Glittering houses and sparkling front yards, it’s Christmas time!
If after decorating your tree, you want to adorn your home and yard with Christmas lights, here are some tips to make holiday decorating easier!
- Always use waterproof and outdoor garlands specially designed to withstand the weather. Place them as high up as possible and away from gutters. Also, to prevent water or snow from seeping into the sockets, place the bulbs head down.
- We've all fell victim to tangled garlands. In addition to being a pain, they can be dangerous. Indeed, by twisting and mixing in all directions the wires can be damaged and generate a short circuit. If there are too many knots, consider replacing your garland.
- The same goes for defective bulbs: replace them. Sometimes we don't bother to replace the burnt-out bulbs, since the rest works fine, and our decoration is no less beautiful. However, these broken lights could cause a malfunction in the whole system.
- Also, be careful not to accumulate extension cords by connecting several garlands and other electrical decorations one after the other. Avoid overloading your power strip.
- Before going to bed or if you leave your home, turn off all lights. In general, never leave your Christmas decorations unattended.
- Moreover, it is strongly recommended not to leave your garlands lit for too long. Use a timer to turn your lights on and off during select time periods. On the bright side, you'll save money on your electricity bill.
- To avoid damaging your home, insulating tape and plastic clips are your allies, rather than nails, screws or staples, which will leave unsightly holes and may even damage the outer casing of electrical wires which can lead to a short circuit.
