First things first: Saturday morning is cold and brisk. As you climb halfway up a ladder, holding a knot of Christmas lights in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, you can’t help but wonder why you subject yourself to this every year. Is this place familiar to you? Take a moment to reevaluate your holiday lighting strategy before you get shingles or tangle with another cord – find for more bonuses here!
Priority number one: stay safe. Leave the circus act out. For safe climbing, use a sturdy ladder and be aware of any slippery areas or uneven surfaces. You need a new ladder if your old one wobbles like a seesaw. Keep the daredevilry for the silver screen.
The lights are next. Get them untangled inside, away from the cold, and plug them in before you do anything else. Is there any dangling or nonexistent hair? Discard them. It’s not worth it to fix damaged light bulbs all the time.
Formulate your masterwork. Take a stroll around your house and snap some pictures. Draw lines to indicate the locations of lights—windows, rooflines, bushes, etc. When you’re in the middle of a string and suddenly realize you’re out of bulbs, a little advance planning goes a long way.
Resist the urge to sprawl out on the lawn like an octopus with an insatiable appetite for power by daisy-chaining extension cords. Use plugs and coverings designed for use in outdoor environments. No holiday spirit is complete without wet plugs.
Be consistent with your lighting. Choose a color scheme, whether it’s warm white, technicolor rainbows, or gradual fades. Combined all of it at once? That’s anarchy, not celebration.
Get rid of the nails. No joke. You may do the task with adhesive strips and gutter clips without damaging the trim. They’re less tedious, faster, and cleaner.
Put a timer in place. Leave it alone. Taking off the porch light at midnight is a thing of the past.
Be careful not to put too much strain on your circuits. Make sure there isn’t a power outage just before your guests’ arrival by reading the label and knowing your wattage.
Advice from the pros? Collaborate with your loved ones. It’s more exciting, you can move faster, and there’s always someone to catch you if you sway.
Make your lighting system smarter, not harder, this year. Less tension, more glimmer. Have fun with the design!