It’s that most wonderful time of the year again, and houses are beginning to glow with Christmas lights and other holiday decorations. But we all know that decorating the exterior of one’s house can be a little intimidating if you haven’t done it before. As you prepare to decorate your home for Christmas, here’s some tips and tricks for lighting your house if you’ve never attempted to do so before.
If You Don’t Know What You’re Doing, Start Small
If you’ve never decorated the outside of your house with lights before, it’s better to start smaller and build every year with new lighting ideas. If you want something huge right away, it’s probably better to call in professionals to help you decide how best to decorate your home and yard with lights.
Make Sure to Pick A Focal Point
Make one area of your yard the focal point of your decorations. Whether it’s going to be your beautiful pine tree, those huge bushes along the house, or the inflatable Santa in the middle of the lawn, make sure you have at least one focal point to arrange the rest of your decorations around.
Determine What Kind of Lights You Want
Do you want all white lights, or some color? There are millions of different kinds of lights, so invision exactly how you’d want your lighting scheme to play out. It’s always better to have the colors you use somewhat organized. For example, how about lining the walkways and house porch with multi-colored lights, while everything else is white?
Plan the Wiring Route
Plan out how many lights you’re going to need, as well as the way they’ll be plugging into a source of power before you start attempting to hang the lights. Make sure to buy a few extra extension cords if needed, and make sure you have your bases covered when it comes to outlets. Also, make sure you’re not using more than 1400 watts on a circuit, and only use lights designed specifically for outdoor use.
Be Safe On Roofs and Ladders
If you aren’t completely familiar with your roof, stay off of it unless you can get professional help to hang your lights. If using a ladder, make sure it’s secure and you have someone helping you with the lights, as they can be harder to handle than you’d think on a ladder. As you hang lights, avoid using rusty nails already hanging out of your roof and use electrical tape instead. This will avoid lighting cords getting damaged or ripped in any way during stormy weather.
We hope those tips can help you decorate your house this Christmas! And we wish you Happy Holidays!