Yes, the trees on your front lawn may have lost their leaves and the flowers in your garden may no longer boast their bright colors by now. However, that doesn’t mean it’s time to put your gardening gloves away for good.

We’re not suggesting you get back out there and start digging and planting (it’s way too cold for that!). We’re talking about wearing gardening gloves to protect your hands while weaving lights through your Christmas tree.

The hack was created by Good Housekeeping’s Visual Styling Director Elisabeth Engelhart: “We are firmly a ‘real tree’ household, and I am the designated tree decorator. After one too many years of getting poked by needles and rashy skin, I knew some sturdy gloves would come in handy! I’ve even gotten my husband on board. He wears heavy duty gardening gloves when we cut down our tree at the local farm.”

Whether you choose to go with a real or faux Christmas tree this year, the branches can still scratch or irritate your skin. And if your family does tend to chop down their own tree, you’ll definitely want to protect your hands from stubborn sap while decorating. You can even use them post-Christmas.

“Wear them after the holidays when removing lights from the tree when the needles and branches are extra dry and brittle (ouch, they hurt!),” says Engelhart.

So instead of ruining your cozy winter mittens, put your gardening gloves to good use. You’ll be able to confidently grab each branch and seamlessly weave lights through the tree without damaging your holiday manicure, we promise.

And if you are in fact brave enough to brace the winter weather and decorate the outside of your home, keep those gardening gloves on to protect yourself from dirt, scratches and the cold weather. It’s a win-win, if you ask us.

Laura Millar (she/her) is the assistant editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home design. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she wrote for NBC’s TODAY.com where she covered everything from entertainment news to product reviews to pop culture updates.