We hung our comets in trees that were 10 to 12 feet apart. To figure out how many feet of lights you will need, determine the distance in between the trees, add 8 to 12 inches (so the tail forms a boodle), and multiply this number by 8.
For more concepts and installation pointers, see Nights All Aglow and our entire collection of Christmas Lights.
What You’ll Need
Materials
White spray paint
24-inch star-shaped wire wreath type
12-foot hair of rope lights
Little zip ties
Drill with 3/16-inch bit
44-inch-long strip of 1-by-2-inch pine
6 2-inch binder rings
Large, sturdy zip ties
100-bulb hairs of white wire mini lights
Directions
Spray paint star-shaped wire wreath kind. Let dry.
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Plug in rope lights, and safe end to an outer point on the star with a small zip tie. Wrap rope lights around outermost wire of star; safe strand with small zip ties (rope lights will not wrap an even number of times around the star).
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Drill 5 holes into pine strip, spacing the first hole 2 inches from the leading and other holes 10 inches apart. Location binder ring in each hole.
Connect 2 nearby outer points of star to tree trunk with big zip ties. (If required, thread zip ties together to reach around tree.) Trim tie ends. Connect remaining binder ring to inner point of star, opposite side fixed to tree.
Attach strip to second tree by lashing it vertically to trunk with large zip ties, placing strip’s top 3 to 4 feet lower than bottom of star. Cut tie ends.
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To make comet tails, safe prong end of tiny lights to leading binder ring on strip with small zip tie. Cut tie end. Pass light strand through binder ring on star, below left, and back towards strip, below right, plugging in more light hairs as required. Place strand through next binder ring down on strip, and loop it back through star’s ring. Repeat, completing at strip’s bottom ring.
