This Hack Will Help Keep Your Holiday Lights From Getting Tangled

According to Statista, the United States imports over $470 million of holiday lights each year. Whether you're trimming the tree, decorating your roof, or adding some seasonal touches around your home's interiors, these glowing decorations are a great way to bring some cheer and prepare for the holidays. The downside, however, is that they also come with quite a few headaches that can put a frustrating damper on your festive decorating and leave you feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge.

After pulling your box of holiday décor out of the attic, you may find yourself faced with a seemingly impossible knot of wires and glass bulbs that discourages you from decorating your home altogether. Luckily, there's a solution that can reduce your time spent sitting on the floor untangling and help you prevent this issue when the next holiday season rolls around. Keep reading to learn how, and save yourself from having to confront the annoyance of America's favorite holiday decoration year after year.

If you're already dealing with a tangled mass of lights, unfortunately, there's not much you can do besides push through. Grab a friend or family member to help, make sure you have a large space to lay everything out and throw on some festive music to keep everyone cheery. While you're there, inspect the strand and replace any burnt-out bulbs — look for a blown-out fuse and dark residue inside the glass as confirmation that the light's reached the end of its life (via Home Depot).

When you're packing up, however, you have the chance to prevent a jumble of wires next year. Instead of throwing everything into a box, grab a piece of cardboard or a hanger and carefully wrap the lights around it. When you pull them out next season, you'll be left with a tangle-free spool of lights that you can unravel as you decorate — completely tangle-free.