Cherry Picker Christmas

Turning My House Into a Rooftop Winter Wonderland

There are two kinds of people in late November:

Those who casually toss a few lights in a bush.
And those who clear the driveway to make room for a spider cherry picker so they can cover the house, fences, Wendy house and roof in LEDs.

You already know which camp I’m in.

This blog follows my annual tradition of putting up the Christmas lights at home, with a cherry picker, a boot full of tangled cables, a cracked roof tile, and a healthy dose of daft ideas that would probably break Facebook if I actually posted them. If you want to see it all come to life in motion (and in full twinkly glory), make sure you watch the full video of this install on my YouTube channel.

Countdown to December: The Annual Cherry Picker Light-Up

It’s the 23rd of November, which means there’s just one weekend left until December kicks off. In my world, that translates to one thing:

🎄 It’s time to put the Christmas lights up.

This is genuinely my favourite job of the year. First order of business: get the driveway cleared so I can unload and set up the cherry picker. When you are the Cherry Picker Man, you can’t exactly be seen putting your Christmas lights up off a stepladder.

Of course, nothing’s ever simple, even getting the truck going. A bit of persuasion, a jump pack from the back, a stall, and finally we’re away. Machine fired up, outriggers down, and it’s time to get festive.

If you want to see how the cherry picker makes light work (pun absolutely intended) of this whole job, you can watch the full video of the setup and install here.

Sorting the Lights: Gutters, Ridges, Hips and a Giant Roof Tree

Inside the house, it’s the usual routine: tip the boxes of lights out and try to remember what’s what from last year.

Dangly lights for the gutters
String lights for the ridge and hip tiles
A set I use to create a giant Christmas tree on the front of the house
A glowing reindeer that lives on the roof
And another load that wraps around the fences

This year, I’ve added something new: permanent LED strip lights under the soffits. The idea is to leave these up all year round so we can have purple/green/orange for Halloween, pastel colours for Easter, and classic warm white or red/green for Christmas. I grabbed them in a Black Friday deal, so it would’ve been rude not to put them up while I was already in “cable chaos” mode.

Some of the lights are still hiding in the loft (as they always seem to be), but that’s part of the yearly dance: up and down, in and out, finding that one missing box you were sure you’d labelled properly last year. Spoiler: I hadn’t.

Hanging Lights the Simple Way (No Fancy Clips Required)

Once the cherry picker is in position, I start with the gutter lights. People often assume you need all sorts of specialist clips and gadgets to hang lights neatly, but honestly, I just hook them straight onto the guttering.

No special clips
No fancy brackets
Just hook and go

I’ve not broken any gutters yet, and if I do snap a clip or bracket, I’ll just fix it while I’m there. If you’re worried, yes, you can buy specific gutter clips for lights, I used to but I find them more trouble than they’re worth.

From there, I move on to the ridge and hip tiles, running lights along the top of the roof while I’ve got the perfect vantage point from the basket. Eventually the hips and ridges are all lit, the gutters are twinkling, and the house starts to look like a proper Christmas project instead of a wiring accident.

Permanent LED Soffit Lights: Festive Now, Flexible All Year

Next up: the new Lepro permanent LED lights under the fascia and soffits.

In an ideal world, these want to be spaced around 4 inches away from the brickwork. In reality, on one of the boards the insulation is right in the way, so I’ve had to run them tighter up and screw them in rather than rely on the sticky backing.

A bit of a faff to install in that area, but long term:

Screws = less chance of them falling down in bad weather
Once I get further along the house, it becomes easier
It’ll be worth it when I can change the colours with a controller instead of putting up new sets for every season

It’s the kind of detail you’ll appreciate more watching it happen from the basket angle, so if you’re into lighting, rooflines and cherry picker access, you’ll enjoy seeing it properly in the video.

Filling Holes, Stopping Birds, and Cable Management

While I’m up there, it’s not just about the pretty lights.

I run the cables neatly down the side of the house, planning to tie them back and plug them into an external socket. Along the way, I spot:

An old boiler overflow hole in next door’s wall
A gap where the starlings have been nesting

So, being the helpful neighbour (and slightly compulsive fixer when I’ve got a tube of mastic in my hand), I plug those up as I go. It’s a Christmas lights day, but it’s also a bit of a roof and wall maintenance day.

The Downpipe Trick That Would Break Facebook

One of my favourite little hacks lives behind a drainpipe.

To make it easy to hang the vertical lights every single year, I’ve fixed a line of screws up the back of the downpipe, permanently. That way, I can just hook the lights on and off without any faffing.

If I turned that into a short and posted it on Facebook, I know exactly what would happen:

“You can’t do that!”
“That’s not how you’re supposed to fix anything!”

Except… you can, and I have, and nothing bad happens at all – except it makes my life easier and the house look funky at Christmas.

By this point, my fingers are freezing, the rain’s starting, but the lights are beginning to pull it all together.

Cracked Tiles, CT1 and a Very Dodgy “How-To” Idea

While I’m up on the roof, I spot a cracked Marley Modern tile. No idea what caused it, someone must’ve just looked at it funny. Luckily, I think I’ve got a spare on the truck, so I do a proper repair while I’m there.

But then there’s another tile situation where I don’t have a spare to hand. So out comes the CT1.

Now, for the record:

The best fix is always to replace the broken tile.
What I do here is a temporary, practical bodge, purely because everything’s soaking wet and CT1 will actually work in those conditions.

I even joke about filming a fake “how-to” video:

“I’ve just been called to a leak, found a broken tile, and here’s how you fix it – just fill the crack with silicone or adhesive, smooth it off, and charge £300.”

Can you imagine the comments section? The backlash would be unreal.

I do film it. I’m tempted to post it. But am I brave enough to unleash it on Facebook? Still undecided. I even throw out a challenge to the regulars: if enough of them ask for it, I might actually post it.

Tangles, Deadlines and the Never-Ending Fence Lights

Back on the ground, I’ve got a self-imposed deadline: everything needs to be ready by the 1st of December.

There’s still loads to do:

Lights along all the fences
Fixing the Lepro lights that were installed the wrong way round
Putting up lights on my daughter’s Wendy house
Mounting a giant reindeer on the shed roof
Sorting all the electrics and timers

The worst offenders are the twinkly, dangly fence lights. No matter how you pack them away, they always emerge as one solid knot of festive chaos. Eventually, I win the battle, but then I hit another issue:

On one run, I’ve connected too many lights in series, more than the manufacturer allows. That means taking them all back down, turning them around, and installing them in a different direction to keep within the length limits.

I get as much done as I can before I have to dash off and take my daughter to football. Real life doesn’t stop just because the fences aren’t glowing yet.

Back At It: Wendy House Lights, Electrics and Final Tweaks

A few days later, I get another afternoon free. The weather still isn’t playing nice, but the job is nearly there.

Correct the Lepro lights that were installed the wrong way
Add lights to my daughter’s Wendy house, so she’s got her own little bit of Christmas magic
Work through the last bits and bobs of electrical connections
Set up the timers so everything kicks in automatically

By the end of it, the cherry picker is back on the drive, the gear is packed away, and it’s just about ready for the big switch-on. Job’s a fish.

The Big Reveal: Lights On, Christmas Ready

If you’ve made it that far in the video (and this far in the blog), chances are you’re one of the regulars – the people who watch these slightly mad videos, message me nice things, and keep coming back for more cherry picker chaos and roof-level nonsense.

When the lights finally go on, you see:

Gutters lined with warm twinkly lights
Ridges and hips glowing along the roofline
Permanent LEDs shining under the soffits
Fences and Wendy house lit up
A reindeer proudly installed up top
And my daughter Robyn ready for Christmas too

This whole video marks the end of my first full year taking YouTube seriously (since October 2024), and I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everyone who’s watched, commented, shared, or encouraged me along the way.

I genuinely hope we can create even more fun, useful and entertaining content next year – more roofs, more cherry pickers, more odd fixes, and definitely more lights.

Watch the Full Christmas Light Install

If you’ve enjoyed this write-up, you’ll love seeing it all unfold in real time – from the stubborn truck to the CT1 temptation, right through to the final night-time reveal.

👉 Watch the full Christmas light installation video on my YouTube channel to see the cherry picker in action, the roof repairs, and the finished display lit up against the night sky.

And if you’re already one of the regulars – thank you. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate every view, comment and bit of feedback.

Follow Me Online

If you’d like to see more cherry picker jobs, roof repairs, behind-the-scenes projects and the odd daft idea that probably shouldn’t make it to Facebook… come and follow me online:

Follow Me Online:
• 🌐 Website: www.dji-uk.co.uk
• 🎥 YouTube: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 🎵 TikTok: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 📸 Instagram: @dan_cherrypicker_man
• 👍 Facebook: Dan the Cherry Picker Man
• ⭐ Google Business Page: DJI High Access Services – Google Search
• 🛒 Amazon Shop: https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/danthecherrypickerman?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_0H3MM4YGDVAPRTXQJAYV_1

My workwear is sponsored by Granite Workwear, and all of the clothing I’m wearing in the video can be purchased on their website: https://www.graniteworkwear.com/