This Rope Hack Speeds Up Wrapping Outdoor Tree Lights—and Makes Removal A Breeze
Decorating for Christmas is a timeless tradition that families look forward to during the holiday season. While bright string lights of multiple colors are a beautiful way to kick off the holidays, putting up multiple feet of Christmas lights can be a daunting task, especially when covering the exterior. Luckily, a helpful tip can simplify the process of hanging (and eventually taking down) Christmas lights so they make a stunning illumination on trees in the front yard for all to see — use a rope.
Once you have selected the best outdoor Christmas lights to brighten up your home, all you'll need is a long piece of rope or string. The rope is unlikely to be visible from the street, but feel free to use a thin mason line rope or fishing wire to ensure that the string won't be seen. From the back of the tree, tie a long piece of string high up so the rest of the string is cascading down the length of the trunk's back. This tie will mark the top of the light display, and should follow down as low as you want the lights to be placed.
Rather than wrapping the lights in a constant circle around the tree itself, the lights will be looped around the rope. Simply loop the lights around the descending string, then follow around to the front of the trunk and loop on the opposite side. Lights will be placed evenly around the tree for a cohesive distribution of beautiful colors.
Loop Christmas lights around a single string
This DIY practice is an essential Christmas light hack everyone should be using this winter. On the back of the tree, the lights will look like back-and-forth squiggles coming from both sides of the trunk. However, the front of the tree will look identical to typical light displays. Each line of lights will be roughly a few inches apart from one another, leaving ample space for each color to shine. Since the lights will not be repeatedly wrapped around the entire width of the tree, this will likely prolong their lifespan by preventing them from bending or cracking.
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When looping the lights around the tree base, avoid wrapping them around branches. Branches will require their own string of lights that are separate from those covering the tree trunk. Lights can be looped around single branches in the same way, just attach a string to the branch and repeat the process. This will be less taxing on the wrists as lights will not need to be constantly swung around the branch's diameter. Instead, the thin string can be moved around for less hassle.
This tip also simplifies the process of taking your Christmas decorations down, as the lights do not need to be unraveled top to bottom from the tree's circular base. Simply pull the rope from the tree rather than the lights, or slice the rope at various points with a knife. Once the single rope is removed, all the lights will fall to the ground untangled for you to retrieve.