This trick for hanging outdoor Christmas lights without gutters is so simple and it works for virtually any surface

Brighten up your neighborhood this holiday season with this simple technique

A front porch with steps, decorated with lights and Christmas decorations
(Image credit: Alamy )

One of the best parts of the holidays is when your neighborhood comes alive with twinkling Christmas lights. The simple addition of some string lights can completely transform your home into a winter wonderland, however, as beautiful as they might look, they can be a challenge to put up.

When it comes to Christmas decorating, lights are one of the easiest ways to make your home look Christmassy, but when you're dealing with them outdoors it becomes much harder. Without gutters to hang them from it can be difficult to know what to attach your lights to. There are, however, alternative ways to make your home look festive with lights without causing permanent damage, and I've done some digging to find one specific technique that's super simple and affordable.

Lights are an integral part of outdoor Christmas decorating but, for a long time I struggled to know how best to put mine up without gutters to fix them to. I was completely lost trying to figure out how my neighbor's lights looked so good and - knowing I couldn't be alone in this confusion - I vowed to find a solution. With the help of some DIY experts what I found was the easiest way to put up Christmas lights on any home, and you can easily do it for under $20. 

When I came across this TikTok hack it seemed too good to be true, but it turns out this one item is the key to many light displays. As it turns out, the humble hot glue gun, (like this one from Amazon), that you may already own, is the secret behind perfect lights. 

No need to mess around with tricky clips or hooks for your Christmas lights with this technique - simply place a small dot of glue where you want the light to sit and hold on the base of your LED bulb for a few seconds. We would recommend planning when you want the lights to line up before you start to ensure you have the right length for your desired look.

All that's left to do is switch them on and let the magic happen. It's by far the simplest way to deck out your home with lights without causing any damage to your home, and anyone can give it a try. The best part is, at the end of the holiday season, you can simply pull them off with no damage at all. It's Christmas decorating made simple.

@sydneyeileenm

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Amy McArdle
News writer

Amy recently completed an MA in Magazine Journalism at City, University of London, with experience writing for Women’s lifestyle publications across arts, culture, and beauty. She has a particular love for the minimalist aesthetic mixed with mid-century furniture, especially combining unique vintage finds with more modern pieces. Her previous work in luxury jewellery has given her a keen eye for beautiful things and clever design, that plays into her love of interiors. As a result, Amy will often be heard justifying homeware purchases as 'an investment', wise words to live by.