-There are certain practices that these pros follow that even dim bulbs like me could benefit from emulating. One is drawing up a decoration plan. “Making a sketch is the single most important step you can take in designing your display,”Finkle says. The sketch can be a simple drawing on an 8 by 10 piece of paper. Stash this plan in a plastic cover, Finkle said, to avoid getting it wet and making it possible to read.
-Second, decide on a focal point. “Let one thing shine and everything else shine around it,”said Finkle.
-Finkle said clear lights were very popular for years, but now traditional lights-red, green and blue-are making a comeback.
-Heavy duty outdoor extension cords now come in a variety of colors other than the common but hideous bright orange, said Finkle. When
Finkle puts lights on an outdoor tree, he wraps the trunk in a hard-to-see brown cord.
-There are some things I learned that fell under the label of tricks of the trade. One was that you do not have to climb a ladder to place lights on an outdoor tree. Instead, you can use an expandable extension pole...Poles don’t work, Finkle said, when putting lights on a roofline. For that you have to climb.
-And Finkle said that rather than blasting Christmas music from speakers in the yard, homeowners can now buy a transmitter that enables them to broadcast holiday music into the cars of passing holiday-light |