House Christmas Lighting Ideas

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   • Decorate your home for the holidays. christmas lights image by PHOTOFLY from Fotolia.com

     Each year as Christmas draws near, houses begin to light up every evening with lights. Some people opt for just a few lights or a lighted wreath while others cover their entire homes with decorations and colorful bulbs. Some Christmas lights are unconventional, being simple candles set inside paper bags. Other lights twinkle and blink in pre-programmed patterns. There are as many ways to decorate with Christmas lights as there are homeowners who use them.

   Outlines

   • The most traditional method for hanging Christmas lights involves outlining your entire home in them. Many people take this to its ultimate conclusion by stapling lights everywhere from the foundation to the chimney to the edges of the roof. Some prefer to use all white lights while others like colorful options. Variations include twinkle lights that blink on and off in sections, though this can look tacky.

     If you like moving lights, opt for lights that "chase" each other around the outline of your home. For those who do this every year, it may pay off to install small metal hooks in all the places where you normally staple lights. It may take a lot of time to install them, but it will make putting up and taking down your lights much easier. Another variation on the outline includes simply doing your porch. Use swag or icicle LED lights to highlight your porch and outline your property. Short strings of lights outside windows complete the look.

   Lighted Greenery

   • Although most people like the look of Christmas lights at night, during the day they can look ragged and unfinished. For this reason, some people "hide" their lights by putting up faux lighted greenery. Many of these lights are installed directly into plastic wreaths and garlands, though you can create this look yourself by putting up garland and wrapping lights around it. You can use fake or real garland for this, but fake garland stays green throughout the season, is cheaper than real and is less of a fire hazard.

     Wrap lighted greenery around your porch railings and columns, and place lighted wreaths in your windows. Swag the greenery from your porch roof with bright bows at the apex of each curve. Make sure to nestle the lights deep in the needles so that the wires don't show. Lighted snowflakes and electric candles complete this look, ensuring that your home looks pretty and put-together during the day and night.

   Light Grids, Trees and Lawns

   • If hanging lights on your home is not enough, decorate your yard as well. If you have shrubs or small, decorative trees, get a few lighted grids to toss over them. These grids look like nets and are very simple to use. They require no winding or arranging in the branches; just layer them on top. Use smaller nets for small, decorative trees so that they don't bend or break.

     For larger trees, wind some lights around the trunk, and hang lighted snowflakes and raffia globes in the branches. They look beautiful and are easier to take down than strings of lights in the branches. You can also use this technique with smaller trees, though their size makes them easy to put string lights in the branches instead of snowflakes and balls.

     Outline your walkway and lawn with luminaries. You can purchase small, decorative lantern spikes, or make your own with clean milk jugs. Simply cut off the tops, and coil battery-powered strings of lights inside.