Christmas lights - how do you hang them?

[nkf]

You know that look - lights draped around the room, creating a magical Christmas look? How do you get the lights to stay up?

the only lights we have inside are on the tree and the silhouettes stuck to the windows.

Sellotape

it's easy if you're lucky enough to have picture-rail. you can also put cup-hooks in the tops of door-frames and window-frames, where they will not show.

If you have plasterboard walls, you can press in a drawing-pin, but put it above head height where any damage will not catch the eye.

If you want to put in cup-hooks in a plastered brick wall, you have to drill the wall and put in a plasplug, which will need a dab of paint afterwards to hide it, so will show until you redecorate.
I'd worry that sticky tape or blue-tak would pull the paint or plaster off the wall when removed.

I'm not very house proud and like lights, so we have nails and screw holes hidden in the corners of rooms and window frames.

Others drape along ikea shelves with convenient open uprights to tie to.

Thanks.I found some cup hooks with adhesive which seem to be doing the trick. Can't believe how many lights you need though to get a pretty effect. Looks different. A bit tacky perhaps. Do you think with lights, you have to go with loads or just a few? And the inbetween amount is a bit naff?

at sellotape.

I'm probably going to use drawing pins for the evergreen (fake) garland we need to hang on the wall. Though I do have some clear suction hangers (for wreaths, from Lakeland) I might try if that doesn't work.

Cable clips that electricians use to secure cables & wires can be used in unobtrusive places and shame on me I leave them there for next year. Useful for garlands and lights.

With much swearing at each other, and almost pulling down the blinds we try to drape them over. Our house is newly plastered, and I'm not quite ready to go knocking holes in it for seasonal decorations.

I've a packet of small clear suction pads specifically for lights, as yet unused, came from Betterware.

Any ideas how to hang fairy lights around a stone/marble fireplace without them slipping off? Sellotape just won't stick!

is it smooth enough for small suction cup hooks to attach to it?

3M sticky hook pads!!!!

HoHoHop, we have evergren type garlands hanging from two marble fireplaces and a cast iron one, and use those s-shaped butchers' hooks rammed onto the mantelpiece , with everything suspended from them. I have found the suction cups are no good in this situation.

Thank you, I might give some suction pads a go, and see if they hold up. winkle I'm confused! What are your butchers hooks attached to?

HoHo, we have mantelpieces which stick out in front of, and at the sides of the fireplaces themselves. The butchers' hook looks like an 's'. Force the top of the S onto the overhanging side lip of the mantlepiece and do the same at the other end. You then can then hook the garland or lights to the bottom part of the S which is just below the mantle. If this thread had the new photo option I could add a pic to show it in RL which would be a lot clearer.