Things You'll Need
Hair dryer
Heavy duty stapler
Cord keeper
Christmas lights can be difficult to manage once you open the package. Most manufacturers tightly coil the lights on a piece of plastic that has several clips. Winding the lights on this plastic creates a natural coil in the lights, which can make hanging the lights in a neat and orderly fashion somewhat difficult. Removing this memory coil is often necessary prior to hanging the outdoor lights.
Before Hanging
Step 1
Open the box of lights.
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Step 2
Unclip the lights from the plastic packaging.
Step 3
Stretch the lights out on the floor.
Step 4
Heat the lights carefully with the hair dryer. Once flexible, leave the stretched lights on the floor for a few minutes prior to hanging them outside.
When Hanging
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Step 1
Lay the lights on your lawn close to where you will hang them.
Step 2
Staple the lights to either a wood eave or deck. Staple the lights on the left side of each bulb.
Step 3
Flatten any loops or bubbles in the lights with a staple.
Tip
After taking the lights down for the year, wrap them on a cord keeper or in a circle that will limit the amount of memory coil in the light strand.
Warning
Overheating the lights can damage them, making the strand unusable.