There’s no need to dangle from a ladder. If you like the idea of having a festive yard, but are unable to hang lights, there are plenty of other options.
During the last few years, I have found some creative ways to light up my yard without crawling out on my roof to put up Christmas lights.
Here are some ideas that take less than 20 minutes to set up and alternatives for those times when you are just too busy.
Put a smart bulb or colored bulb in your porch light and yard lights
The PlayBulb is a smart bulb that has a built-in speaker and light system that you can control with a very easy-to-use app. Put them in your yard lights and porch light to transform your yard. You can control the colors of the bulb and play festive music through the speakers so that your yard feels cheery, even with only about 20 minutes of effort, depending on how many lights you have.
Plus, with the PlayBulb app, you can synchronize the light to pulse along with your Christmas music, just like those cool Christmas light videos on YouTube — without spending thousands of dollars and spending hundreds of hours programming lights.
If you have a different brand of colorful bulbs, find out if any third-party apps do the same. For instance,Hue Disco is an app that syncs your Philips Hue bulbs with music.
Still too much effort? Buy a bunch of red and green LED lightbulbs and replace all of your yard and porch lights. No programing or apps needed and your yard will still look festive.
Hack a work light (the right way)
Another way to have pretty lights in your yard without going to the trouble of stringing them is to make your own colorful spotlight to shine on your home. All you need to do is a work light from your garage and 10 minutes of work.
It’s important to note that you should only use small LED work lights like an Eco Zone or this 10-watt cordless LED work lightfor a project like this. Other work lights will get too hot and may cause a fire.
Here is how to make your own Christmas spotlight:
- Measure the lens of the work light.
- Cut a piece of colored cellophane or colored plastic wrap (you can buy it or color it with permanent markers) the same size as the lens.
- Place the cellophane or colored plastic wrap over the lens and tape the edges down with airplane tape. You could use a different type of tape, but airplane tape is shiny, metallic and strong. It looks really nice and will last through moisture.
- Place the work light on a patio chair, a 5-gallon bucket or a stump, just to keep it off the ground, and turn it towards your home. It will shine a colorful light onto your home.
- If you want a little more pizzazz, cut a star or snowflake out of black paper and glue it to the center of the cellophane. Your hacked light will shine the image onto your house.
If that still seems like too much effort, get a Star Shower Laser Light. It’s the same concept as the work light hack, without the hacking. All you have to do is buy it, plug it in and turn it toward your home. This is a great last-ditch alternative if you’re running out of time before the holidays kick into high gear.