Time to deck the halls
Can you believe that Christmas is just over two weeks away? It sure doesn’t feel like it with temperatures in the 50s and rain showers, but I’m thankful to not have to drive in ice and snow right now.
My tree is already up, and the house is already decorated (I actually got all of that done on Thanksgiving weekend this year – earlier than ever before). I put the holiday lights up outside the day before Thanksgiving because I had a day off and it was warm. Still, I didn’t turn the lights on until the day after Thanksgiving. I went with my usual wrapping of light strands around the porch railing and put them on a timer so I don’t have to remember to turn them on or off. It looks pretty, but after looking around our neighborhood I started realizing that I could have added some lights around the door or along the roofline. The only problem is that this would actually require a real effort.
Some folks have gone all out with huge, inflatable Santas and snowmen while others have wooden sleighs and reindeer adorning their property. They’re all beautiful and so fun! I would like to think that decorating experts would describe my display as “minimalist yet tasteful” or “exercised restraint” rather than “mailed it in” or “requires more effort.”
That got me to thinking about what the best method is to attach Christmas lights outdoors. I remember my dad doing it every year, but I can’t say that I paid attention to what he used to secure them. Staples? Tiny nails? What does it say about me that I have never put up Christmas lights outside other than around the railing?
I must not be the only goofball who doesn’t know the best method for this. Just for fun, I did an internet search and it yielded questions about “how to hang lights without nails,” “how to use plastic hooks to hang” them and “how to hang lights on an outside wall.” What made me laugh even more were the answers from the internet, including tape, hot glue, stapling and lighting up your house with a projector instead. The best method recommended by many internet gurus is to use plastic hooks and clips. I bought some of the ones with the stretchy pull tab that releases them without doing any damage. That all sounds terrific, but we’ll see if they actually stick and how well they endure any bad weather over the next month.
I always leave my Christmas tree, outdoor lights, and decorations up until the week after New Year’s just to keep things festive. Plus, it always seems a bit empty around the house after I take down the tree and décor since there’s no such things as a Valentine’s Day tree to take its place!
Kristin Emery can be reached at kristinemery1@yahoo.com.