When it comes to the art of decorating your house with Christmas lights during the holiday season, there are certainly many different ways to go. There are the extremes – all or nothings like “The Grinch” and Clark Griswold.” “The Grinch,” from the classic “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!,” does nothing to celebrate while “Clark Grisworld,” from the famed family-themed movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, tries to use every known bulb and light source known to man.
Or, you could land somewhere in between, much like the rest of us. Whichever path you decide, Ocean State Job Lot can help you out with our special guide to help you decorate your home with Christmas lights well enough to WOW the neighborhood!
Choosing the Right Christmas Lights
When considering the right type of lights to put outside, there are definitely some different things to consider:
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Color – Do you want multi-color lights or do you want all white? The divide across these two categories is wide and could even be split amongst family members. Make sure you have some common ground before tackling this major project.
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Size – What size lights do you want? Are you looking to use icicle lights or something a tad bit bigger? Maybe it’s even blinking lights that take things to the next level for your display.
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Volume – Just like color, the amount of lights you put outside and around your house says a lot about you. You’ll want to reflect the right personality of your family so talk that out as well. And speaking of volume, if you’re really ambitious and want to set your light display to music, “volume” will come into play there too. But that’s a whole different story.
Installing Lights Along the Roofline
If you are daring enough to string lights along the roof, whether it be in the front or going way up top and around your roofline, we can’t stress this enough: BE CAREFUL. There’s no need to get hurt putting up decorations. Always have a ladder that is sturdy, planted level on the ground, and have another person there to help spot you.
Start your holiday light installation journey with sturdy and reliable gutter hooks or clips, designed to securely fasten your lights along the roofline without damaging your home’s exterior. Ensure a seamless and professional look by using our versatile light hangers, perfect for outlining the roof’s edges with precision.
Essential Tools and Materials
It’s important to have the right equipment and materials when stringing lights outdoors, especially around the outside of the house. Clips for the gutters will help you space your lights out. Also, you may want to have a hammer, heavy-duty stapler, screwdriver, and other various tools handy to help you with the installation. Lawn hooks and weather-resistant clips will help if you are putting inflatables around the front yard so they don’t blow away.
Electrical Safety and Power Considerations
Here’s where you want to be very careful. You want to make sure that you are using the correct power and extension cords as well as power strips. Consider the right voltage and make sure that it’s an outdoor extension cord you are using. If a connection fails, it may lead to a spark and cause some unforeseen damage that not only leaves you in the dark when it comes to no holiday lights, but also leaves you with some costly repairs as well.
If you are using power sticks or poles, make sure they are securely plugged into the light sets and then secure in the ground. As far as the power and extension cords, remember that it’s better to have a little too much than trying to stretch things too far. Having a little left over to wrap up and hide in the background is better than risking the cords unplugging and the display going off at any moment.
Testing and Troubleshooting
You will want to make sure that all the lights work and that includes any that are on a timing device. So, go through and do a test run before you want to actually start the holiday showcase of lights. Give yourself a day or two ahead of time in case you need to make any changes. A lot of issues can be related to just the timer being set to the wrong time.
Maintenance and Care
Do yourself a favor and go through to check your display once or twice a week. Go through to make sure that no lights are out, plugs are secure and not falling out. That could be dangerous if left unattended.
In addition to being awesome to look at, you want to make sure it’s safe as well. That includes being safe for your family that’s inside your house as well as those who may stop or drive by the outside of your home for a quick glance.
Additional Decorations
In addition to the lights, there are plenty of outdoor decorations from Ocean State Job Lot to consider to help fill up your yard and light up the holiday nights.
- Candy Canes for Pathways
- Christmas Trees / Wreaths
- Blinking Ornaments
- Outdoor Stars
- Snowmen
- Outdoor Snowflakes
- Sphere Ornaments
- Outdoor Holly Leaves
Taking Down and Storing Lights
Decide on a day to take the lights down. Some members of the family might want to keep them up longer than others but by agreeing ahead of time, there will at least be a consensus.
Make sure there’s plenty of help. Things will come down easy but you’ll want to make sure they are stored properly and neatly in order to make using them next holiday season a breeze. Remember, Ocean State Job Lot has plenty of storage containers in various sizes too!
Enjoying Your Festive Display
In the end, it truly is all about enjoying the spirit of the season. Sure, others will get to see the payoffs of all your hard labor too which will bring a smile to people’s faces. But remember, it is hard work, there may be some expense to it, so let your friends at Ocean State Job Lot help you stretch that dollar and let you be a bit more creative than last holiday season.
Visit us soon and Happy Holidays from Ocean State Job Lot!