Wondering how to hang Christmas lights without the annual meltdown? Holiday lights have a reputation for being one of the most frustrating parts of decorating for Christmas, and it is true: few things dim your holiday cheer faster than a strand that is tangled, refusing to light, or seemingly impossible to hang.
So we created a guide that demystifies the whole process of hanging, fixing, and storing Christmas lights, outdoors and inside your home. With this Lights 101 guide, you will be ready to light up your holiday home efficiently and safely. Let’s go.
How to Hang Christmas Lights Outdoors
When your home is aglow with outdoor Christmas lights, it makes for a magically cozy place to spend the holidays.
What you will need:
- Christmas lights (measure twice, buy your strands once)
- Outdoor-rated extension cords
- A measuring tape
- Light clips
- A light timer (optional)
- A ladder, and ideally a second person to steady it
Step 1: Plan out the placement of your lights
Figure out where your outdoor outlets are and use the nearest one as your starting point. Some favorite places to hang Christmas lights outside include:
- Lining your gutters or the roof’s bottom edge
- Doorways and windows
- Eaves
- Along pathways
- Around trees, shrubs, railings, or lamp posts
Once you have a plan, measure carefully to determine how many strands you need and how long each run has to be. Measuring the rooflines and walkways before you shop saves a second trip to the store, or worse, a strand that ends four feet short of the corner.
Step 2: Get your lights, then test them
Depending on the look you want, consider different strands based on bulb spacing, length, and brightness. Our guide to the types of Christmas lights walks through every option, from C7 and C9 bulbs to mini and icicle sets. Make sure anything going outside is rated for outdoor use on the tag or box.
Before you hang a single clip, plug each strand in and test it, replacing any faulty or burnt-out bulbs. Testing at ground level takes minutes; testing from a ladder takes the whole afternoon.
Step 3: Hang your lights
Set up your extension cords and timer first, then start hanging from wherever your outlet or cord reaches, working outward. As you go, connect each strand to the next, and check the packaging for the maximum number of sets that can safely be joined end to end.
Use Christmas light clips rather than nails or staples, both to protect your home’s exterior and to protect the cords themselves. Gutter clips grip the lip of the gutter, shingle tabs slide under the roof edge, and all-in-one clips handle both; whichever you use, space clips about a foot apart for a clean, even line.
A Word on Outdoor Safety
Outdoor light safety is mostly three habits. Plug exterior lights into GFCI-protected outlets, keep plugs and connections up off the wet ground, and never exceed the connected-strand limit printed on the box. The National Fire Protection Association’s holiday safety guidance is a short, worthwhile read before the ladder comes out. And on ladders: level ground, three points of contact, and a helper who is not just there for moral support.
How to Hang Lights on a Christmas Tree
Whether or not you hang lights outside, just about everyone decorates their Christmas tree with beautifully bright bulbs.
What you will need:
- Christmas lights
- A surge protector
- An extension cord (optional)
- A light timer (optional)
Step 1: Determine how many lights you need
The best rule of thumb is to plan for a minimum of 100 lights for every foot of your tree’s height. So a seven-foot tree needs at least 700 lights, and a densely lit designer look can take double that.
If you are working with a pre-lit artificial tree, the process is considerably easier. You can add a few strands for extra color or brightness, but you already have a foundation of perfectly spaced lights with no effort required.
Step 2: Get your lights, then test them
Choose strands according to your preferred color, size, and style, and buy the same wattage across strands so the brightness stays consistent. Mixing different strands often leads to an obvious difference in brightness, warmth, or even color between sections of the tree.
Plug in each strand, then test and replace any unlit bulbs before the lights go anywhere near the branches.
Step 3: Hang your lights
Start from the bottom of the tree and work your way up through the branches, keeping the lights plugged in and lit as you go so you can see how the coverage looks. Weave toward the trunk and back out on each branch for depth, and disguise the plugs by tucking them into the branches nearest the trunk.
If the lights will not sit quite right, attach them with small green pipe cleaners or package ties; they vanish against the branches and untwist in seconds in January.
Finishing touches like novelty lights and vintage-style bubble lights create a unique, personality-filled effect, and layering smaller LED lights alongside larger bulbs adds dimension. Once the lights are placed, ribbon goes on next; our guide to using ribbon on a Christmas tree picks up exactly where this step ends.
Our Top Tips for Hanging Holiday Lights
Now you have the basic how-to. These are the tips that upgrade you to pro status:
- A surge protector is a must for safety, so have one on hand for each tree.
- Light timers, testers, and clips can completely change your holiday routine. Instead of turning lights on every evening, let the timer do the work.
- Double-check that you are using outdoor-rated extension cords for exterior runs.
- A tool like the Light Keeper Pro finds and fixes burnt-out bulbs faster and easier than checking by hand.
- Want the tree lights on and off at a touch? Add a decorative touch control ornament or run the cord through a foot-tapper extension cord.
Troubleshooting Christmas Light Problems
Tried everything and a strand still will not cooperate? With a little determination and these steps, you will be back to a setup that would make Santa proud.
How to fix Christmas lights that will not light up
- First, unplug the lights.
- Pinpoint the issue. On incandescent strands where a section is dark, look for missing or burnt-out bulbs. On LED strands, check each bulb to make sure the socket’s wire prongs line up with the bulb’s wiring.
- Replace any faulty or missing bulbs. Wear thick gloves in case a bulb breaks, ease mini bulbs out with pliers, and unscrew larger bulbs gently.
- Still dark? Check for blown fuses behind the small door in the plug box, and replace any blown fuses.
- If none of that works, the strand has earned retirement. Replace it.
Storing Christmas Lights
Putting lights away is not as much fun as hanging them, but it decides whether next year starts with a plug-and-glow or an hour of untangling.
- Wrap each strand around a storage wheel or a piece of sturdy cardboard as it comes down. It is the single best defense against knots.
- Want to leave lights on an artificial tree? Light each tree section separately when you decorate, so the sections unplug from each other and the tree comes apart with the lights still on.
- Store lights away from direct light and heat, and label each strand’s location while you still remember it. Our guide to storing Christmas decorations covers the rest of the boxes.
Shop the Best Christmas Lights and Decor from St. Nick’s
Ready for a holiday season brighter than any you have had before? Christmas lights are a classic staple of holiday decor and one of the most enjoyable ways to fill your space with a festive glow. Indoors or out, or more likely both, St. Nick’s has you covered with an exceptional selection of high-quality lights in every size, style, and color.
Explore our full selection of Christmas decorations, ornaments, lights, and more when you visit St. Nick’s or shop online today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Plan from the outlet outward, measure your rooflines and walkways first, test every strand on the ground, and hang with light clips spaced about a foot apart. Clips beat nails and staples on every count: faster to place, kinder to your house, and kinder to the cords.
Christmas light clips are made for exactly this. Gutter clips grip the lip of the gutter, shingle tabs slide under the roof edge, and all-in-one clips do both. For railings and posts, soft zip ties or green pipe cleaners hold strands without marking anything.
Whatever the packaging says, and no more. The maximum connected-set number is printed on the box and differs a lot between incandescent and LED strands; LEDs typically allow far more sets per run. When a run needs more than the limit, start a second run from another outlet.
Outdoor lights should be plugged into GFCI-protected outlets, which cut power instantly if moisture causes a fault. Keep connections up off the wet ground, use outdoor-rated cords, and unplug before changing bulbs. Safety organizations such as the NFPA publish holiday lighting guidance worth reviewing each season.
Plan on at least 100 lights per foot of tree height, so around 700 for a seven-foot tree, and up to double that for a densely lit look. Buy the same wattage across strands so brightness and warmth stay consistent from the bottom of the tree to the top.
Bottom up, starting where the outlet is, with the lights plugged in and glowing as you go so you can watch the coverage build. Weave each strand toward the trunk and back out for depth, and tuck the connection plugs into the branches nearest the trunk.
On incandescent strands, a dark section usually means a missing or burnt-out bulb breaking the circuit; on LEDs, a bulb whose wire prongs are out of line with the socket. Unplug, find and replace the culprit, and if the strand stays dark, check the fuses behind the little door in the plug box.
Wrap each strand around a storage wheel or a piece of sturdy cardboard the moment it comes down. Coiling strands loose in a box is how January inherits a knot. Store the wraps away from heat and direct light, and label what each strand covered while you still remember.
Yes, with one condition set up in advance: light each section of the tree separately, so the sections unplug from one another. Then the tree comes apart with the lights still on, and next year’s setup is nothing more than stacking sections and connecting three plugs.
The most comfortable window is before the weather turns, and many people use the days around Thanksgiving. Hanging early does not mean lighting early; a timer lets you install on a mild afternoon and switch the display on whenever your season officially starts.
Find It at St. Nick's
St. Nick’s Christmas and Collectibles has been Littleton, Colorado’s Christmas store since 1976. Shop online, visit us in person, or call 1-800-875-8865 with any questions.
