Step-by-Step Guidance for Mounting Christmas Lights on Various Surfaces

If you're fond of the National Lampoon's Vacation movies, you probably recall Clark Griswold's hilarious light setup in Christmas Vacation. Old Clark made numerous silly errors in that film, all for comedic effect. However, in real life, his Christmas light installation methods featured a lot of blunders.

Hanging Christmas Lights

One of the many missteps had to do with his approach to affixing the sheer number of Christmas lights to his house. Remember? He used staples for everything:

  • Lights on the roof shingles? Stapled – one after another.
  • Lights on the siding? Stapled – one after another.
  • Lights around window frames and doorjambs? Stapled – one after another.
  • Lights in trees and plants? Stapled – one after another.

Aside from sometimes stapling through his gloves, Clark's stapling-everything approach has numerous issues. Because in reality, each typical surface you might want to adorn with Christmas lights has an optimal method for attachment.

Specially Designed Clips and Fastening Tools

Were you aware that there are a plethora of clips and attachment aids expressly made for installing Christmas lights? It's true – there are indeed too many to cover in a single article.

However, for most Christmas light mounting projects, a few key types of surfaces and situations are typically encountered. Here are the clips and fastening tools frequently used in most installations:

    • Wood and Asphalt Shingles: Various clips can be used for attaching lights to shingles, but the All In One Clip is the most popular and also serves as a gutter clip. The Original Shingle Tab, as its name suggests, was the first clip designed for under-shingle use and remains a favorite. Biaxial shingle tabs are also available, aligning the tab under the shingle and the bulb mounting face rather than opposing it at 90 degrees. Shingle tabs are designed to fit the two most common Christmas light bulb sizes (C7 and C9).
    • Clay Shingle Tiles: Lights can be attached to slate, flat, or barrel-style roof tiles using a Clay Tile Roof Clip. Quick and straightforward installation: the light clips to one end, and the other end snaps to a roof tile. Built-in ridges keep the clip in place without applying excessive pressure that could damage the tile.
    • Roof Ridge Rows: Running light strings along roof ridge rows – whether at the peak or where the roof plane breaks – can be quite striking. Special clips are available for attaching lights to ridge rows, accommodating all types of roof ridges and both C7 and C9 bulbs.
    • Gutters: Gutter hooks are available for attaching light lines to various gutter types.
    • Trees and Foliage: Tree clips are perfect for hanging lights on small branches, bushes, and shrubs, eliminating the need to wrap lights around branches or trunks. Note that these clips won't work on larger branches. This is one case where using a few staples is acceptable, provided you remove them after the holiday season. If the lights will be wrapped around the trunk for an extended period, use stainless steel staples to prevent rusting, which can harm the tree.
    • Flat, Smooth Surfaces (like siding): Several options exist for attaching lights to smooth surfaces with nothing to grip, including:
      • C clips, which can be installed with adhesive or hardware (like screws) and left in place for multiple seasons. C clips only work with C7 and C9 bulbs. Mini lights won't fit this application.
      • Mini light adhesive clips for mini lights exclusively.
      • Magnetic clips for smooth magnetic surfaces with a ferrous component. These clips allow both vertical and horizontal bulb orientation.

C6 LED Stringer sets installed using LED All In One Clips

Remember Hot Glue…

A very quick and simple method to hang Christmas lights on various surfaces is using a hot glue gun. Glue works exceptionally well for rough surfaces like concrete, brick, and stucco. (Be cautious with stucco; some types may be damaged by hot glue. Test a small area first.)

Hot glue tends to be less effective on smooth metal surfaces, and it may damage plastic and painted surfaces, so it's best to use proper clips in those instances.

Quality Counts!

Using cheap clips while hanging Christmas lights can lead to mishaps similar to Clark Griswold's. Avoid low-quality clips from big box stores and instead purchase from a reputable online seller that supplies clips and hardware to professional Christmas installers. Surprisingly, higher-quality clips are not any pricier than those found at major retail stores. You want your Christmas lights to look professionally installed, right? Stick with what the experts use.

Admit It: Clark Had No Idea What He Was Doing

But the movie wouldn't have been as funny if Clark had been proficient at hanging Christmas lights!

Your aim, of course, isn't to entertain when putting up your Christmas lights. Your aim is to be safe, efficient, and speedy. Using the correct light hanging clips and attachment tools will help you effortlessly achieve that aim.