How to Hang Christmas Lights on Your Roof: A Complete DIY Guide

If you’re big into holiday decorations, you may be wondering how to hang Christmas lights on your roof. Homes across the world attach Christmas lights on roofs as a symbol of the season and to bring a little holiday cheer to their communities. Our expert DIY guide outlines all the preparations you need to do before embarking on this process safely and efficiently, as well as step-by-step instructions, tips, and more.

How to Hang Christmas Lights on the Roof

Take a page out of Santa’s book: make a list and check it twice. Putting up Christmas lights involves a decent amount of preparation and knowledge to make the process as simple and safe as possible. Consider hiring a local holiday decorator to handle this festive but time-consuming task for you.

1. Make a Plan

The first thing you should do is make a plan to safely power your holiday lights from an electrical source. Before you even get your ladder out of the garage, locate all your power sources, taking care to first measure the distance from the initial plugin to the roof line. 

Then, measure the length of all the areas where you want to hang lights (you can choose gutters, shingles, and the roofline) and double-check that you have enough lights to cover that area. 

2. Test Your Lights

Make the process merry (and most importantly, bright) by checking your lights before you hang them up. Look for any burned-out bulbs, exposed wires, or cracked lights. 

If they are broken, you can try to fix the broken Christmas lights with a needle-nose plier or buy replacements. 

3. Choose the Right Type of Roof Clips for Christmas Lights

Most homeowners use specific Christmas light hooks for a roof when completing this project (or you can skip this process altogether with magnetic Christmas lights!) as they’re affordable and easy to set up. 

There are a few types of roof clips you can choose from, depending on your roof material and where you’re hanging the lights:

When figuring out how many clips to buy, know that most manufacturers recommend spacing them between six to 12 inches apart. So use the same math you did for calculating how many strands of lights to buy, but instead divide by six or 12 inches as opposed to the length of the strands.

4. Organize Your Supplies

Attaching Christmas lights on your roof is a bit of a workout, especially if you realize on the roof that you forget one or two items on the ground. 

So before you begin, gather all your materials and supplies and put them in a tool belt or something else that’s convenient to carry up a ladder and have at hand throughout the process.

5. Set Up Your Ladder

Plant your extension ladder on flat ground, extending it beyond the eaves of your roof. When using your ladder, make sure not to reach too far, as this can disrupt your center of gravity. Move the ladder as often as needed to keep yourself at a safe working distance. 

6. Attach the Roof Clips 

Hang your first roof clip at the corner where the strand will extend from the plugin. From there, place clips as far apart as the manufacturer recommends (usually around 12 inches). Don’t forget to check that each clip faces the same direction before you clip it into place.

Before you get too far, it may be worth putting up a strand of lights to make sure you like the way they look.

7. Attach the Christmas Lights Onto the Clips

1. First, check to make sure your lights can comfortably reach the plugin from your first roof clip. 

2. Then, unplug them and start hanging the lights on your clips. Unplugging them is especially important if you’re using a metal ladder, as metal and electricity don’t play well together.

3. Most clips have little hooks or circular openings for the lights. When attaching the Christmas lights to the hooks, make sure they’re all facing the same direction. Keep the light string taut (but not too tight) as you work from clip to clip.

8. Use a Smart Plug and Set a Timer

Don’t keep your neighbors awake with your holiday display. Use a smart plug to set a timer and control your Christmas lights while you’re away or asleep. You can also consider a light sensor timer that turns the lights off automatically at dusk. 

If you don’t want to buy an extra gadget, you can always just unplug them at night as well.

9. Turn on Your Christmas Lights

Now, it’s time to test your handiwork. While it’s still light out, plug the lights in and see how they look. Doing it during the day may not be as exciting, but it does give you the time and daylight to handle any repairs or changes that may be needed. 

Then once it’s dark out, bring your family outside for the grand reveal. 

Safety Tips for Hanging Lights

Personal safety is of the utmost importance in any home project, including decorating for the holidays. Follow these guidelines to keep your lighting team safe:

• Never use nails: Not only can nails leave holes in your roof, they can also damage the electrical wires and be a cause of danger. Instead, use roof clips for Christmas lights.

• Be thoughtful of your extension cord: Don’t use just any old extension cord for this project. Use ones that are rated for the electrical load and the environment. 

• Elevate your electrical: If you have to run your extension cord along the ground, elevate the plugs and connectors. This will help keep snow and other types of condensation out of the openings.

• Practice ladder safety: Ladders are a necessity, but come with a few hazards. Keep yourself safe by following our ladder safety tips.

• Ask for help: While this can be a one-person job, you may consider asking a friend to help hold the ladder for you for added safety. 

How Much Does It Cost to Hang Lights on Your Roof Yourself?  

On average, Christmas lights cost between $4 to $30 per strand, for about 100 to 200 bulbs each. An average-sized home (between 1,000 to 2,000 square feet) will use somewhere between 10 to 20 strands of lights, depending on the roofline and design. Then, you’ll spend another $20 to $40 or so on Christmas light hooks for your roof. 

That means your cost will likely land around $225 for the first year. While this may seem like a big investment at first, it’s important to remember that you can keep the same design for a few years and not have to pay an extra cost unless a bulb burns out or a strand breaks.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro 

Hanging your own Christmas lights is a lot more affordable than hiring a pro. Local professional light hanging companies charge between $220 and $660 on average for installation and take down per year.  Usually, this price includes the cost of renting the light strands as well. 

Considering that the average home spends about $100 on outdoor Christmas lights and another $40 on hooks and smart plugs, DIY is more affordable in the long run. But, it’s not necessarily an easy task, nor is it one that many homeowners get excited to tackle on their own. Hiring a professional to hang lights may be more expensive, but it can save you a lot of time and effort during the otherwise most wonderful time of the year.