A How-To Guide For Hanging Christmas Lights

As the holiday season approaches, you may be pulling Christmas ornaments and lights out of the garage in anticipation installing your holiday decor. The best time to hang your Christmas lights and holiday decorations is before the weather turns wet and cold. Not only will it be easier to work outside in mild weather, it is also significantly safer. In this blog, we’ll discuss the basics for hanging Christmas lights so you can be well prepared when it comes time to pull out the stepladder.

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Step 1: Find The Perfect Christmas Lights For Your Home

It goes without saying that in order to hang Christmas lights, you need Christmas lights! Before you order net lights or snowfall lights, it’s important to map out where you’d like to hang the lights outside of your home. Whether you choose to install lights along your roof or walkway, it’s important to do your research on the variety of Christmas lights available. Let’s look at some of the most popular types of Christmas lights below!

LED Christmas Light Strings

If you’re looking for Christmas lights that are a little more traditional, consider ordering some LED Christmas Light Strings for your home. These lights are probably very similar to the lights your parents used to use growing up, so you already know what to expect from their twinkly charm. Many homeowners will go to all white or all blue light strings, however multicolored light strings are always a timeless look as well. If LED Christmas lights aren’t your style, you can always opt for the warm glow of incandescent Christmas light strings.

C9 Strobe Light Strings

To truly show your holiday spirit, consider adding some C9 strobe light strings to the front of your home. These lights are truly attention-getting, and they will have the entire neighborhood talking! Install these lights around large bushes or trees in the front of your house or string them along your rooftop for an eye-catching effect.

Step 2: Measure Like The Professionals

Professional light installers always have a tape measure handy to ensure that each light they install is perfectly placed. In our opinion, there’s no better way to accurately determine how many lights will be needed unless you take the time to measure your home. Start by measuring your home at the base of the house, and measure any door frames, window frames, or columns that you plan on lighting. If you plan on hanging Christmas lights on the peak of your home, carefully climb up a ladder and measure along the peak to determine what the appropriate length of your lights should be.

Step 3: Take The Time To Evaluate Your Hanging Surfaces

Before you start hanging LED Christmas lights around your home, make sure you take the time to evaluate each hanging surface you plan on using. Start by studying your home’s roofline, gutters, and shingles. While Christmas lights can be installed on any of these surfaces, there are several types of clips available to help secure your lights.

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Step 4: Locate All Power Sources

While you may be excited to start hanging your new Christmas lights right away, make sure you locate all of the power sources you plan on using for your lights. Many new homes are equipped with outdoor power sources, however older homes may need to use an indoor power source with a power cord coming through a window. Take the time to measure how many feet of power cord will be required to extend the power source to the beginning of your roofline. This will save you a headache later on

Step 4: Calculate Your Christmas Lights Wattage

Did you know that professional Christmas light installers always calculate power wattage to prevent overloading the circuit or blowing a fuse? Many homeowners tend to overlook this important step. In order to determine the amount of wattage you’ll need, multiply the wattage of the light bulb by the number of sockets to get the total wattage of a string of lights. Then, divide this number by 120 to get the total amount of amps being used. When calculating for watts and amps, make sure to keep these things in mind:

• Most household circuits are between 15 and 20 amps.
• Electrical circuits should never exceed 80 percent of their max wattage capacity.
• 15 amp circuits can support 1,1800 watts (80 percent capacity is 1,4440 watts.

Step 5: Hang Up your Lights & Turn Them On!

Once you have taken care of the four steps above, it’s time to get down to business and start hanging your lights! Before you climb onto that ladder, make sure you have a helper to spot you in case anything goes wrong. You can assign a friend or family member the duty of securing the ladder as you climb up it, and holding it still as you hang Christmas lights. This person can also be in charge of handing you any light clips or electrical tape during the installation process. Once your lights have been successfully hung, turn that power switch on and light up the night!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this how-to guide for hanging Christmas lights! If you’re shopping for new LED Christmas lights, Christmas wreaths, and garland, be sure to browse The Christmas Light Emporium’s large selection of holiday lights & decorations online. If you have any questions about our Christmas lights and installation accessories, contact us today. We look forward to working with you!