Clips & Mounting
The best Christmas light stakes
A second line of light at ground level costs almost nothing and does more for a display than another twenty feet of roofline.
Mike M. — The hands-on owner behind Iron Mako Media.
Published
This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you, and it never decides what we recommend. How this site is funded.
Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Top pickChristmas Light Stakes for C7/C9 string lightsFor C7/C9 string, multi-pack | Pathways, walkways and bed edges | 8.2 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Commercial Christmas Hardware Tie-Down Stakes, 6-pack6-pack, metal, for inflatables | Replacing the stakes that came in the box | 8.9 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | CELYND Heavy Duty 12 in U-Shaped Ground Anchors12 in, galvanized steel, U-shape | Big inflatables and real wind | 8.7 | Check price on Amazon |
#ad We may earn a commission · Prices are shown by Amazon, not by us
Scores are our own editorial judgment from published specifications and buyer feedback — not aggregated user ratings, and not from hands-on testing. See how we pick.
Jump to a full review below: clips-and-mounting
How we picked
Stakes are a simple product and we evaluated them on holder compatibility with C7 and C9 bases, stake length against realistic ground conditions, material, and pack size against a typical path run. Specifications are from manufacturer listings; we have not tested pull-out resistance in different soils. See our methodology.
Why the ground layer matters more than more roofline
A lit roofline is one horizontal line, twenty feet up. Add a second line at ground level along the front path and the display suddenly reads as composed rather than as lights on a house — because there is now a relationship between two elements instead of one element floating.
It is also the cheapest hour in outdoor decorating. Stakes cost very little, the install is at ground level with no ladder, and a front path is usually 20 to 40 feet.
Choosing the right stake
| Type | What it does | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Light stake with bulb holder | Holds a C7 or C9 bulb upright in the ground | Path edges, bed borders, driveway lines |
| Tie-down / anchor stake | Anchors something to the ground | Inflatables, yard figures, netting |
Both appear under 'stakes' in listings and they are not interchangeable. If you are lighting a path you want the first; if you are stopping an inflatable blowing over you want the second, covered in best stakes and anchors.
Match the holder to your bulb size. C7 and C9 use different bases, and a C9 stake will not hold a C7 bulb securely.
Spacing and layout
- 12 to 18 inches apart along a path reads as a continuous edge. Wider than about 24 inches and it reads as scattered points.
- Set them back 6 to 12 inches from the path edge so nobody catches one with a foot and so a shovel has somewhere to go.
- Keep the line parallel to the path, including around curves. A stake line that wanders is more noticeable at ground level than a wandering roofline is at twenty feet.
- One side or both? One side reads as an edge and is usually enough. Both sides reads as a runway, which can be right for a long straight drive and is too much for a short path.
Getting them out again
This is the part people underestimate. In January the ground is frozen and a stake that went in easily is now locked in place. Pulling hard snaps plastic and leaves the spike in the lawn.
- Wait for a thaw rather than forcing it. Nothing is gained by removing stakes on the coldest day of the year.
- Rock rather than pull. Work each stake side to side to break the grip before lifting.
- Count them out and back in. A stake left in a lawn is a mower problem in April, and metal ones are worse than plastic.
- Mark the line if you have to leave them briefly — a few garden flags beat trying to remember where the line ran.
Powering a path run
A path run is usually one continuous string, so it is one connection — but that connection is at ground level, which is exactly where water collects. Elevate the joint on a brick or a hook rather than leaving it in the grass, and use a drip loop. Both are covered in are outdoor Christmas lights waterproof.
If the path is far from an outlet, an outdoor power stake gets the connections off the ground properly — see best Christmas light timers.
The picks in full
Top pick
Christmas Light Stakes for C7/C9 string lights
VCOKEN
#ad We may earn a commission · Prices are shown by Amazon, not by us
Ground stakes that hold a C7 or C9 bulb upright along a path. They do the job no clip can, and they are the cheapest way to add a second line of light to a display.
A roofline is one line of light. A path edge is a second one at ground level, and the two together is what makes a display read as composed rather than as lights on a house. Stakes are how you do the second one, and they cost almost nothing.
The mechanism is simple: a spike with a holder on top that takes a C7 or C9 bulb base, so the same string that runs your roofline can run your path. Buying stakes that match the bulb size you already own is the only real spec decision.
Two practical warnings. Push them into soft ground, not frozen ground — plastic stakes snap when forced, and January ground is not November ground, which is also when you will be trying to pull them out. Water the line first if the ground has hardened.
Second: stakes at path edge are exactly at mower height for whoever cuts the grass in April, if any get left behind. Count them out and count them back in.
What works
- Adds a whole second layer to a display without touching a ladder
- Defines a walkway, which is useful as well as decorative
- Very cheap per stake
What does not
- Frozen ground in January makes removal genuinely difficult
- Plastic stakes snap if forced into hard ground
- Lawnmower-adjacent: mark them or lose them
| Type | Ground stake with bulb holder |
|---|---|
| Fits | C7 and C9 string lights |
| Height | Typically 6-10 in, varies by pack |
| Pack | Multi-pack, 20-100 depending on listing |
| Material | Plastic |
Replacing the stakes that came in the box
Commercial Christmas Hardware Tie-Down Stakes, 6-pack
Commercial Christmas Hardware
#ad We may earn a commission · Prices are shown by Amazon, not by us
Proper metal tie-downs for inflatables and yard decorations. This is the cheapest meaningful upgrade in outdoor Christmas decorating and almost nobody makes it until after something blows over.
Every inflatable comes with stakes, and the stakes it comes with are the cheapest part of the package. They are molded plastic, six to eight inches, and they hold fine on a still night.
The night they do not hold is the one where a front comes through at 2:00 am, and by morning a twelve-foot inflatable is across the street. That is the standard inflatable failure and it is entirely preventable for a few dollars.
Proper metal tie-down stakes go deeper, resist pull-out, and do not snap. Six of them will re-anchor most single inflatables; a large unit wants more than six and wants them at the corners rather than evenly spaced.
Two practical notes. Mark where you put them — a metal stake left in a lawn is a mower problem in April. And they will not drive into frozen ground, so anchor early in the season before the first hard freeze, not after.
What works
- Holds where the molded plastic stakes in the box do not
- Reusable indefinitely — these are not a consumable
- Works for anything staked, not just inflatables
What does not
- Metal stakes in a lawn need marking so the mower finds none in spring
- Still will not drive into genuinely frozen ground
| Type | Tie-down stake |
|---|---|
| Pack | 6 |
| Use | Inflatables and other yard decorations |
| Material | Metal |
Big inflatables and real wind
CELYND Heavy Duty 12 in U-Shaped Ground Anchors
CELYND
#ad We may earn a commission · Prices are shown by Amazon, not by us
12-inch galvanized rebar staples. Twice the depth of a typical stake, in steel, and they are what you use when the yard is exposed and the inflatable is large.
Pull-out resistance comes from depth and from soil, not from how the stake looks. A six-inch plastic stake in wet lawn has very little holding it. A twelve-inch steel staple has a lot.
CELYND's galvanized rebar U-anchors are the version to use on a large inflatable in an exposed yard. The U-shape pins a tether flat against the ground rather than hooking it, so the tether cannot lift off the stake — which is how hook-style stakes fail even when the stake itself stays put.
You will need a mallet for anything firmer than soft soil, and you should mark their positions. Galvanizing means they will not rust away, which is good while the display is up and inconvenient if you lose one in the grass.
For a small inflatable in a sheltered yard between two houses, this is more anchor than the job needs and the standard tie-down stakes above are fine.
What works
- Depth is what resists pull-out, and 12 in is real depth
- Galvanized, so they do not rust into the lawn over a season
- U-shape pins a tether flat rather than relying on a hook
What does not
- Need a mallet in anything but soft ground
- Easy to lose in grass — mark them
- Serious overkill for a small inflatable in a sheltered yard
| Length | 12 in |
|---|---|
| Material | Galvanized steel rebar |
| Shape | U / staple |
| Use | Inflatables, netting, landscape fabric |
Common questions
How far apart should Christmas light stakes be?
Twelve to eighteen inches along a path reads as a continuous edge. Beyond about twenty-four inches it reads as scattered points rather than a line.
Will light stakes work in frozen ground?
Not well. Plastic stakes snap when forced into hard ground. Install before the first hard freeze, and if the surface has already hardened, water the line an hour beforehand.
How do you get Christmas light stakes out of the ground?
Wait for a mild day, then rock each stake side to side to break the grip before lifting. Pulling straight up on frozen ground snaps plastic and leaves the spike behind. Count them out so none stay in the lawn.
Can I use the same lights on stakes as on my roof?
Yes, if the bulb size matches the stake holder. C7 and C9 stakes are not interchangeable, so check which base your string uses before ordering.
Sources
Every specification quoted on this page comes from the manufacturer’s own published information or a current retail listing, linked below. Where a figure is not published, we say so rather than estimating it.