Practical Holiday Home Decorating Advice

The holiday season is here and many homeowners are eager to start putting up the decorations. It started with ghosts and goblins, now it’s turkeys and pilgrims, and soon it’ll be elves and reindeer spotted on front lawns across the neighbourhood. Whatever the style and theme of the decor, it’s in the homeowner’s best interest to minimize common headaches associated with festive add-ons. The following tips will help in this effort:

Consult with neighbours

It’s our property so we can do what we want, right? For the most part, yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to talk with immediate neighbours before going all out on the exterior decor. Discuss plans (see below) to judge whether a light array will bother the inhabitants of homes across the street or if a display will block the next door neighbour’s view of oncoming traffic when exiting her driveway. If anything it’s a good way to stay familiar with the folks on the block.

Factor in the troublemakers

Every neighbourhood has its share of juvenile pranksters bent on breaking, stealing, or tagging holiday decor. It’s childish pleasure for them but can be an expensive loss for the homeowner. Motion sensing lights are a good investment to discourage destruction of property, but won’t deter the determined. Extra measures like ADT security cameras are wise too, especially if vandalism is a year-long concern. These days such services allow live monitoring via smartphone, which coupled with the car’s panic button enables homeowners to scare off troublemakers without needing to get off the couch.

Avoid inflatables

These pesky decorations are almost always overpriced, underwhelming, and easily broken. Not to mention they put more onto the electric bill than homeowners typically expect and make your yard sound like a laundromat. Inflatable lawn ornaments may suit some homeowners’ decorative tastes too much to pass up, in which case get used to constantly patching holes and going out into cold weather to perform maintenance if it isn’t familiar already. Or better yet, stick to smaller-sized inflatables and position them close to the door or garage.

Plan it out

Making sure the holiday decor achieves a unifying aesthetic aside, putting pencil to paper before setting up your displays is a step nobody ought to be skipping. Power supply, appropriate cables, aforementioned neighbourhood concerns, and time management are all reasons why plans are important before getting started. Furthermore, make plans for the dismantling. Mark a day or two on the calendar in advance. This helps to prevent the classic bad habit of leaving holiday decor up for too long.

Many homeowners love putting up the decorations during the holidays. Some folks look forward to it as much as they do the delicious food and gifts. Before getting started it’s important to make sure the festive displays aren’t inviting headaches down the road. Talking with neighbours, staying vigilant, skipping nuisances and planning ahead are the best ways to ensure home holiday decorating adds to the joy of the season.