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How to Safely Hang Outdoor Christmas Lights

In this DIY Smarts, This Old House Master Electrician Heath Eastman helps a homeowner safely install a variety of Christmas lights.

Heath Eastman helps a homeowner safely install a variety of Christmas lights. He installs a GFCI outdoor outlet and protects it with an expandable weatherproof In-Use cover. Heath secures an icicle string light set to the roofline using universal shingle/gutter light clips.

Along the tree Heath protects extension cords with outdoor extension cord covers. To turn all the lights on and off at the right times, he uses a timer.

In order to safely plug in the outdoor lights, Heath installed a GFCI outdoor outlet and protected it using an Expandable Weatherproof In-Use Cover, which is manufactured by TayMac.

Along the roofline, Heath installed String-A-Long 300 Light Clear Icicle Light set, which is manufactured by the General Electric Company. To secure the lights to the roofline, Heath used universal shingle/gutter light clips, which can be found at The Home Depot.

Along the tree, Heath hung White Tube Snowflake Lights, which are also available at The Home Depot. For the shrubs and the light post, Heath added 150-Light 4x6’ Net Lights, which are manufactured by Brite Star and available at The Home Depot.


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The extension cords to connect all the lights together are just general outdoor-rated extension cords. To protect the extension cords where they come together, Heath enclosed them in Cord Protect Outdoor Extension Cord Covers, which are manufactured by Twist and Seal and available at The Home Depot.

To connect all the extension cords together and program them to turn on/off at the appropriate times, Heath plugged them into an Outdoor Stake Timer, which is also manufactured by the General Electric Company.

Expert assistance with this segment was provided by Eaton and Eastman Electric.