Still haven’t put up Christmas lights and really dreading it? Take some advice from this lazy genius…

The Grinch Stealing Your Christmas Lights

First, you’ll need to print out the template for each character, which can be found online. This person did three characters, but really you only need the Grinch to make it work.

He traced and cut the figures out on thick plywood so they will last a long time. The Grinch is approximately 8 feet tall – so it’s pretty big.

After each character is cut out, you’ll need to do some sanding in preparation for the paint. Apply a base primer coat of white outdoor latex paint. This will help to make sure the wood doesn’t soak up to much of your color paint.

He shaded the back of the paper with pencil so when it was traced the lines they would transfer. Poor man’s carbon paper. Then simply trace the pencil lines with a black Sharpie – which can be erased later with alcohol.

Use acrylic craft paint to fill in the lines. Then use Krylon clear outdoor protector (approx. 10 coats) when finished. It sprays on easily and dries in less than a minute. This will help to protect it against the weather so it can be used year after year.

And now it’s ready to put up. All you need is one long strand of lights to make it seem like the Grinch already stole the rest. It’s fun and very clever!