Get matched with top holiday decorators in Cecil, WI

Most contractors will include removal of your lights in the price of installation, but it’s always a good idea to double check. Storage of the lights is often also part of the package when you hire an installation professional, since you might choose to use the same lights for several years.

Yes, you can hang Christmas lights from the soffit of your roof, but it requires a bit more effort than hanging from the gutters or eaves. You’ll need to add an adhesive hook or tie to the underside of the soffit to keep the lights in place. Consider adding a soffit hook every 12 to 18 inches for best visual results.

In the Christmas days of yore, people braved winter weather to staple or tack their Christmas lights onto their rooftops or nearby surfaces like the fascia boards. Problems quickly emerged with that approach. Damage to the roof, even small marks from staples, provides entryways for moisture and similar issues that can hasten roof rot, wear, and associated leaks. Plus, some homes had tough fiber cement boards or other materials where staples and screws didn’t work.

You can take a few steps to prolong the life of your holiday lights. Make sure to replace burnt-out bulbs as quickly as possible to avoid overloading the rest of the circuit and knocking out more lights. Before packing them up each year, plug each strand into the wall to confirm everything is still working. Wrap the lights carefully back into their original packaging or something similar—winding a strand tightly together or leaving it to hang loose in a storage bin can lead to frayed or damaged wiring.