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I finally got around to hanging Christmas lights this year. I bought gutter clips so I wouldn't have to permanently install anything, but I just realized that I don't have gutters along a pitched portion of my roof. The soffit there isn't perforated, so I can't hang them through it either. I did notice the metal flashing (maybe it's flashing? someone correct me if I didn't use the right term) is hung with nails underneath the eaves. Can I nail into that without worrying about moisture problems?

enter image description here

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can't you use duct tape? – ratchet freak Dec 17 '11 at 21:10
If you upload the image to the Stack Exchange Imgur account it will stay around for "ever". – ChrisF♦ Dec 18 '11 at 22:21

5 Answers

up vote 9 down vote accepted

How about Magnetic Christmas Lights? I've never tried them, but if they use a descent magnet it would be a winner.

Magnetic Christmas Lights

I've seen these before a Walmart or places like that. It looks like it would clip onto your shingles. They might be good for the short term of Christmas but I don't know how sun, wind and weather will affect their life.

All in one clip

All in one clip on Shingles

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I actually ended up using something similar to the all-in-one clips you mentioned. They were a little bit different, since I was using B1 bulbs. – Doresoom Dec 19 '11 at 14:54
I left last year's clips attached, and when I went to use them this year, they were all hard and brittle from the summer sun. They don't stand up that well, but they are cheap. – Chris Cudmore Dec 20 '11 at 15:54
up vote 5 down vote

Would Velcro Christmas light hooks work?

I used them one year (not this exact brand though) to good effect.

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up vote 3 down vote

I use the all-in-one clips from here - http://goo.gl/ldASe

After the first season of use they can become brittle and break, I usually have to replace a few of them every year but they are the best I've used.

This is my house.

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since the first link was already mentioned by lqlarry, the rest of the post probably makes more sense as a comment on his answer. – BMitch♦ Dec 18 '11 at 13:02
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Um that guy hadn't used anything he posted about he just put some links up to stuff he googled. Anyone can do that. It just happens that one of them was what I recommended. I actually have used these and offered valuable information. – rushonerok Dec 18 '11 at 20:17
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I'm upvoting the guy that actually uses them...btw...I've used something similar for 10 years, took a peek under the shingles this year in a couple of places and the sheathing showed no sign of water damage. – w4ik Dec 18 '11 at 21:27
@BMitch without this answer, how would anybody know about "Vanessa's Big Heart Foundation"!? – Tester101♦ Dec 19 '11 at 13:40
Just because I haven't used them doesn't mean I didn't know about them before the question was asked. I appreciate the fact that you used them but show me some love and give me a little credit as something other than somebody that knows how to use a search engine. I was just lucky to buy a house that has to be painted every x amount of years;) – lqlarry Dec 21 '11 at 4:06
up vote 2 down vote

I use small vinyl-coated cup hooks.

enter image description here

I screwed them my first xmas in this house 10 years ago and have never had a problem with them. Just hook the lights on every year. Easy up-easy down.

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1  
Pictures make every answer better :) Not everybody who visits the site will know what a vinyl coated cup hook looks like, adding an image could save others from having to google it. – Tester101♦ Dec 19 '11 at 17:41
up vote 0 down vote

I have the same issue. I simply drive very tiny finishing nails (the ones with slightly rounded heads) every few feet and then used white wire ties to attach the light wires to the nails.

Once painted, the nails are barely visible in the summer.

(We live in an Eichler with a foam roof and, thus, don't have shingles or any kind of a real lip along the roof edge to which anything might be attached.)

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