This Thursday is Thanksgiving, and that marks the beginning of my favorite time of year! The Holidays! I could call Halloween the beginning, but that’s just really a warm up for the main event!
Normally, we’ll spend this first weekend of the holiday season eating Thanksgiving dinner (of course), shopping (of course), and decorating for Christmas! My favorite part? Well, it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I really like hanging the lights and decorating the outside of the house. This year, our Christmas display will have to start from scratch, so I’m scouring the internet to look for tips and tricks.
Plan: Number one on my list is to plan a layout. Now, just because I’ve listed it, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen! I say I’m going to do this every year, and every year I’m out there with a pile of lights, reindeer, maybe an outdoor tree or two, and no plan. That’s probably what will happen this year, too. What I should do is draw up a plan that includes where on the house I’m hanging lights, where in the yard I’m putting displays, and where all the power is coming from. But I’ll probably lay it all out by the seat of my pants.
Test: You’ve got to test the lights before you hang them. Lay them out and plug them in. It’s much easier than hanging them and then disovering that half the string doesn’t light. For this year, I’ll still be testing even the new strings of lights, just in case I have to run back to the store!
Put away the staple gun! I’m going to try not using a staple gun this year. I’ve already bought 3 packs of multi purpose clips that should allow me to hang lights on gutters, shingles, or siding without making any new holes in either the siding, fascia, or light strings! Yes, I’ve put holes in strings of lights before! I’m also interested in these Holiday Hangers, but I’m not ready to drill holes in the brand new porch.
Timing is everything: I’ve bought 2 timers for running the outside lights this year. In the past, we had a switch inside that turned the lights on. Now, with these timers, the lights will come on automatically at dusk and stay on for whatever duration I set.
Power to the Yard: I’m still searching for extension cords. In the past I had a few power stakes and I plan to get them again. They keep the connections up off the ground–which keeps them dry!
Hopefully, by the time this weekend is through, I’ll be ready for the Tacky Light tour.
