Outdoor Christmas Light Hanging Ideas

by Contributing Writer

Every December, millions of houses around the globe are adorned with a variety of lights to celebrate the Christmas holidays. Some houses have just a few simple lights, while other houses are decked out from top to bottom with bright, shimmery lights. Whatever your desire for your home, before you start hanging think about what look you are going for and plan ahead. With a few tips you'll be creating colorful, unique Christmas light displays that will wow the neighbors.
Create a Winter Fence

You can use inexpensive garden edgers to create a beautiful Christmas look that will last the whole year. You can buy garden edging at any garden or home improvement store. Using electrical tape, secure strings of Christmas lights along the top of the garden edging or follow the design of the edging you choose. Then, sink the edging legs into snow or soil and plug in your lights to outside electrical socket. You can line the entire yard or just a walkway.

Make Lighted Icicles

You can create the look of icicles hanging from tree limbs or gutters with some lattice strips and little white lights. With a 1/8-inch drill bit, drill a hole at the top of a lattice strip. Wrap a string of small white lights tightly from top on the lattice strip, starting a few inches from the prong end of the light string and taping at the bottom and top. Be careful not to let the lights touch. Loop monofilament through the hole at the top of the lattice strip to hang it from trees or other solid surface.
Stars

Light up your house with stars and create a celestial look this winter. Trim five bamboo garden stakes to equal size. On a flat surface arrange the stakes into a five pointed star and secure the ends with zip ties at the five inner points and five outer points. Trim the ends of the ties. Attach the plug end of one strand to one point with a zip tie and loop it around the length of the stake and then the adjacent stakes. You can make stars of any size and you can connect the stars to each other with new strands of lights.
Hanging Trees

You can use tomato caging to create little lighted Christmas trees to hang in the yard. Take your tomato cage and bend the legs to form a point. Use electrical tape to hold the legs together. Tape the prong end of the light strand to the point and then spiral the strand down the cage to the bottom, securing with tape as needed. To hang, attach a loop of monofilament.