“Christmas lights on house” searches are up about 300% compared with last year. If you’re doing it yourself for the first time, the hardest part is planning, not hanging. Here’s the order to do it in.

Plan the outline

Walk outside and decide what you’ll light. Most houses look best with just one or two lines:

  • The roofline, along the gutter.
  • The edges of the porch or front door.
  • Windows on the front of the house.

Measure each length with a tape measure. Add a bit for going around corners and the run back to the outlet.

Choose the lights

C9 bulbs are the big classic ones. They look best on rooflines and can be seen from the street. LED C9 strands (on Amazon) come in multicolor or warm white.

Mini lights are better for bushes, railings and wrapping columns.

Stick to one color theme for the whole house. Warm white is classic; multicolor is nostalgic and cheerful. Mixing both on one house usually looks unplanned.

Clips, not nails

All-purpose light clips (on Amazon) snap onto the gutter edge or slide under shingles and hold the strand. No holes, and they come off easily in January. Use one clip every 12 inches or so.

Power

Ladder safety

  • Have someone hold the ladder.
  • Don’t lean out. Move the ladder instead.
  • Never hang lights near power lines.
  • Do it on a dry, calm day, and in daylight.

Renting or an apartment?

If you can’t climb a roof, light what’s at ground level: the porch railing, a front window from the inside, a potted shrub. Battery outdoor lights with a timer (on Amazon) solve the problem of no outdoor outlet.

Taking them down

In January, wind each strand around a piece of cardboard and label it (“roofline left”, “porch”). Next year it’ll take half the time.