How to hang indoor Christmas lights

Christmas decorating is one of the best ways to welcome in the silly season. It’s fun, you can get the whole family involved, and the result sets the tone for the most wonderful time of year.

Lights play a big role in Christmas decor, and not just for the tree. The right lighting can really bring some festive magic into your living space.

Whether you’re a pro with a plan or you don’t know where to start, we’ve got some helpful tips that will make hanging your Christmas lights a breeze.

Types of Christmas lights

There are many types of Christmas and fairy lights available to bring your living room to life this year, the only limit is your imagination.

Style

Christmas lights come in many styles. Classic LED string lights are the most common, but you can also get LED bud lights which are shaped like a small sphere, seed lights which are tiny LEDS embedded in a string, icicle lights which hang from a central string. String lights also offer a range of different shapes for the tips, from plain to icicle to little bubbles, there’s plenty on offer. Stick to one style or mix and match, there’s plenty to choose from.

Colour

Whether you like bright, wild colour or a refined and coordinated colour scheme, there’s lots to choose from. You can opt for a Traditional feel, like cool white which is a bright white, or warm white which has a more gentle, yellow hue. Or if multi-colour coloured lights is more your thing, with smart lights you can often change the colour to suit the rest of your decorations.

Smart lights

Smart lights are a great idea for decorators who are colour-conscious or don’t want to stick to one theme. Full colour lighting products (look for RGB or RGBW) from the Smartglo range give you millions of colour options that can be controlled, customised and animated from the One Smart Home App on your phone. Create your own pattern with just the right colours to match existing decor elements or change them daily to match your mood. You can also create your own playlist to cycle through your favourites.

Power

All Christmas lights need a power source. Think about where you’ll be placing yours before you commit to them, as AC powered lights will need to be close to a power outlet. Plug-in (Low voltage) lights are a great option, as they offer safety and are energy efficient to help you save on power. Battery powered lights are also a great option, and while they still include a battery pack, the battery pack can usually be easily hidden.

Where to place your Christmas lights

The tree isn’t the only place where some Christmas lights will pop. There’s plenty of ways to get creative with lighting and create spaces with beautiful ambience.

Mantelpieces, pelmets & curtain rails

These make great places to drape some string lights, and best of all, most lights will comfortably sit up there without you needing hooks or something to keep them in place. It’s fast and simple and makes a big impact.

Furniture & household objects

Draping some lights around a bookshelf, cabinet or mirror frame is another quick and easy way to dial up the Christmas cheer. As long as the lights don’t stop you using the object in question as you normally would, you’re good to go.

Walls & everywhere else

Walls, particularly those that aren’t already decorated, are fantastic real estate for Christmas lights. Light hooks with suction cup backs or adhesive Command hooks are fantastic solutions for hanging Christmas lights as they come down easily and don’t ruin your walls. With the kind of flexibility, you can create all sorts of patterns and shapes to bring your space to life.

How to hang your Christmas lights

When it comes to Christmas decorating indoors, you probably don’t want any permanent solutions for decor that’s only up for a month or so per year.

Suction hooks

Suction hooks are a great option as you can just push them into place on your wall and remove them just as easily. They come with a little suction dome with a hook attached. You might need to use a few of these to spread the weight of your lights across them. Because they rely on suction, they’re not suitable for porous surfaces.

Adhesive hooks

Adhesive hooks offer great stability, and 3M Command hooks are designed to be removed simply and without damaging the surface they’re attached to. These tend to hold a lot more weight than suction hooks, so they’re a great option if you have larger lights.

Bluetack

In a pinch, you can also use Bluetack to provide some extra support and mount your lights. While Bluetack is sticky, it’s too stretchy to bear much of a load, so make you use enough to safely hang your lights. Be mindful that Bluetack can damage surfaces like wallpaper when removed. It’s best to use Bluetack for keeping lights draped on flat surfaces in place.

Before you go…

Don’t forget to take measurements before you start, as this can save some annoying setbacks. It’s best to come up with a plan for where you want your lights, and then measure your lights to make sure they’ll cover the desired area. Finally, don’t forget to use a ladder if you’re hanging your lights high, an injury is the last thing on anyone’s Christmas wish list.

If you’re missing anything to complete your Christmas decorating, check out the links in this article to buy more online or pop into your local store to see us. We’ve got everything you need for Christmas decorating at Mitre 10.