How to Wrap Lights Around Garland

The holidays offer the perfect way to showcase your creativity through festive lights around your home. While trends for holidays come and go, fresh and artificial garlands are a timeless decor option that goes well indoors and outdoors. 

Plain garland can complement certain styles. In order to really give your home that bright and festive pop, adding Christmas lights around your garlands can really give them that extra flair. If you’ve picked unlit garlands and need to design them before you install them around your home, here’s how you can add lights to garland to achieve the style you want to get into the holiday season. 

The Basics: How to String Lights on Garland

It’s much easier to add string lights to your garland before attaching it anywhere around your home. Before you begin, make sure all your string lights’ bulbs are functioning properly. Having transparent fasteners or hooks can also help for thicker garlands. 

First, lay the garland in a straight line on a flat surface. For artificial garlands, you can move the branches around to create a fuller appearance. If it’s too thin, you can attach multiple garlands together by twisting the metal wires running through them together and then adjusting the branches to make them appear like one thicker garland. 

Once you’ve achieved the right thickness and appearance for your garland, you can start adding the lights. Find the end of the lights with the male electrical outlet, and then take note of where the electric source will be and where to place the plug to keep it close to the source. Wrap the lights around the garland in a spiral direction. 

Having transparent clips can hold the light sockets in one place and keep the lights at a uniform distance. If you want more of a dynamic and random look, you can adjust the garland branches as necessary to keep the lights in the right place. If you’re going for a thicker garland, one string of lights may be too thin and may make the lighting look sparse. If this happens, you can add a second string of lights. 

From there, you can leave the garland as is (if you’re going for a more understated decor or so that it doesn’t overwhelm other bright decorations around your home) or add additional decor like ornaments, ribbons, and additional greenery to give it texture. 

Hanging Your Garland

You may need adhesive hooks or, for outdoor decor, roof and gutter clips. Determining how many hooks can depend on how long your decor is or how loose or tight you want to hold your garland in place. Make sure that the lights’ plug is on the side that’s closest to the electrical source. 

Once your garland is safely in place, you can adjust the branches and additional decorations as necessary. 

Tips for Decorating Your Garlands

Here are some tips that can help you know how to add lights to your garland and decorate them accordingly.

• How many strings of lights you need depends on the thickness of your garland, its length, and how bright you want it to be. For an average lit garland, about two strings for one length of garland (which is around nine feet) should be enough. For even brighter decor, you may want to have more strings. 
• Try placing a single bare garland across the area you want to decorate. This can help you determine whether you need to attach a second garland to it for a thicker appearance. 
• Want a more realistic-looking garland? Buy different types of artificial garland. The different color, needle type, and texture can give it a thicker and realistic appearance when you twist the two together before adding in the lights. 
• If you’re adding lights to a garland with multiple garland strings, make sure the lights’ spiral goes in the opposite direction that the garlands are wrapped together. This gives some contrast while adding additional hold over the strands. 
• Choose up to three additional ornaments in different sizes and colors. This can help prevent your garlands from looking too cluttered. 

Find Your Festive Decor Supplies at Certified Lights

There are no rules on how to decorate your home for the holiday season, so feel free to experiment and find your own way of creating your own garland decor. For all your quality Christmas products like garlands, lights, and other accessories, you can find great deals at Certified Lights. 

At Certified Lights, we offer different products to help you achieve the style you want for your home during the Yuletide season. Whether you want a traditional garland style indoors or a brighter themed style, our team is ready to provide you with recommendations and top-quality commercial-grade products. 

Shop online at Certified Lights today to find wholesale deals and great prices on our Christmas products.