Christmas Rooflines – Pro Tips

No need to grab your staple guns, hammers, and hot glue. Christmas light clips are the fastest and most professional way to create Christmas rooflines! Christmas light clips come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Light clips keep your holiday lights perfectly straight and aligned on your gutters and shingles. There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing the correct light clip for your design. 

The following guide can help you determine which light clip is right for you.

All Application Clip

The All Application Clip is one of the most versatile clips on the market and capable of holding any type of Christmas light including 5mm, M5, T5, and C6 strings, C7 and C9 retrofit bulbs. The All Application Clip is designed for shingles and gutters; horizontal orientation when mounted on gutters and vertical orientation when mounted on shingles. These clips can hold up to 2 light strands, allowing design flexibility and control. These feature a multifaceted clip that can be used with C7 and C9 empty socket light line, C6 string sets, mini light sets and pre-lamped sets. The All Application Clip allows you to overlap the end wings, creating a smaller socket fit for C6 string sets and mini lights. 

All In One Clip

The All In One Clip, similar to the All Application Clip, is a multifaceted design that works with C7 and C9 retrofit bulbs and empty socket light line, as well as the sets mentioned above (5mm, M5, T5, and C6 strings). The All In One is a commercial grade, UV protected light clip designed to last through many seasons. Additionally, you can mount these clips under shingles, then fold the tab at the end of the clip to create added security. The biggest difference between the All Application Clip and the All In One Clip is that this clip only holds one strand of lights.

All in One Plus

Sometimes your Christmas rooflines design requires the All in One Plus.  Let’s say you need to hang C7/C9 bulbs on one portion of your home, but you’d also like to hang icicle lights or mini lights on another section. Maybe you want to hang C7/C9 lights on your gutter and layer icicle lights or mini lights underneath. Whatever the combination of lighting design you are creating, the All In One Plus is a versatile clip to meet your needs. This is one of the best clips out there and allows you to hang two strings of lights simultaneously on gutters.

Tuff Clip

The Tuff Clip is a popular choice among the professionals! This clip is specifically designed for C7 or C9 base socket light line, and is designed for temporary and seasonal installations. The Tuff Clip is designed for all types of gutters and shingles, and is made from durable material to withstand harsh weather. To install, place the clip on the base of a C7 or C9 light line before the bulb is screwed into the socket. The “sandwich style” gutter clip has a 360-degree rotating fastener, which eliminates the hassle of power direction during installation and makes removal from the roofline quick and easy. The Tuff Clip stays attached to the light socket and can easily be stored until next season. 

Shingle Tab

The Shingle Tab is designed exclusively for shingle application, making lights easy to hang without damaging your roof. Shingle tabs come in two sizes. Smaller lights need the C7 size, while the larger bulbs will need the C9 size. The clip has a flip tab that allows a firmer grip, and a dual leg design that ensures a secure mount. To install, place one light in each tab, and then slide the tabs under the roofing shingles ensuring that they’re securely placed. When the lights are ready to be removed, just slide the shingle tabs back out and store the lights with clips attached for easier work next year. Shingle tabs are designed for all types of shingles and can be paired with a parapet clip for use on flat surfaces.

Gutter Hook

Looking to hang lights from your gutter? The Gutter Hook is small, but impressive! This mighty hook works on all types of light strings and is especially useful for hanging icicle lights. Gutter hooks are specifically designed to look natural and to blend into your home’s roofline. Gutter hooks are sturdy and can be used year after year. They can last approximately 3-4 years depending on the weather. Their small size makes them versatile and perfect for maneuvering holiday lights into tight corners. To use the gutter hook, slip your light string through one end of the hook and slide the other end of the hook over the lip of your gutter. It’s that easy! A good guideline is one gutter hook placed every 6 inches for Christmas rooflines, so that means that 50 gutter hooks will hold approx. 25 feet of lights. These clips have a firm hold once installed, so we recommend you remove them one at a time, if you try to remove them all with one tug, you might bring the gutter down too!

When the season’s over, we all have an idea of when is an appropriate time to remove Christmas rooflines and decorations. So, what if we want to keep holiday lights up all year? Holiday lights are a beautiful reminder that the spirit of yuletide does not disappear after December. For many folks, year-round lighting brightens moods and lifts spirits. When people ask if they can leave their Christmas rooflines up all year, the answer has more to do with safety than with preference. You must ensure that the Christmas lights you buy are for outdoor use and are waterproof, designed specifically to withstand wet and cold weather. LED lights are recommended rather than incandescent bulbs which cannot handle changing weather conditions. Keep in mind, too much rain and sun can damage your lights too.

Hiring professional landscape lighting technicians to install and maintain your holiday lighting is a smart investment. Even more so, if you are interested in year-round lighting. Mobile Illumination specializes in stunning holiday lighting designs, as well as year-round lighting featuring Trimlight Select. Trimlight Select is a brilliant product that utilizes advanced RGB (red, green, and blue) lighting technology. Trimlight Select allows you to control and change your lights in any color combination that you desire. Click here for a free Christmas lighting installation estimate!

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