How to Hang Christmas Lights Around Your Garage Door

Measure the Garage Door

Garage doors come in a wide variety of sizes. Single and double garage doors, or larger, vary in actual measured size. The trim around garage doors also varies in length and width from one house to the next.

Measure the trim, if you wish to hang lights there, and the height of the door. Add one or two feet to your total measurement to be safe. Take notes for later reference, especially if you still need to purchase lights and decorations.

You should also measure the distance to the nearest outlet, and make sure to have extension cords available that will reach in order to safely power your outdoor holiday lights. Alternatively, you could opt for solar or battery-powered light strands.

Map Out Garage Door Light Design

There are tons of ways to decorate and light up around your garage door and its trim. Make a plan before starting to ensure the design works for your garage size. Of course, these ideas are only starters—imagination is the only limit.

• Create the outline of a Christmas present with a bow on top above the door.

• Create lighted outline images of stockings, wreaths, Christmas trees, reindeer, Santa, or other Christmas-related items above or alongside the garage door.

• Use light strands to spell out your favorite holiday taglines, such as season's greetings or Merry Christmas. 

• Incorporate spotlights or projection images into your design.

With your designs mapped out, ensure you have enough working lights to achieve them. You can determine that by referring to your measurement notes.

Test Your Lights

Detangle all your stored Christmas lights, and test each strand you have by plugging them in one by one. Replace any dead bulbs. Swap out any strands that are completely dead with new ones. If you recently purchased a strand and it's malfunctioning, see if the store will give you a new one. Make sure all of your lights are for outdoor use, too. 

Place Light Hooks on the Trim

Rather than using staples or nails, which can damage the trim and create a fire hazard, use light hooks or clips wherever you plan to hang Christmas lights on the trim of your garage. These types of clips usually have a strong adhesive backing. Space the hooks about one foot apart, and make sure just the cord connects to the hook, not the bulb, so you don’t damage the light itself.

Use Trim Clips For Vertical Designs

For any lights you wish to hang in a vertical pattern, such as on the sides of the door, attach trim clips with an adhesive backing that will wrap around the Christmas light strand and hold it in place. You should also space these clips one foot apart. 

Hang the Lights

Photo: ronstik / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images

Now that your clips and hooks are in place, it’s time for the fun part—hanging your Christmas lights. Start at the top (be careful on the ladder!), with the trim, and then finish by adding any lights to the sides of the garage. Connect the strands to one another as you go, and then plug the strands in to test them. If you notice more bulbs have blown out, you can replace them now.