Now that Halloween is over, many homeowners are starting to think about their Christmas decorations. This year, one particular DIY decoration has won over audiences: a giant string of Christmas lights.

Originally made by @HandmadeByTN, this transforms a few cheap materials and an old strand of outdoor lights into a larger-than-life, adorable and festive decoration. Check out HandmadeByTN’s original video, and learn how to make the light strand yourself.

How to Make the DIY Giant Christmas Lights

We’ve gently adapted the processes from HandmadeByTN and TikToker @GeekRoomGift.

Materials for the DIY giant Christmas lights

Gather the following:

  • Several two-liter soda bottles (see below);
  • Acrylic paint in various colors;
  • A strand of large-bulbed Christmas lights, ideally outdoor-safe;
  • Several small green plastic planters (see below);
  • Two pieces of green foam piping
  • Scissors or a serrated knife;
  • One paintbrush;
  • A hot glue gun.

You’ll need as many soda bottles and planters as there are bulbs on the strand of Christmas lights. The diameter of the planters should match that of the soda bottles. And the green foam piping pieces should be as long as the light strand.

@geekroomgift DIY Giant Christmas Lights#gift #christmas ♬ original sound – GeekRoom Gift

Construction of the DIY giant Christmas lights

Follow these steps:

Making the “light bulbs”

  • With the scissors or the knife, cut off the tops of each soda bottle just below the caps.
  • Paint the soda bottles in whatever colors you’d like. Let dry.

Connecting the “light bulb” bases

After the soda bottles dry, unscrew the real light bulbs on your strand of large-bulbed Christmas lights.

  • Cut holes in the bottom of your planters. The holes should approximately match the size of the base of the large bulbs.
  • Thread a Christmas light through the bottom of a planter, then secure by twisting the large light bulb back on. Repeat until all Christmas lights have planters attached.

Finishing the DIY giant Christmas lights

  • Connect the soda bottle “light bulbs” to the planter bulb bases with a circle of hot glue on the inside of the planters.
  • Cut a straight line down the side of one piece of green foam piping. Thread the original Christmas light strand into it so that it’s hidden.
  • Twist the other piece of green foam piping around the first one to create the twisted wire effect of a real strand of Christmas lights. Secure the ends with hot glue.

How to Decorate with the DIY Giant Christmas Lights

Once you’ve created the DIY giant Christmas lights, it’s time to deck the halls! You can hang them in a tree outside, like GeekRoom Gift does, or on porch railing, stairs or a mantel.

If you’re feeling really festive, you can even wrap them around yourself, like HandmadeByTN does. Just make sure to use a battery-powered strand of lights for this approach so you don’t have to stand by a plug all night. Happy holidays!