How to Hang Christmas Lights Around Your Garage the Safe & Easy Way!

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How Do You Hang Christmas Lights Around Your Garage?

One of the joys & chores of the Christmas season is hanging the Christmas lights! It may seem like a simple job, but anyone who has done it before will tell you it is not. Too many things can and do go wrong. Now how do you hang Christmas lights around your garage without any stress?

To hang Christmas lights around your garage, stress free, you need to have a plan. 

The plan should include assembling tools & supplies, measuring out lengths, testing lights, using correct attachments and switching on only after you have double checked every connection.

Of course, you need to light up most of your house facade, but hanging Christmas lights around your garage is a big part of the job. An attached garage forms a significant part of the facade. Garage is what your guests see first when they drive in for the Christmas party.

So, let’s get started with how you should go about hanging Christmas lights around your garage. Stress free, in an easy manner and with no mess ups!

Assemble the Tools & Materials

If you are an avid DIYer then you already know the importance of having all the right tools & materials assembled before you even start your project. 

If you are a beginner, let me assure you that assembling all the tools & materials you will need beforehand will go a long way in hanging Christmas lights around your garage, effectively & efficiently.

Here is what you need:

• Tape Measure
• 8-foot Ladder
• Gloves

• UL-approved Extension Cords
• Electrical Tape

• Christmas String Lights
• Replacement Bulbs
• Timer & Lighting Controls
• Shingle Clips & Vertical Clips

Make sure to ensure that you have a helping hand. You do need someone to help you take measurements, hold the ladder or hand you stuff as you work.

Sketch & Measure 

Stand on the street facing your home and visualize the light effect that you want to create this Christmas. Keep a pad & pencil handy so that you can do a few rough sketches of your ideas.

Discuss them with your family and incorporate their inputs. Then make a final sketch!

Now it is time to measure and put your tape measure to work. In most cases you will be able to do the measurements from ground level. But if required get on to the ladder. Try to be as accurate and thorough as possible.

You need to decide if you are going to use the lights from the last season. If so, get them out and check if they are still working. It is quite likely that you will need to buy some new ones.

Buying Christmas Lights

Or you may choose to buy a complete new set and create a totally new look! Just make sure they are UL certified for outdoor use.

The Christmas lights are the star of the show. You need to make sure that you are buying lights that are:

• UL certified for outdoor use
• Energy efficient
• Long enough to meet your plan
• Good quality & durable

An important point to consider when buying outdoor Christmas lights is the type of bulb. String lights either use LED or incandescent bulbs. It is best to opt for LEDs when possible. LEDs are energy efficient, safer, stay cool to the touch and more durable.

Bulb shape & size is another factor to keep in mind when buying Christmas lights for your garage and surroundings. Smaller bulbs work best at a low level such as on the shrubbery around the garage & driveway. Larger C9 LED bulbs are more suited for the roof line and neighboring tall trees

Look for one-piece bulbs and sockets. They are sturdy and prevent moisture, dirt & dust from getting inside. You do not want electrical connectivity failure. The beauty of your Christmas decoration is hugely diminished if some bulbs fail to light up.

Connecting to Power Source

To hang Christmas lights around your garage and make them work you need to have a power source. There are three options:

Plug-in Christmas Lights

Plug-in Christmas lights are the most popular as all you need is an outdoor power supply outlet. You can get plug-in Christmas lights in a large range of shapes, sizes and colors. This makes the activity of hanging Christmas lights around your garage a lot more fun. You can unleash your creativity.

Most likely you already have outdoor electrical outlets around your garage to plug in appliances like leaf blowers or power washers,  so that should not be a problem. You can hook up the Christmas lights to your home supply and not worry about batteries running out in the middle of the night.

Just make sure that all electrical connections are waterproof, safe, secure and out of reach of children, pets or wayward wild life. Cover up the electrical connections so that snowmelt does not get into it.

Battery Operated Christmas Lights

Battery operated Christmas lights are not as bright as plug-in Christmas lights but they have the advantage of not requiring long electrical wires running all over the place. This makes them safer and easier to install, especially for driveways and landscape around the garage door. 

Solar Powered Christmas Lights

Solar powered Christmas lights are another great option. They are like battery operated Christmas lights but you do not even need to worry about batteries. They work best as driveway or landscaping lights.

You need a fair amount of sunshine during the day, though. Solar powered Christmas lights come with a small solar panel. During the day, the solar panel collects energy to charge the internal battery. At night, that battery powers the lights.

If your garage has solar panels on the roof, there may even be a way to hook your lights directly into them.

How Do You Attach Christmas Lights Around a Garage?

Gone are the days when you used nails, screws, staples and hot glue to attach Christmas lights around your garage. These methods are not just unsafe, they will damage your garage sidings & roof.

There are better methods available. Plastic hooks & clips. Use them and you can hang Christmas lights around your garage in a safe & easy way!

Plastic Hooks

Plastic hooks are designed for horizontal string lights. There are different designs depending on where you hang the string lights. A practical way is to hang the lights from the gutter or roof shingles.

The hooks can attach firmly to gutters or roof shingles. Typically they are made from polypropylene or vinyl and are flexible, weather resistant and durable. You can leave them for the next holiday decoration if you want.

Adhesive Plastic Clips

Sometimes there is no crevice or overhang. No problem, use self adhesive clips instead. These are ideal for vertical string lights too!

Good quality clips use 3M self adhesives which hold strongly but can be removed without leaving any marks on the surface. Just make sure the surface does not have any grease or dust, before you stick the clips, for strong adhesion.

They are safe and easy to use to hang Christmas lights around your garage!

Test the Christmas Lights

Before you start the actual process of attaching the clips, hooks and the lights, make sure to test them first. Plug the light in and check if all the bulbs light up. Replace those that are faulty.

Unplug, untangle and lay out the string lights in a straight line. This will make the job easier. 

Attach the Lights

Attach the hooks to the gutter or roof shingles and the self adhesive clips to the garage door trim first. Space them between 6” to 12” apart depending on the size of the light bulbs.

Do not attach any hooks or clips to the garage door panels. Make sure that the electrical wires will never get in the way of any moving objects such as the garage door, cars, etc. 

Now attach the string lights to the clips or the hooks as the case may be. A helping hand from your partner will be required to feed the string lights as you work through.

Step back and inspect your work. If all looks well, plug in and switch on the power. 

Feel the magic! Merry Christmas!!

DISCLAIMER: What Is the Safest Way to Handle Electrical Wires?

This post is for information only. I strongly recommend that all electrical work should be entrusted to licensed professional electricians. In case you do decide to do some of the work yourself, make sure that:

“Treat all electrical wiring, even “de-energized” ones as if it is live, unless it has been locked out and tagged”

You must follow the basic safety guidelines, as under:

• Use protective eyewear, especially when drilling or grinding metal
• Wear insulated rubber gloves when working on any circuit or branch circuit
• Always use insulated tools while working with electricity
• De-energize the electrical wires on which you will be working. Tag the circuit breaker to prevent someone from switching it on accidently
• Electrical wiring in wet or damp locations or underground must be within a PVC conduit
• Underground wiring conduits should be at least 18 inches below grade as per code
• All receptacles for equipment that could be in wet or damp locations should be equipped with Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)
• Never use old frayed cables, damaged insulation or broken plugs
• High voltage equipment should be properly grounded to insure electricity flows directly to the ground and not through the person in contact with the live wire 

Other Safety Tips

Do keep the following safety tips in mind when you hang Christmas lights around your garage:

• Buy & use only UL certified Christmas lights meant for outdoor use
• Do not plug more than three sets of lights into a single outlet or extension cord
• Do not run wires through areas that have or can have movement such as doors, windows, etc.
• Use a helping hand to hold the ladder, hand out the string lights, etc.
• Use a tool belt so that both your hands are free
• Wear gloves
• Do not hang Christmas lights if it is dark, raining or snowing 
• Place the ladder on firm even ground and have someone hold it when you climb
• Avoid using nails or staples. Use plastic hooks & clips instead

Thank you very much for reading the post. I do hope you found it informative and useful.