Choose Your Outdoor Christmas Light Type
Make sure you’ve got the lights you need to create the look you want:
- Pathway lights work for driveways and walkways, as well as plant beds.
- Net lights make it easy to decorate shrubs.
- String lights work well for trees as well as porch columns and railings.
- Spotlights illuminate tree canopies
- Large, C-9 outdoor lights create a bold look.
- Icicle lights are always popular on the eaves of a roof.
Decide on light colors and choose between incandescent or LED (light-emitting diode) lights.
- You can use both white and colored lights but group the same light types and colors together.
- Decide between static and multifunction, color-changing lights.
- LED lights are some of the best Christmas lights for outdoors since they use less energy than comparable incandescents and last longer. However, incandescent lights are typically less expensive to purchase.
- White LEDs have either a cool, bluish or a warm, amber tint. Incandescent bulbs look warm but have a different color than warm LEDs.
- Note that the look of lights might vary by manufacturer and the age of the lights.
Take a look at our Christmas lights guide and our ideas for outdoor Christmas lighting to get more tips on choosing lights for the perfect display.
Choose Underwriters Laboratory-listed (UL-listed) lights, extension cords and timers designed for outdoor use. Replace damaged components. Make sure your holiday outdoor light plan doesn’t overload circuits, cords or timers. Follow all manufacturer’s instructions for use and safety.
How to Hang Outdoor Christmas Lights
Before you hang outdoor Christmas lights, decide what you’re going to work on first and gather everything you need. Enlist a helper for your decorating project. It’s a good idea to wear work gloves. As you decorate, step back and check your work to make sure everything is shaping up the way you want it.
If you use a ladder, follow the manufacturer’s instructions and see our ladder guide for safety tips.
Step 1: Plan Your Outdoor Light Display
Pick a Focal Point
Plan a focus for your display. For example, if you have columns that frame your entryway, that may be where you want to start. Or you might want to tie in other outdoor holiday decorations. Without a focal point, Christmas lights for a house or landscape feel chaotic and chances are the final look won’t be what you want.
Plan Supporting Lights
Decide on a layout that complements your focal point and draws the eye toward it.
Measure for Light Locations
Measure any straight lines you want to decorate to plan how many strands you need. Measure the distance to your power source from the different areas you plan to light. Avoid a plan that requires you to connect multiple extension cords. Also keep in mind the limits of the number of string lights you can safely connect. LED outdoor Christmas lights typically allow you to connect more strands together but check the manufacturer’s information.
Decide How Many Lights You Need
The number of lights you need is a matter of personal preference, but a good general rule is 100 lights for every 1-1/2 feet of tree or shrub you want to cover. So, a 6-foot evergreen needs at least 400 lights for a basic level of lighting. Add to the festive look by doubling that number. On your house, create a more striking effect by staggering two sets of lights side by side or by choosing lights that are spaced closer together.
Step 2: Test Your Lights
Test the lights before placing or taking them up a ladder, even if they’re new. It’s much easier to correct problems on the ground. and if you need to replace a strand of lights, you should know before you get them in place. If you need help with lights that aren’t working, see our how-to on fixing Christmas lights for basic troubleshooting steps.
Step 3: Light Your Landscape
Light the Shrubs
Tuck lights into the foliage to add dimension to the illumination and to keep the lights in place. For a more designed look, don’t let them hang unsupported below the foliage. If you’re using net lights on shrubs, overlap the nets a bit to prevent gaps in the lighting. For a brighter look, add pathway lights along your shrub beds.
Light the Trees
You can wrap tree trunks and, depending on the tree, you can wrap branches or run the strands throughout the canopy. If you’re using spotlights, direct them up into the canopy and overlap the lighting for a full effect.
Light Pathways
Run Christmas pathway lights along sidewalks and driveways. Keep the spacing consistent and make sure the cords don’t create tripping hazards. Don’t run cords across a driveway.
Step 4: Hang Lights on Your House
Light Exterior Windows and Doors
Use light clips to hook lights onto your house and outline your doors and windows. The clips attach easily to siding trim.
Light Columns and Railings
Wrap porch columns. You can wrap porch and deck railings or hang lights along the railings with clips. If you have extra lights on a strand, tuck them behind the column or rail to keep the lighting even.
Light the Roofline
Attach lights to your eaves with gutter or shingle light clips. They generally work with standard string lights and with icicle lights.
Step 5: Set Timers and Turn on Your Outdoor Lights
Plug your lights into outdoor timers so you don’t have to remember to turn them on and off. Some timers have light sensors that automatically turn on at dusk and off again at dawn.
Turn on your lights and make sure everything looks right and there aren’t any gaps. Adjust as necessary to create the perfect outdoor Christmas display.
Get Help Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lights From Lowe’s
Whether you’re just decorating a porch or a few trees with lights or you want to light up your entire house and landscape, find the lights and accessories you need at Lowe’s. Shop online for different light types, designs and colors, as well as clips that make them easy to hang. A Red Vest associate at your local Lowe’s can also give you tips to help you find Christmas lights to create the perfect outdoor display.