Don’t Call The Professionals, Hang Your Own Christmas Lights
When you think about Christmas, what comes to mind? The sound of Christmas jingles, red, white, green and gold decorations, the smell of freshly baked cookies and, of course, flickering Christmas lights. Putting up Christmas lights will not only create a festive feeling for you and your family, but also for others who pass by and see your beautifully lit home.
Does the thought of tangled strings and endless Christmas lights put you off the activity entirely? Don’t let it. This article is aimed at giving you some great tips to make the tedious job of putting up outdoor Christmas lights as simple and as fun as possible. Remember, this will take longer than you anticipate, so take your time and don’t rush. Maybe make a day of it and enjoy the activity with family and friends.
1. Find Your Power Sources
Locate all your power sources, whether they are inside your house or outside. It is advisable to use all the power sources located outside; otherwise, you would need to leave widows slightly ajar. And since safety is a concern these days, try to avoid this. Locating all your power sources is important because it allows you to plan your lighting strategy.
2. Measure Your House
It is important to measure the area of your home where you plan to hang your lights. That way, you will know how many meters of lights you need to cover the area available. When measuring things like window frames, doors and pillars, don’t forget to include corners as well.
3. Buy Outdoor Appropriate Lights
It is important to buy outdoor appropriate lights, make sure they are clearly marked as outdoor when making your purchase. They also need to be strong and durable enough to withstand outdoor weather changes as well as the elements such as rain, wind, etc. If you live in a country where there is a lot of sun during the festive season, consider using solar power lights. While you are at it you can also consider purchasing clips. They are easy to use and very convenient as you can hang them almost anywhere. With clips you will also avoid the damage that nails, tape and screws could cause on your walls, window and door panels.
If you really want to make a big impression and go all out, then buy some outdoor Christmas decorations which are powered by lights. You get all sorts of themed items like candy cane lights, Santa figurine lights… go wild!
4. Untangle Your Lights and Grab a Sturdy Ladder
Now you have everything you need to decorate your house. Before you start, you need to untangle your lights and put them in a long straight line. Tip! Don’t think you can untangle as you go. This will just make the job more tedious and long winded, not to mention dangerous if you are standing on a ladder. That reminds me! You will need a sturdy and reliable ladder to put up all your lights along your house. If you need assistance, ask a friend or family member to hold the lights for you while you put them up, or perhaps to hold the ladder if you feel uneasy on it.
5. Put Your Lights Up
If you are hanging lights horizontally, for example across your garage or a window frame, start and the end furthest from your power source so that when you get to the end of your string of lights you are near a power source and can simply plug it in.
If you are hanging lights around a tree trunk or within tree branches, you will want to start placing your lights at the top of the tree trunk or tree branches so that the end of your string of lights will land up at the bottom of the tree, allowing you to plug it into a power source close by.
Other light-type decorations can be placed wherever you please, just bear in mind the distance of your power source. If need be, buy an extension. Just remember to stick the cables down or hide them away so that they don’t become a hazard for those walking past it.
6. Enjoy the View
Turn the switch on, call your family to take a look, brag a little about how difficult the task was... and enjoy the view!
