Outdoor Christmas Decorating With Multicolored Lights

Untangle and test your multicolored lights before hanging.

Outdoor decorating can be a way to start celebrating the holidays early, especially if you get the whole family involved. Pay attention to how many light strings each package of lights can safely connect. This is different for each type of light, and exceeding the maximum number can blow a fuse or trip a circuit breaker. If you need a large number of lights, try LED lighting, which draws less power, so you can connect more lights on a single circuit.

Things You'll Need

• Outdoor multicolored light strings
• Ladder
• Light clips
• Screwdriver
• Outdoor-rated extension cord

Instructions

Lighting Design

1. Lay out your multicolored light strings below where you want to hang them. Generally, you will want to follow the roof line of your home, plus any hand rails, porch posts and walkways. Make sure the end closest to your power outlet has a male (pronged) plug, and then lay out the rest of the strings end-to end so they all connect. You can split this into two lines of lights (one for the roof and one for the railings) if it is easier.

2. Connect an extension cord rated for outdoor use to your male string end and plug it into a power outlet. Do this before you hang the lights.

3. Step back and see if the light strings look too busy. Multicolored lights can become distracting because of the multiple colors, so if the laid-out lights look like a jumble, replace some of the strings with solid color strings that use a color from the multilight string. For example, keep the lights lining your roof as multicolored strings, then choose red lights for the deck, green lights for the porch posts and blue lights for the walkway, if your original string includes those three colors.

4. Plug the lights back in after you have swapped out strands and check the look again. Once you are satisfied with the color layout, you are ready to hang the lights.

5. Use multicolored lights more sparingly if you do not wish to swap out colors. Try lining the roof and walkway, then simply change your porch light to a colored bulb for a festive look.

Hanging the Lights

1. Unplug your lighting strands. Place your ladder below the beginning of your laid-out light strings and carry the male end up the ladder with you. Place a light clip against the wooden overhang of your roof and screw it into the wood with the screw provided. Place the light string snugly inside the clip.

2. Shift your ladder a few feet over and screw in the next clip, then place the lighting string inside the clip, leaving some slack if you want to have the lights swag; otherwise, pull the string taut.

3. Place a light clip every 4 to 6 feet, or as often as necessary to make the lights hang the way you want them. Repeat until each light string is in place. Make sure the end-to-end connections are firmly plugged in as you go.

4. Plug your lights in when you are finished. You may want to use more light clips to keep the extension cord in place.

5. Swap light bulbs out with spares or from other parts of the string if the color pattern is either too random or too regular for your tastes.

Tips & Warnings

• Use only outdoor-rated strings, which often transform household current to low voltage for safety in damp conditions.

References

• Christmas Lights and More: Energy Savings
• Christmas Lights, Etc: Hanging Christmas Lights