How to hang Christmas lights outside: gutters, windows and trees

Most outdoor lighting jobs go wrong in the planning: a set that is too short, a transformer with no dry home, a cable nailed to a fascia. Measure first, decide where the power comes from, and the hanging itself takes an afternoon.

Before you start

1. Measure each run: gutter length, window width and drop, hedge face, path length. Add a tenth for corners and drape.
2. Decide where each transformer will live, indoors or in a weatherproof box, and measure from there to the start of the run. That is the lead length you need.
3. Test every set on the ground, plugged in, before it goes up.
4. Choose clips for the surface: gutter clips for gutter lips, suction hooks for glass, adhesive hooks for painted wood and uPVC, screw hooks for timber. No nails or staples through cable.

Icicle lights on a gutter

Fit gutter clips every 30 to 50cm along the gutter lip. Start at the end nearest the transformer, hook the horizontal cable into each clip and let the drops hang free; do not pull the cable tight, a slight drape looks better and stops the clips popping. Turn corners with two clips close together. On a fascia without a gutter, use adhesive clips at the same spacing. The icicle sets run 5.8m to 23.8m.

Curtain lights in a window

Fit suction hooks or small adhesive hooks across the top of the frame at 20 to 30cm spacing, hang the top cable, and let the drops fall. Fix the bottom corners with a hook each so the curtain stays flat when the window is opened. A 1.2m by 1.2m curtain fits most windows; for a wide window hang two.

Nets on a hedge or wall

Unfold the net on the ground, then lift it over the hedge from one side and let it fall into place. Tuck the edges in and pull it gently square. A net slightly smaller than the hedge face sits better than one stretched over it. On a wall, hook the top edge at 30cm spacing and let the net hang.

Cluster lights on an outdoor tree

Start at the trunk near the base, with the lead end at the ground, and spiral upwards, pushing the cable into the branches rather than circling the outside. A 720 to 960 LED cluster set covers a 6ft tree; use two sets for a large shrub. Tie the top with a twist of green wire rather than knotting the cable.

Stake lights along a path

Lay the set out along the path first to get the spacing even, about a metre apart. Push each stake fully into the ground; on gravel or paving, set the stake in a pot of compost. Run the connecting cable along the path edge, away from feet, back to the transformer.

Taking them down

Reverse the order. Unclip from the far end back to the transformer, coil the cable loosely as you go, and store each set in its box or a labelled bag with its transformer and clips, so next year starts with a test, not a search.