The holiday season’s upon us and we’re all getting ready for some well-deserved festive fun with friends and family. Are you hoping to hang some holiday lights to help celebrate this bright and sparkly time of year?
Well, we don’t blame you. Few additions to a home are as eye-catching or attractive as having rows of twinkling lights adorning the eaves and window sills. They’re enough to make the neighbors jealous!
Unfortunately, the process of hanging them can be a hassle- especially for larger displays. Know the struggle and want some advice on how to make it as simple, safe, and pain-free as possible? Keep reading!
Plan It Out
As the saying goes, failing to plan is like planning to fail…especially when you’re hanging holiday lights.
So, avoid rushing into anything! A measured, thoughtful approach will deliver better results every time (and keep everyone safe in the process).
Step out into your front yard and gaze back at the house. Decide what you want to achieve and how you’d like it to look. Consider where you’ll hang the lights, which colors you’ll have where, and what other decorations (if any) you might need.
Why not take a pencil and paper to sketch everything out? Trust us, having a clear image of the end result will make it ten times easier to bring to life.
Measure Everything
Imagine buying a roll of fairy lights and hanging them along the roof edge only to realize, halfway through, that they don’t stretch far enough!
It’s a common problem, but one that’s easily resolved by measuring your home’s surfaces beforehand.
With your plan in place, then, take a tape measure (or something similar) to assess key sizes. Potential areas include the roofline, driveway, and window frames. Depending on what you have in mind for your holiday display, you may also have to measure the circumference of things like porch pillars, hedges, and trees.
Top tip: If you need to use a ladder throughout the step, be sure to ask someone to hold it safely in position while you’re at the top of it!
Get the Gear
It’s time to get hold of everything you need to bring your display to fruition! Once again, planning is important. To prevent repeated trips to Home Depot, create a list of all the materials and equipment you have to buy.
Now, everyone’s holiday displays are different, so it’s hard to provide an exact list you could use as a guide. Nevertheless, here are a few basics to keep in mind:
- All-weather holiday lights of varying colors/lengths (depending on your needs)
- Hooks and clips
- A telescopic pole designed for hanging lights
- A ladder
- Miscellaneous decorations (make sure they’re water-resistant!)
- Controllers and timers to set the lights to work automatically
Test, Test, Test
Whether you’re buying them brand new or digging last year’s lights from the loft, it makes sense to check they work before hanging them.
Skip this step and you risk installing a set of duds!
And, take it from us, after spending hours up a ladder in the freezing cold, that’s not what you want! Testing them while they’re still on the ground will help you avoid that miserable fate.
Create Your Display
Now the fun can really begin! With all the planning and preparations complete, there’s nothing left to do but start putting your clips/hooks in position and hanging your holiday lights. This is also where you have to be careful though…
Ladders are notorious for causing accidents, so take your time and ask for support as a precaution each time you use one. Hanging lights high up a tree? You may find it easier to use the telescopic pole we mentioned above rather than a ladder.
The final step? Set your timers, configure the controls, and press that all-important “ON” switch!
Have Fun Hanging Holiday Lights this Season
After a challenging 12 months, we’re all looking forward to the fun and festivities of the holiday season. For many of us, that inevitably involves hanging holiday lights!
If that’s part of your plan this year, then we hope the tips in this article will come in handy. Keep them in mind and you should be one step closer to creating the perfect holiday display, with none of the usual hassle!
Also, might wanna check “7 Austin Holiday Must Do’s“.
