With shorter days and chillier temperatures, the holiday season is the perfect time to fill your space with an ambient glow. String lights are a great way to add a twinkling gleam to your doorways, mantels, or staircase banisters – and of course, on your Christmas tree! They're easy to hang and make your home feel instantly cozier. To help you learn how to hang Christmas lights inside, we've put together a guide with step-by-step instructions and simple tips for achieving this look with ease.

How to Hang Christmas Lights Inside

Christmas lights are an excellent way to spruce up any space – from your living room to your entryway. We've outlined the steps for hanging string lights without damaging your walls. Keep reading to follow our tips for how to hang Christmas lights inside.

What You'll Need:

• Measuring tape
• Christmas lights
• Adhesive hooks

Step 1: Determine the Correct Placement
Indoor Christmas lights look great strung along doorways, windows, and mantels, wrapped around banisters and ceiling beams, and, of course, illuminating a Christmas tree. Make sure you have outlets accessible or extension cords where necessary.

Step 2: Measure the Space
For areas that surround a doorway or window, simply measure the length that you'll need. If you're planning on wrapping or draping the lights, add in a bit of extra length to your measurement.

Step 3: Determine How Many Lights You Need
With your measurements, figure out how many strings of lights you'll need to cover the length of the doorway, window, mantel, banister, ceiling beam, etc. Most 100-bulb string lights come in varieties where the bulbs are spaced 3", 4", or 6" apart to create strands that are 24', 34', or 54' long, respectively. For more tips on finding how many lights you'll need, read our guide How to Calculate How Many Christmas Lights You Need.

Step 4: Gather Your Lights
String lights come in a variety of sizes and designs, so it's easy to find a set that matches your other seasonal decor. For a better idea of how many lights you’ll need to decorate your Christmas tree, check out our guide How to Put Lights on a Christmas Tree.

Consider the placement of the lights when choosing the cord color: Dark green cords work best for Christmas trees while white cords are great for light-colored backgrounds.

Step 5: Test Your Lights
Whether you're using lights from a past season or just opened a new box, you should test your lights before hanging them up. This will save you from installing lights that aren't working properly.

Step 6: Use Adhesive Hooks
To get ready to hang the lights, start by adhering adhesive hooks to the desired space. Adhesive hooks are a great alternative to nails, hooks, or screws that may damage your walls. Plus, these hooks are easy to remove after the holiday season is over.

Try to space the adhesive hooks evenly so that the lights will hang evenly and support the lights securely. We recommend spacing them between 12" and 24" for even support. If you're wrapping your lights around a railing, banister, or beam, use adhesive hooks to keep the cord secured and out of the way.

Step 7: Hang the Lights
For doorways or windows, start from one of the bottom corners and continue to tuck the cord within the adhesive hooks. If you're hanging lights across ceiling beams or a tall railing, follow safety instructions when using a ladder to hang Christmas lights in high places.

Step 8: Plug Into the Wall
As the final step, plug the lights into the outlet to admire your work. Use an extension cord if the lights are not near an outlet.

Step 9: Confirm That All Bulbs Are Working
If you see any bulbs that aren't working properly, read our guide How to Fix Christmas Lights to find a solution. Otherwise, enjoy the warm glow of the Christmas lights throughout your home.

Tip!

For an overview of how to hang Christmas lights on a Christmas tree, check out our guide How to Put Lights on a Christmas Tree. Read our guide 14 Christmas Light Decor Ideas to Brighten Your Home to find festive inspiration.