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It’s that time of the year again. The holidays are here! The bells are ringing in the chilly winds as everyone prepares to celebrate one of the biggest holidays of the year, Christmas. While there’s a lot to be done before the big day, hanging Christmas lights is one of the most fun. After all, you want your home to match the festive spirit of the season, and it’s also probably one of the only things that make sense to do outside in December.
Things To Know Before You Hang Christmas Lights
If you want your house to look its best this winter, read on for our tips on how to hang Christmas lights with ease:
Plan Out Your Design
Before illuminating your home with Christmas lights this year, pause and consider what design you are thinking of and what you want your home to look like this season.
Having a plan always helps the installation process, and can help improve the final look of your home. It may seem common sense, but we’ve all at one point stood awkwardly at the bottom of our house, trying to figure out where to start.
Start by taking a picture of your home to get the whole view of your property. It will help give you a proper perspective. Look at the distinctive characteristics of your home, such as rooflines, valleys, and windows. Also take a look at the surroundings, such as trees or bushes that you can illuminate with lighting.
Purchase Suitable Lights
There are a wide variety of lights available, and new styles arrive every Christmas. Be careful while making your purchase, as some lights may not be suitable for your home exterior.
Use only outdoor lights. Outdoor lights are designed to withstand the elements, so they hold up better to wind and rain without damage. Indoor lights are not built for the outdoors and may be damaged by moisture and snow. You do not want lights to blow out before Christmas!
Also, check to see that the lights have been tested to ensure their safety, so you don’t have to worry about them igniting a fire. We will talk about the best types of lights in the following section.
Consider Smart Plugs
In today’s age of technology, many homeowners are shifting their focus to using smart plugs, since they are an easy way to control your exterior lights.
What Are Smart Plugs?
Smart plugs let you control your lights from an app on your phone, and make sure they’re on when you want them on—and off when you don’t. They can also be programmed to a timer for certain times of the day or week so you’re not wasting energy when nobody’s home.
Consider The Time of Day
To get started with an installation plan, consider the time of day you want to install your lights. During the day is the best time for hanging Christmas lights, preferably at noon, as there will be plenty of daylight and you can work efficiently.
Avoid working in the early hours of the morning or during snowfall, as it can make the process difficult and damage the lights.
Safety First
Following the manufacturer’s instructions and any safety guidelines when installing Christmas lights is an important way to avoid accidents.
Be sure to use extension cords and timers to make it easier to turn the lights on and off. Keep cords and cables out of reach, and avoid hanging lights in areas where they could be easily damaged or knocked down.
How Do You Hang Christmas Lights?
Now that you know the tips to consider before installing the Christmas lights, the next step is to get outside and start with the installation. If you’re not sure how to get started, don’t worry, we are here to help.
Read the following instructions to know the best way to hang Christmas lights to ensure your home looks the most beautiful this winter season.
Measure Your Home
If you are hanging Christmas lights for the first time on your home, then it is better to start by measuring your home so that you can purchase the lights accordingly. This step is important to ensure that you have enough lights to cover the space adequately.
Take The Ladder Out
One of the most common places for hanging Christmas lights is along the gutter channels, but you will need to use a ladder to reach your gutter systems.
If you’re using a ladder to hang your lights, it’s important to keep the ladder from sliding away from the wall. One way to do this is by using a ladder lock. If you don’t have one, we recommend getting one—they’re inexpensive and can be easily removed when not in use.
Attach The Light Clips
Once you climb the ladder, the next step is to attach the lights to plastic light clips. Attaching light clips to the outside of your home is a great way to keep your Christmas lights secure and out of the way. The clips attach easily slide or lock onto most surfaces, and make it easy for you to move lights around your home.
Experts suggest placing the clips 6-12 inches apart when hanging Christmas lights.
Light clips allow you to hang Christmas lights without having to put in much effort, or without using a staple gun. Without them, you run the risk of potentially driving a nail through the wrong part of your light, ruining them before you’ve even finished the installation process!
Hang The Lights On Windows
Though you can hang Christmas lights along the gutters and rooftop, to increase the visual appeal you can try to install lights around the windows. Remember that the plastic clips will not work in these areas, so you’ll need to have adhesive clips that can easily stick to the windows and doors.
Peel the backing and place the adhesive side evenly along the window for a clean finish. Then, attach the lights to the clips.
Enjoy The Look
Once all the lights are in place, plug them in to ensure they are working. Finally, adjust the lights as needed to achieve the desired look.
Check whether or not there are any exposed wires on the string of lights, or loose wires hanging where someone might trip over them or shock themselves, which could lead to serious injury.
Lastly, make sure that there aren’t too many strings of lights strung together at once. Overcrowded lighting can cause the electrical current to overload a circuit breaker, or fuse box, and cause damage to your house’s electrical system!
What Are The Best Christmas Lights Available?
We know the holidays are all about friends, family, and getting together in the spirit of goodwill, but when it comes to decorating your house, it can be hard to know the right lights that will suit your home’s exterior.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of the best Christmas lights available for home exterior use so that you can have a season to remember all year long! Let’s get started.
Types Of Lights
The lighting available on the market today, can be broadly divided into two categories:
- Led Lighting
- Incandescent Lighting
Led Lights
LED lights are a type of electrical lighting that uses Light Emitting Diodes (LED) to emit light. LED bulbs emit light when current flows through them, instead of relying on a filament that can easily burn out.
The use of LED lighting has seen tremendous growth each passing year. The rise is due to the fact that these lights are much safer, and energy efficient than other types of lighting available on the market.
Brizled Color-Changing Christmas Lights
If you are looking to take your home’s curb appeal to the next level, then these Brizled color-changing lights will be a perfect choice. This high-tech LED lighting system has four brightness levels and 11 different modes.
The lights come with a remote control feature with which you can easily change the different lighting modes and brightness levels. This is available in multiple color combinations, such as cool and warm, white and warm, and white with multicolor.
Incandescent Lighting
Incandescent lighting emits light from a heat source. These bulbs have a filament that burns to produce heat, which then powers the bulb.
Over the years, their popularity has been on the decline due to the wide presence of LED lights. However, many homeowners still prefer this bright type of lighting, especially for decorating during the holiday season, as it is more affordable than its LED counterpart.
Best Incandescent Lighting
The 612 Vermont 100 clear Christmas lights with white-colored wire are a classic choice for your holiday decorating needs.
These lights are suitable for indoor and outdoor use, so you can use them to decorate your Christmas tree, windows, or front porch. The clear bulbs give off a bright, warm light that will add a cozy and festive atmosphere to any space.
Other Types Of Lights To Consider For Christmas
Incandescent and LED lights are widely used, but when it comes to hanging Christmas lights, you can also look for other exciting styles of lighting that will look extremely beautiful.
Below we’ve listed some of them.
Icicle Lights
These are long, string pieces of light that extend down from the main strand, and are available in many different colors. They get their name from the ice that hangs off the edge of your roof made by freezing water.
If you want to get the best icicle lights for your home, backyard, or surroundings, then you can consider the Toodour Christmas Icicle Lights for outdoor use.
Another option is the KiflyTooin LED Christmas lights. These lights work on low outputs and have eight lighting modes and memory functions.
Rope Lights
Rope lights are popular for outdoor Christmas decorations because they are flexible, durable, and energy-efficient. You can outline the roofline, windows, or doors of your home, or wrap them around the trees of your lawn. They also perfectly complement other lights.
The top rope lights include rope lights by Holiday Aisle.
Solar Lights
Solar lights are one of the best and most energy-efficient lighting systems. You won’t need power plugs outside of your home or require an extremely long extension cord running from one side of your home to the other. The solar lights come with a solar panel that uses sunlight to generate electricity and brighten up your home.
For Christmas lights of this type, consider Sanjicha’s Extra-Long Solar String Lights.
Should You Call A Professional?
As Christmas quickly approaches, you will surely have a lot of work to do to make your holiday season worthwhile. Attempting to hang Christmas lights on your own can be dangerous, especially if you’re not familiar with proper safety measures or techniques.
A professional will have the necessary experience and equipment to hang Christmas lights properly, and efficiently. Additionally, if something goes wrong, the contractor will be able to troubleshoot and fix any issues, whereas trying to do it yourself can be more difficult and potentially result in further damage.
Therefore to save yourself from trouble, hiring someone to hang Christmas lights is a good choice.
We Can Take Care Of Your Home
If you are looking for someone to install beautiful lights on your home, look no further than our expert team at McCllelands Contracting and Roofing LLC. We are the best roofing contractors in Pittsburgh, and can easily work around the most complex home styles.
Contact us at (412) 353-5660 to make your home Christmas ready, and to find out more about our services. We look forward to lighting up your home!
