Hanging Xmas Lights? (1 Viewer)

[Johnny Angell]

I've got these trees in our backyard. They are bare of branches up to about 15 feet high and I thought that taking some lights and wrapping them around the trees in a candy cane pattern would be nice.

I'm trying to figure out how to attach them to the trees. I suppose I could use nails and wind the light cord around nailes placed every so often on the tree. Are there any better and less intrusive ways?

 

[drobbins]

Zip Ties?

 

[Johnny Angell]

It'd have to be one long zip tie to wrap around a tree trunk. Don't know if they make them that big.

 

[drobbins]

How big is the trunk? I did a Google search and the first page has them up to 60" long.

 

[Mike~Sileck]

If you have the lights that everyone does, this is what i suggest.

The light-strand should consist of like 3 wires wound up tight, then a light, then more wires, then a light, etc. I would split the wires slightly, and bang a nail home in between that split.

Hopefully you catch my drift. Better than just wrapping the whole strand around the nail, vs. inserting the nail into the strand.

 

[Johnny Angell]

5' wold be long enough. Guess I'll have to look into them. I wonder if they'd be avaialbe at Home Depot? Will check.

I was hoping to avoid the nail thing, since it would require several. I do understand about the multiple wire thing and that would work.

 

[drobbins]

I bought some 24" at Lowes in the duct work dept.

 

[LewB]

Just stick the end of one zip tie into the 'buckle' of another. Make the suckers as long as you need.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Doh! Why didn't I think of that?

 

[DaveHo]

Other than at the ends, I don't think you'll need anything to hold the lights in place. If you wrap them tight enough, the roughness of the bark should hold 'em. I'd use thin piece of rope or twine to hold the ends & spare your trees from the nails.

-Dave

 

[Malcolm R]

What Dave said. For the most part, they should stay in place on their own without needing a bucket of nails.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I admit I've never wrapped lights around such a rouch service before, but one house we owned had some columns, and they needed something to hold the lights in position.

I'm gonna look for the zip ties tomorrow.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Agreed that the bark will hold the lights up nicely if wound tight enough. Give it a try, you'll be surprised how good it looks !

Anyone know where I can track down patterns for displays (such as bells, sleighs, etc) ? The key is, I do not want plywood cutouts, but rather to string lights along some fencing (such as chicken wire, but stronger). It is for a boat, so the wind has to pass through.

Thanks for any feedback !

 

[Jay H]

Think Dollar store!

Jay

 

[Johnny Angell]

I finally got off my rear and hung the lights on the trees in the back yard. I couldn't find zip ties long enough and thought about using string. Then I noticed something in my garage I hadn't thought of using. Bungee cords, those cords with hooks on the ends, worked like a charm.

And yes, the bark is quite rough and I only needed to secure the lights at the top and bottom of the string. At least after 2 nights they're still up.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Just for future reference, trees take nails really well. The previous owner of the house I grew up in had wrapped a wire around a maple tree and tied it off on a railroad spike to set up a zipline for their dog's leash. By the time I was old enough to think about it, the tree had grown OVER the wrapped wire, and largely around the spike too.