Decorating Outside for the Holiday Season

Seven Tips to Outside Decorating

Can you land a plane in your yard?  Not because of space but because of all the lights you put up during the Christmas season?  If so then you most likely have a routine down that starts in September or October and that is great - my hat is off to you and I invite you to submit your hints and ideas to use on our site.  For the rest of us who want to do some decorating to the outside of your house without spending months, here are seven tips to help the process go smoother.

1. Look at the upcoming temperature for the week you want to decorate in - pick the warmest day if possible.
2. Decide what you want to do to the outside, inside.  Make a list of the types of decorating you want to do on and around the outside of your house.  For example, do you just want to put up lights on the front gutters of your house or do you want to outline the entire roofline?  Do you want to have walkway luminaries or lighted candy canes lighting the path to your home?
3. Make a shopping list of the items you will need to complete your project this year.  Go slow and add a little more decorations each year, building upon what you did the previous year.  Look over the sale ads each week and see who has the items you are looking for on sale.   Go shopping after doing tip four.
4. Test all lights and decorations INSIDE if you live in a cold climate.  There is nothing worse than getting your lights all up in the cold and then they do not work!  You will be much happier if you find out half the strand doesn't work and fixing it sitting in front of the fire inside your house.  Add new lights, bulbs, etc. to your shopping list if needed.
5. Ask for help when putting up your lights - it goes much quicker if two or more people are helping string lights.
6. Make sure to use the proper size and type extension cords when plugging in your lights.  If in doubt go to your local hardware store and speak with someone in the electrical section for advice.  The last thing you want to do is trip breakers or catch your house on fire.  It is also important to follow the directions on how many strands of lights can be put together at one time.
7. Once your lights are up, plug them in and view them from the street.  You might even want to go drive around and approach your house from all directions in order to see if the look you are after is what people are seeing.  Adjust as necessary.