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Holiday light hanging and takedown Beta
A neighbor hangs your outdoor holiday lights on the porch, shrubs and lower rooflines, then takes them down and packs them away after the season.
- How often
- Seasonal
- Where the work happens
- Outdoors
- Who it suits
- Best done by an adult
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Putting up holiday lights means untangling strands, testing bulbs, clipping lights along gutters and railings, wrapping trees and shrubs, and setting timers, then doing it all in reverse in January. Lots of people love the look and dread the ladder.
Families short on time, older homeowners who should not be on a ladder anymore, and people who want the house lit by a certain date look for help. Some want the same display every year; others want something new.
A neighbor can put up your display from your own boxes, often the same week they do their own. Since it involves ladders, it is work for adults, and steep roofs, high peaks and big commercial displays belong with a professional installer.
Also called: Christmas light installation, holiday light hanging, put up Christmas lights, take down Christmas lights, outdoor holiday lights help, roofline light install.
What's usually included
- Testing strands and swapping out bad bulbs or fuses
- Clipping lights along lower gutters, porch rails and railings
- Wrapping shrubs, trees and posts
- Running cords to outdoor outlets and setting timers
- Taking it all down after the season and packing it, labeled, for next year
What to ask before you hire
- Whose lights and clips, and do you want anything new bought?
- Which parts of the house, and is anything above the first story off the table?
- What date should they be up, and when should they come down?
- Where are your outdoor outlets, and do they have weatherproof covers?
- Is takedown part of the same price or a separate visit?
Staying safe
- Set the ladder on firm, level ground, keep three points of contact, and have someone hold it.
- Use outdoor-rated lights and cords, keep plugs off wet ground, and never chain more strands together than the package allows.
- Keep well away from the power line that runs to the house.
- Stay off the ladder in wind, rain, ice or after dark.
Holiday light hanging and takedown by town
Questions people ask
When should outdoor holiday lights go up?
Many people want them up right after Thanksgiving, so neighbors who hang lights get busy then. Booking a few weeks ahead gives you a better shot at the date you want.
Do I need to buy new lights?
Not necessarily. Your neighbor can test your strands first and tell you which ones need replacing.
Can a teenager hang my lights?
Ground-level work like wrapping shrubs, yes, with an adult around. Anything on a ladder is a job for an adult.
Will the same neighbor take them down?
Usually, if you agree on it at the start. Settle the takedown date and whether it is priced together or separately.
Thinking of offering this yourself?
- Start with a sturdy extension ladder and a step ladder, plastic gutter clips, outdoor-rated cords and timers, and a helper to steady the ladder.
- Photograph each house once the lights are up so next year you can repeat it exactly.
- Price each house by the number of strands and how much ladder work it takes, decide whether takedown is included, and ask around about what is typical locally.
- Book returning customers for next year on the day you take their lights down.
- Stay within heights you are comfortable with and turn down roofs that feel unsafe, pointing those homes to a professional.
