Christmas Light Ideas: 14 Cozy Glowing DIYs That Look Way More Expensive Than They Are
Christmas light ideas have come a long way since 1882, when Edward H. Johnson, a business partner of Thomas Edison, lit the first known electric Christmas tree in his New York home. His tree had just eighty red, white and blue bulbs, and newspapers could hardly believe it. Today a single string of battery fairy lights costs a few dollars, and it can turn a plain glass bowl, a bare branch or a stair rail into the coziest corner of the house. Below are fourteen simple glowing projects that look like they came from an expensive holiday shop. Every one uses battery or plug in LED lights, so there are no candles and no flames, just a warm, soft glow for the long winter evenings..
Christmas Light Ideas for the Dining Table
The easiest way to make a table feel magical is to fill a big clear bowl with a string of warm fairy lights. Add a few pine sprigs and gold and red ornaments around the base, and run a second string under a sheer table runner so the whole table glows softly. Edward Johnson would be amazed that the idea he showed off in 1882 now costs less than a takeout lunch. Switch it on as the sun goes down and watch everyone slow down at dinner. Which bowl in your cupboard could do this tonight..
You will need: A large clear glass bowl, two strings of battery LED fairy lights, a sheer white runner, pine sprigs and a few shatterproof ornaments.
How to make it: 1. Coil one light string loosely in the bowl with the battery box hidden underneath. 2. Lay the second string down the middle of the table and cover it with the sheer runner. 3. Tuck pine sprigs and ornaments around the bowl and switch on at dusk.
Fairy Lights Nestled in a Moss Bowl
Fill a wide, shallow glass bowl with preserved moss and tuck a string of fairy lights into it, and plain lights turn into a woodland centerpiece. The tiny bulbs peek through the green like fireflies, and the whole thing looks like it came from a florist. Add a few pine cones, frosted berries and sprigs of eucalyptus on top. It works on a dining table, a coffee table or a hall console, and it stays pretty from Thanksgiving to the end of winter. Preserved moss never needs watering. Where would a little forest glow look best in your home?
You will need: A wide shallow glass bowl, a bag of preserved moss, one string of copper wire battery fairy lights, small pine cones, frosted berry picks and a few eucalyptus sprigs.
How to make it: 1. Fill the bowl with moss in loose clumps, leaving it fluffy. 2. Weave the fairy light wire through the moss and hide the battery box under a clump at the back. 3. Tuck in pine cones, berries and eucalyptus, then switch on.
Upside Down Wine Glass Light Domes
Do you have a few odd wine glasses left over from a set? Turn them upside down over a little bundle of pine, red berries, a tiny ornament and a coil of fairy lights, and they become sparkling mini snow globes. Line three down a kitchen counter, set one on a bathroom shelf or group a few on a tray in the living room. The curved glass bends the light and makes it look like there are twice as many bulbs. Each one takes about two minutes and costs a couple of dollars. Isn’t that the kind of decorating we all need in December?
You will need: Clear stemmed wine glasses, mini battery fairy light strings with tiny coin battery packs, small pine sprigs, red berry picks and mini shatterproof ornaments.
How to make it: 1. Lay a pine sprig, a berry pick and a mini ornament on the counter. 2. Switch on a mini light string and coil it loosely around the greenery with the battery pack tucked in. 3. Set the glass upside down over the bundle and line up a few in a row.
Glowing Jar Lantern for the Porch Table
A round glass jar with a rope handle makes the sweetest lantern once you fill it with warm lights. Add a scoop of fake snow and a few tiny pine cones in the bottom so it looks like a little winter scene. Wrap the neck in jute twine, tie on a sprig of pine, and set it on a porch table, a step or a garden bench. It glows all evening without any worry about wind or flames. Make a few in different sizes and cluster them by the front door to welcome guests. How many old jars are waiting in your pantry right now?
You will need: A large glass jar with a lid, jute rope, hot glue with adult help, a string of battery fairy lights, fake snow and a few tiny pine cones.
How to make it: 1. Wrap rope around the jar neck a few times and glue the ends. 2. Add a rope loop handle and glue it firmly on both sides. 3. Pour in the fake snow and pine cones, fill the jar with fairy lights and close the lid over the battery pack.
Christmas Light Ideas With Recycled Bottles
Pretty glass bottles from sauces, sodas and syrups can become a glowing garland. Soak off the labels, slip a cork light string into each one, and hang them in a row from a porch beam or a fence with twine. In the evening they look like a row of little lanterns. Blue and green bottles glow especially well. Bottle cork lights are cheap and run on tiny batteries tucked inside the cork, so there are no wires to hide. Wouldn’t this look amazing at a winter backyard party?
You will need: Clean glass bottles, cork style battery fairy lights, strong twine and a few hooks or nails.
How to make it: 1. Soak the bottles in warm soapy water and peel off the labels. 2. Tie twine firmly around each neck with a double knot, leaving long tails. 3. Push a cork light into each bottle, switch it on and hang the bottles in a row.
Lighted Branches: Christmas Light Ideas for Empty Corners
A bundle of bare branches from the yard plus a string of tiny lights makes one of the most elegant Christmas light ideas there is. Stand the branches in a tall vase or crock, wind the lights up each branch, and you get a glowing tree shape that fits a narrow corner. It looks like a designer piece and costs almost nothing. Birch or twisted willow look especially pretty, but any dry branches with nice shapes will do. Leave it up all winter after the ornaments come down. Which corner of your home feels a little dark right now?
You will need: Five to seven dry branches, a tall heavy vase or crock, rocks or sand for weight, and copper wire fairy lights.
How to make it: 1. Fill the vase one third with rocks or sand and push the branches in firmly. 2. Starting at the bottom, wind the light wire up one branch, across to the next and back down. 3. Hide the battery box behind the vase or use a plug in LED string.
Christmas Light Ideas for a Glowing Window
Outlining a window with lights makes your home glow from inside and out. Neighbors see a warm frame from the street, and you get a cozy view of the snow from your sofa. Clear adhesive hooks hold the lights without damaging paint, and a curtain rod can hold a draped string across the top. Warm white lights look calm and classic, while multicolor bulbs feel playful and nostalgic. Add a small timer so they switch on at sunset every day. What would your living room look like with a glowing window?
You will need: Plug in LED string lights rated for indoor use, clear adhesive hooks, a timer plug and a small step stool.
How to make it: 1. Measure around the window and choose a light string a little longer. 2. Stick hooks every 12 inches along the frame and let the adhesive set for an hour. 3. Clip the lights into the hooks, drape a swag across the top and plug the string into a timer.
Light Curtain Behind a Sheer Panel
Of all the Christmas light ideas for a party, this one gets the most gasps. A curtain light is a set of strings that hang down in a row, and behind a sheer white panel it looks like falling snow. It is a beautiful backdrop for a holiday party, a dark bedroom wall or a plain entryway. The fabric softens each bulb into a dreamy blur, so even the cheapest light curtain looks expensive. Hang it on a tension rod or removable hooks. It is also wonderful for family photos by the tree. Would your kids love this behind their beds?
You will need: An LED curtain light set, a sheer white curtain panel, a tension rod or adhesive hooks.
How to make it: 1. Hang the light curtain on hooks or a rod close to the wall. 2. Hang the sheer panel a few inches in front of it on a second rod. 3. Switch on the lights and adjust the fabric until the glow looks even.
Christmas Light Ideas for the Bedroom Headboard
Bedrooms often get forgotten in holiday decorating, but a lighted garland over the headboard makes the whole room feel like a cozy cabin. Lay a faux pine garland across the top of the headboard or hang it on the wall above, then twist a string of warm lights through it. Add a couple of plaid or gold pillows and the bed looks like a page from a magazine. It doubles as a soft night light for reading. Will this be the year your bedroom gets some Christmas magic too?
You will need: A faux pine garland, a string of plug in or battery LED lights, removable wall hooks and two festive pillows.
How to make it: 1. Fix two or three removable hooks above the headboard. 2. Hang the garland in a gentle swag across them. 3. Wind the lights through the garland, tuck in the wire and add festive pillows.
Porch Railing Wrapped in Twinkle Lights
A porch railing wrapped in garland and twinkle lights tells the whole street that the holidays have arrived. Start with an outdoor rated LED string, wind it around the rail, then lay a faux garland on top and add a few shatterproof red ornaments. The lights shine through the greenery and give the porch a warm, welcoming glow every night. Use a timer so you never have to go out in the cold to switch them on. Your neighbors will be asking how you did it. Which part of your porch will you wrap first?
You will need: Outdoor rated LED string lights, a faux garland, zip ties, shatterproof ornaments and an outdoor timer.
How to make it: 1. Wrap the lights around the railing, spacing the loops evenly. 2. Lay the garland on top and secure it with zip ties every couple of feet. 3. Hang ornaments, plug the lights into an outdoor timer and set it for dusk.
Light Up Garland on the Stair Rail
A lighted garland running down the staircase is one of those Christmas light ideas that makes a home feel grand, even when the house is small. Faux garland with warm lights woven through it can be tied on with soft ribbon or zip ties so it never scratches the wood. Add a few red ornaments or bows every couple of feet. Keep the handrail itself clear so it is still safe to hold. The glow on the steps at night is pure holiday movie. Ready to make your staircase the star?
You will need: Faux garland the length of your rail, LED light strings, soft zip ties or ribbon, ornaments or bows.
How to make it: 1. Wrap the lights around the garland first while it is flat on the floor. 2. Attach the garland under or beside the rail with ribbon or zip ties every 18 inches. 3. Add bows or ornaments and run the plug or battery box out of sight.
Globe Lights Tucked Into Greenery
Big round globe lights are one of the newest Christmas light ideas, and they look like glowing snowballs when you tuck them into a garland. They give a soft, modern look that feels different from tiny fairy lights. Mix them with dried flowers, pine cones and a few gold ornaments for a rustic but elegant mantel or shelf. Battery globe light strings are sold everywhere now and come in warm white. Space them about a hand apart so each one shines. Doesn’t that soft round glow feel like a winter evening by the fire without the fire?
You will need: A string of battery globe lights, a garland, dried florals or pine cones and gold ornaments.
How to make it: 1. Lay the garland on the shelf or mantel first. 2. Push the globe light string in so each globe peeks out evenly. 3. Fill gaps with pine cones, dried florals and ornaments.
Pine Table Runner With Fairy Lights
A pine garland laid down the middle of the table with fairy lights tucked inside is the easiest holiday centerpiece of all. Add red berries, a plaid ribbon and a few frosted pine cones and it looks like it came from a country inn. It is long and low, so guests can still see each other across the table. Use fresh cuttings from the yard or a faux garland you can reuse every year. Light it up for Christmas dinner and turn off the overhead lights. For more cozy evening projects, try our Christmas crafts for adults. Who will notice first?
You will need: A pine garland, a string of copper wire fairy lights, faux red berries, pine cones and plaid ribbon.
How to make it: 1. Lay the garland down the center of the table. 2. Weave the fairy lights through it and hide the battery pack under a pine cone. 3. Add berries, pine cones and a few ribbon bows.
Christmas Light Ideas for the Front Door Wreath
A wreath with lights woven into it greets guests long after the sun goes down. Use battery lights with a timer so it switches on every evening by itself. A plain faux wreath becomes special with a big velvet bow and a few pine cones, and it can hang on a door, a wall or above a mirror inside. The glow of a lighted wreath from the street is one of the happiest sights of the season. It also makes a lovely gift for a neighbor. Is your front door ready for its close up?
You will need: A faux evergreen wreath, a string of battery LED lights with a timer, a velvet ribbon and a wreath hanger.
How to make it: 1. Wrap the lights around the wreath, tucking the wire between the branches. 2. Fix the battery box to the back with a zip tie. 3. Tie on a large bow and hang the wreath on a sturdy hanger.
