Seeing your neighborhood dressed up in lights is one of the best parts of the holiday season, and making your home and yard light up can be easier than you think. Here’s how:

Make a sketch of the outside of your house. Include measurements of its length and width, and the location of any outlets. To accommodate the slope of an average roof, add about 30 feet to the measurement for the eaves. Also, measure the height of any trees or bushes that you want to string with lights. For straight edges of the house, work from the measurements in your drawing and buy strands by the foot.

• For trees and bushes, the total number of lights per strand is more important. If you’re using regular sized lights (C-9), figure on 50 lights per foot of tree. Double that number if you’re using smaller lights (C-7 or mini-lights).
  
  

• For deciduous trees, start at the base of the tree and spiral your way up to the point where it starts to branch off. From this point, wind a separate strand to the end of each individual branch.
  
  
• For evergreens, fasten the socket end of a strand to the top of your tree. Spiral down and around the tree, but don’t push the cord very deep into the tree yet. When you get to the bottom, plug your lights in, step back and take a look. Make any adjustments you need to make the rows look even. Now you can push the strands in deeper, attaching them to branches and hiding the wires as much as possible.
  
  

• For bushes, you may want to try net lighting. This type of lighting is much easier to put on and take off, and it looks great, too.

Indoors, rope lights can add a warm glow to the mantle. String them where the mantle meets the wall, behind garlands and other decorations. There are a great number of shaped lights available too. Icicles along the bottom of the mantle or down a staircase railing will add a delightful wintertime touch.

For safety, check each strand for cracks in their insulation, broken light sockets, or any other signs of damage. Replace strands as necessary. Damage to insulation can be prevented by using plastic light hooks for hanging. Also, avoid placing lights in areas where they’ll be exposed to excessive water, such as under leaky gutters. Before plugging in outdoors, use electrical tape to seal the areas where the strands connect. This will help to protect them from water, which could cause a short. And of course, always be sure your lights are unplugged while you are hanging them.

Holiday lights are available at your local store, along with replacement bulbs and hooks for hanging.