How To Install Christmas Lights Across Your Sidewalk (Without Creating A Tripping Hazard)
When the cold air ushers in, you might be ready to turn your yard into a winter wonderland. And whether you're looking for festive ideas to decorate an outdoor fence for the holidays or want to spruce up your home's exterior, what would a winter display be without some twinkling lights? Taking on the yearly task of adorning your home with Christmas lights can be a time-consuming and somewhat dangerous project, depending on the height of your home and the complexity of your setup. While you probably take necessary precautions to keep yourself safe, there's one hazardous area you might be overlooking: your sidewalk. If the power cord to your Christmas lights is haphazardly strewn across it, you're creating a significant tripping hazard. The good news? According to this TikTok video, all you need for a safer walkway are some landscape staples and a hot glue gun.
There is one caveat, though: this trick will only work on concrete sidewalks. Concrete sidewalks are typically poured into slabs with control or expansion joints every few feet. These joints offer the perfect place to tuck away your Christmas lights, so if you have a stone or paver walkway, this hack won't work.
How to secure Christmas lights to your concrete sidewalk
TikTok user @IndyChristmasLightPros lays out the steps for creating a safer sidewalk when Christmas lights need to run across it. First, tuck the Christmas light cord into one of the sidewalk expansion joints. Then secure it by pressing a landscape staple over the line on each side. As a final step, add a dollop of hot glue every couple of inches along the cord inside the joint. Not only will this keep your sidewalk trip-free during the holiday season, but it's an incredible hack if you like to decorate with Christmas lights all year long.
No hot glue gun? No problem. According to a couple of TikTok commenters, a few pieces of duct tape will get the job done. And, if you don't have landscape staples, a wire coat hanger bent into a "U" shape will work just as well. You can use these hacks any time you need to run a cord across your concrete sidewalk, whether for a festive lighting idea to help set the mood for the holidays or to hide the power cord that keeps your inflatables pumped up.