It’s that time of year again. The leaves have fallen, the trees are barren, and air is crisp and cool.
Although fall is not officially underway until November 22nd, the Jones’s have already
prepared what and how they’re going to light up your block this Christmas season.
We’re not saying you have to keep up with the Jones’s, per se , but it’s important to share a
little bit of your clout with your neighbours and any guests that will be visiting over the
Christmas period through either a subtle, or luminous, Christmas lights installation.
Before you begin your Christmas light planning, here are a few things to consider to make
the whole process as smooth and delightful as possible.
Start early
Trust us, this one is very important. Last minute planning always leaves you in a crunch. This is
your time to plan your colours, the level of subtly (which can be set to zero for the truly brave),
and what elements and props you wish to display this upcoming Christmas season. One of the
most important facets of planning ahead require knowing when to set up your lights. You don’t
want to set them up so late that you’re taking them down again within 2 weeks, and you don’t
want to do them so early that you’re the odd ball on the block blasting Christmas music two
days before Halloween.
Keep in mind that as you progress towards December, the chances of being hit with poor
weather or a snowstorm increase. This can throw off your planning and Christmas lights
installation process. We recommend installing Christmas lights midway through November or in
the first week of December at the latest so you can maximize your ROE (return on effort!).
Choose LED or energy efficient lights
When you finally make your way over to the department store to procure your lighting, you’ll be
given the choice of many Christmas lights that can be both friendly and terrifying to your lighting
bill. With Christmas gifts, food, and travel costs that are sure to surmount during the winter
months, losing money by using old lights or non-energy efficient lighting is the last thing you
should do. That’s why we suggest paying a little more for good Christmas lights that won’t spike
your monthly electricity bill. And, good ones may last even longer so you won’t have to incur
those costs again for another 5 or so years (at the minimum).
Enhance the look of your home
Try your best to emphasize the natural beauty of your home with the proper lighting display. If
you’re not sure which style of lights you’d like, or if you have an idea in mind but don’t know how
to go about it, contact our HomeForce team and we can gladly provide some nice options for
you that best fit your home. In the best case scenario, you already know what you want and
have a photo ready for our HomeForce team to review.
Keep it classy
We get it, everyone loves the warm glow of Christmas lights in the middle of the holiday
season, but before you go through your solar energy reserves, you should probably make
sure you’re not inconveniencing your neighbours. A simple conversation, note, or knock on
their door should suffice in bringing your Christmas intentions to life with the least amount of
confrontation. This, of course, is left to your discretion if you live on a large acreage of have
very few neighbours in your area, which can be quite common in our less dense urban
centres such as the Fraser Valley or Okanagan regions.
Follow best practices and stay safe
Though installing Christmas lights can seem like a benign endeavour, you should be aware of
any and all of the pitfalls involved with the process. It’s important to have a secondary helper
that can call for assistance if things go bad or simply to hold the ladder steady while you’re
doing the installing. Make sure there is no water touching any of the electrical outlets that can
cause shock or injury, and always be aware of slippery or icy surfaces when you’re choosing a
site for your ladder.
Call for the HomeForce professionals
Planning an intricate display, sourcing your materials, coordinating with your neighbours,
securing a helping hand, and then taking everything down again can add up to a sizeable amount
of time.
If your time is better spent working or with family, you can always call upon the professionals to
help you in your process to install Christmas lights. The HomeForce team is willing to take the
time to understand your vision and create a custom design while also installing it. Oh, and we’ll
also come back and take down the display once the season is over. Schedule a time, and we’re
there. No stress, no surprises.