most of the more challenging work done first.
Many homeowners start with their rooftops and railings and then move down to their porch and balconies. Then, you may want to start lighting up the rest of your yard, using net lights on bushes and larger lights on trees and other fixtures.