DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com

DIY Giant Christmas Lights

· ·

Subtle is for chumps.

Look, we’ve been through the cycle before. When I was a kid back in the days when Santa was real and Atari ruled Christmas, every family on the block had a tree with big honkin’ Christmas lights. The bulbs were the size of free-range chicken eggs, and they burned hotter than Satan’s baked potato. In case that fire danger weren’t enough, we heaped on layer after layer of garish gold tinsel garland until the tree nearly fainted under the weight of macaroni ornaments, baby handprints and those lights that consumed enough power to light up a small city in 2024.

Of course, there were the odd families that decorated their trees with small white lights.

I called them freaks.

But by the turn of the decade, my beloved bulbs had gone the way of the dodo, and everywhere I looked, Christmas trees looked the same: disgusting elegant things with resplendent warm white lights. They were nauseatingly fabulous and proper.

At some point I stopped paying attention to trends and just lived, oblivious to the machinations of the Christmas consumer machine. Decades slipped by and trend empires rose and fell like heaving bosoms in the night.

I’m older now, but just as dumb and out of touch. Why would I bother looking at trends when I have a wife who will inform me of them whether I want her to or not? Apparently (I’m told) big bulbs and colorful bulbs are making something of a comeback.

I’m here for it.

DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com

But more than that, I’m going to give this fledgling movement the adrenaline shot in the ass it so sorely needs.

This Christmas I owed it to myself, my family, and frankly the whole damn neighborhood to create a monument to joy. This 42 foot strand of technicolor perfection isn’t just a Christmas decoration – it’s a statement of my dedication to the cause.

Most people throw up a few twinkling strands of lights and then run inside for a cup of hot cocoa. But me?

No siree.

I’m turning our yard into a festival of cheer that’ll leave the townfolk feeling like pot-bellied grinches.

Go big or go home, right?

Because if our Christmas spirit isn’t visible from space, did we even decorate? Sure the HOA might get up in my grill, but hey, greatness courts controversy. We’ve dealt with those bloviating ignoramuses before, and we’re ready to do it again.

And in a few weeks when Santa pulls up with Rudy and the crew to rave until dawn under the light of my epic strand of giant Christmas lights, just think of all the loot I’ll be able to score from his sleigh when he’s not looking!

Cha-Ching!

So enough of my blathering. Let’s get to the lights!

DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com

Giant Christmas Lights SUPPLIES LIST

Affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.

We love to see our craft projects out in the wild! If you try this seasonal craft project, take a picture and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag us @TheNavagePatch!

Giant Christmas Lights VIDEO Tutorial

Watch our short and fun video below for an overview of our Giant Lights before you read the detailed step-by-step tutorial.

Watch Our Tutorial On YouTube

On Tiktok

@thenavagepatch

Tap the link in bio to see everything I used to make these Giant Christmas Lights – they turned out so much better than i expected! #christmascountdown #christmaslights #christmasdecorations #christmasdecor #diychristmas

♬ All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

DIY Giant Christmas Lights Tutorial

man painting pipe insulation

The black pipe insulation needed to be green, so I laid them out and sprayed them with a perfect match for Christmas light cords.

While the noodles dried, I set to work on the plug. I had some leftover 1-inch foam from last Christmas, and I traced and cut a piece to fit just inside the mouth of the trash bin.

man making a giant plug for Christmas decor

Foam sheets cut best with a sharp non-serrated knife. I use one of those ginormous slicing knives wielded by chefs at the roast beast station of a buffet. I also use it for roast beast. Unlike the Grinch, roast beast is a feast I can stand in the least!

man making a giant plug for Christmas decor

I fit the foam with friction only since I wanted it be removable.

man making a giant plug for Christmas decor

Next I cut two prongs for the plug.

man making a giant plug for Christmas decor

Before assembling the plug, I primed then painted the prongs with a bronze-ish color and the can with Hunter Green.

man making a giant plug for Christmas decor
man painting a trash can green

When the paint was dry, I attached the prongs to the plug with foamboard adhesive and some long screws.

man assembling the plug for giant christmas light decoration
man assembling the plug for giant christmas light decoration

Next I drilled a hole in the bottom of the can that will later accept the cord of my giant Christmas lights.

man assembling the plug for giant christmas light decoration

Then I flipped my plug around, installed the prongs and set it aside while I focused on the light strand.

man assembling the plug for giant christmas light decoration
man assembling the plug for giant christmas light decoration
man assembling the plug for giant christmas light decoration

I started the strand assembly by hot gluing two noodles together. Note that this is not enough to hold them – green duct tape will come into play later on.

man gluing pipe insulation together
man gluing pipe insulation together

Then I began inserting the giant bulbs into the pipe insulation. Each length of insulation is 6 feet, and I calculated 3 lights per length for a total of 20 lights with 2 feet between each bulb (I was missing my final green bulb, otherwise it would have 21 lights). To prevent the bulb landing on the joint between lengths of insulation, I placed the first bulb at the one-foot mark and then daisy-chained them from there.

man making a giant strand of christmas lights
man making a giant strand of christmas lights

I stuffed lights in these first two lengths…

man making a giant strand of christmas lights

Then I went to the beginning of the strand and peeled the yellow plastic from the adhesive and pressed the pipe insulation together.

man making a giant strand of christmas lights
man making a giant strand of christmas lights

With the lights installed and yellow tape removed, I also wrapped the connection point with green duct tape.

I carried on like this until I had installed my 20 lights, then I zip-tied another empty length of pipe insulation to the beginning, glued and duct-taped more lengths to the the end and then wrapped that strand around the one with the lights.

man making a giant strand of christmas lights
man making a giant strand of christmas lights

The next day I finished up by jamming the end opposite the real plug into the big wastebasket plug.

man making a giant strand of christmas lights
man making a giant strand of christmas lights

I put the prongs in place…

man making a giant strand of christmas lights

…and my giant strand of Christmas lights was ready for action!

man making a giant strand of christmas lights
DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com
DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com

We love our giant Christmas lights, and the neighborhood seems to love them too!

DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com
DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com
DIY Giant Christmas Lights by TheNavagePatch.com





Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

38 Comments

  1. I joined the navage patch years ago for the free printables, but I stayed for the heaving bosoms in the night ❤️

  2. Greg, I have been having a rough time with sickness in the family lately, but you have made my whole day with your comments and these lights. They are both inspired and awesome! Wish you all a warm and meaningful Christmas.

  3. Dude, you outdid yourself on these lights! The bulbs are sold out everywhere in our area but I can live vicariously through your creation! LOL Well done, my friend, well done! I can’t get over how realistic that plug is. I think that is my favorite part! ha ha Do you, by chance, have an estimated cost on the project? I’m just curious if I can afford to put something like this together maybe next year if the big light bulbs are available again.

    1. Hi Karen, this cost me about $235. Those bulbs are probably sold out from my video on social media. 22+ million views generated a lot of interest in those lights! 😂

  4. Now this is something unique … something I haven’t seen on a hundreds of other posts. Inventive and amusing. I look forward to all of your creations. Great job!

  5. This is fabulous!! I, for one, would love to have you guys as neighbors! But the Pennsylvania cold might be too much for you. On the plus side, no HOA’s!

  6. If we didn’t live in the middle of nowhere, at the end of a “no exit” rural road with no neighbours( I am the HOA here😁) – I would totally recreate this strand of knock-out lights! ( there’s only two old folks and a large bunch of cattle to see them here…😔)
    What a Brilliant idea! You really have outdone yourself with this one!
    Wish I could see how you two decorate your entire yard every season! ( and if I were on your HOA- I’d give you awards and not flack!!!)

  7. Wow! Just … WOW! Though I will say, to me you’re just a whipper-snapper, (youngster) to me, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your latest creation and think it is absolutely fabulous visually. My childhood (in the 60s) included the additional beauty and hazard of Bubble Lights! Yes those colorful Christmas light stems with the bubbles inside, (ummm yeah … it boiled to make the bubbles) were fascinating to me and my cousins while peering with childish wonder at the Christmas tree at Grandma’s. They were also the culprit of many, many a burned fingertip before the holidays were over because what child could resist touching them?!? Tinsel and many a broken glass ornament were also part of the season, but those bubble lights … they were the BOMB as the kids say today. So many things are unique to the era and where we lived in the City there were far more space heaters and radiators than there was central heating. One my fondest memories is coming home after midnight mass and sitting quietly watching the twinkling beauty of our Christmas tree and listening to the soft hiss of the heater. Simple, but wonderful and treasured … that’s what the best memories are. Best wishes to you all for a blessed holiday season filled with love and light!

    1. Thank you for this beautiful comment, Kim! So many things we enjoyed as kids are gone forever, but we’ll always have the memories! 🙂

  8. You guys come up with the coolest, most unique DIYs! Not just for Christmas, but for literally EVERYTHING! That must be why I have your blog bookmarked, so I can always go back and find them when I’m ready to try my hand at being shrimpy…..errr, I mean crafty!

  9. As usual, I love your project! And while I have the house that would support such large scale creations as you have been making, I just wonder…where do you STORE all of this? I was storing my things in the attic, but with the swing of temperatures, most things have been ruined. On one hand, shoot, I liked those things! On the other, I get to make more! But how to store them to avoid ruination… It’s a dilemma.

  10. Perfect as always! You did a fabulous job and they look great! I wanted to make some this year but never got around to it. How did you light the bulbs? Maybe I missed that step. I’ll start earlier next year and make some when you can still buy the bulbs. I almost bought some a few months back but didn’t know what to do. Now I know!! By the way, I like the nutcrackers. Where did you get them? I always love your projects. Thanks for sharing them!

  11. Headed to PC soon. Tempted to find your neighborhood. lol. Love y’all’s decorations every year. Can’t wait for you to show it all.

  12. Really Loveeee this, your giant Christmas lights looks amazing, so fun. Your yard looks incredible dear, thanks for sharing.