Now that we’re into November, lots of homeowners are gearing up for the holiday season—especially if hosting friends and family is on their schedule this year. Pulling the fam together for a little deep cleaning here and there may be on your to-do list. Do you knock that out before the decorations go up? Holiday decorating transforms your home and creates a welcoming—and, of course, beautiful—environment for guests.
It’s probably still a bit early for most of us to pull out the boxes and bins of holiday decorations and begin hanging wreaths and putting out the greenery complete with pinecones, decorations, twinkling lights, and bows. However, if you’re hosting Thanksgiving—or really love the holidays—you may use that as the marker date to be set for the season!
First things first
If that’s the case, what are you doing with the exterior of your home? After all, it’s the first sight your family and friends will see. Softly glowing holiday lights seen from a distance will naturally stir up warm and fuzzy feelings brought on by memories of past gatherings. Holiday-themed lighting completely changes the ambiance of your home, both inside and out. It adds the final touch that causes “ooo’s” and “ah’s” to escape people’s lips as your home comes into view or upon walking through the door.
If you haven’t lit up the night with holiday-themed colors in the past, it might be a little late in the game to plan an extravagant display. Unless, of course, you plan to hire a lighting expert to accomplish the task for you. However, a little lighting can go a long way toward creating that holiday feeling, so there’s still plenty of time to grab some lights and “spruce” things up for the coming season DIY style.
You can obtain beautiful results with a lighted wreath and a few tastefully placed strings of lights. LED lights are a popular choice these days. They are fairly inexpensive, both when purchasing and during operation! The bulbs last lots longer than traditional light bulbs too. Many believe they’re a win in every category!
You may be closer than you think
If you have installed LED lighting to illuminate your landscape, many come with the option of changing the colors of the lights with a touch of a remote or from an app on your phone. Even if you don’t sync to a well-known holiday song, changing the colors to the traditional red and green will still make a big impact. Especially when coordinated with other outdoor decorations for an overall theme effect.
If you are planning a musically synced light show, though, let us know! We’ll try and do a drive-by if we’re in the area.
A little light shines bright
LED string lights work perfectly to set up a row of decorative luminarias along walkways or across the front of the porch. You can literally insert the bulbs into the back of paper bags weighted down with a bit of sand. Metal or plastic luminaries are available for purchase in a multitude of styles as well.
Large lighted ornaments placed in the yard or hanging from trees will festively light up the night with holiday curb appeal. Laser light projectors have become popular too. They’re built to be out in the elements and are easily adjustable. They produce a cascade of snowflakes or other designs across a large area of your house. This idea conserves energy and will keep your utility bill from rising dramatically.
Traditional lighting displays remain a constant for many homeowners who choose to run lights along the edges of their home creating beautiful lines and symmetry.
Ho-ho-home is where your heart is
Whether you go big with a dazzling light display that has the neighbors putting up the room darkening shades or you simply place a lighted—preferably electric or battery-operated—candle in your windows, we know your home will be aglow this holiday season. Ultimately, love does that and the lighting is just a perk.
Spending time with the ones we love during the holiday season is one of the reasons we anticipate their coming each year. It’s a time to be thankful for what we have and those we love. A time to reflect and plan for the future. We may not actually see the glow that love brings to our lives, but the feeling is unmatched.
And, maybe, just maybe, it spills out into the air and drifts along illuminating another’s heart as it goes.