Holiday design and decor

The holidays are upon us and that means it is time to start decorating. You may be one of the types who likes to decorate with a more lowkey taste. Or you may be more of the kind that tries to keep the electric company in business all on your own with the number of lights that you use. It does not really matter, as long as you try to keep it tasteful.

First, if you you are going to go big, it is courtesy to let your neighbors know. They may even be interested in joining with you.

Second, it is usually best to go with some sort of a theme. This could be a character theme, like Santa or snowmen, or it could be a color theme, like red and green.

Try to use a little imagination to get a different look from the rest of the neighborhood. You may want to consider a flasher-unit to vary the way your lights blink, rather than the standard pattern that some lights already have.

One idea is to build a train or something that has wheels and set it up so that the wheels can turn and run a belt across all the wheels connected to a small electric motor. That way all the wheels turn.

Another difference would be to add sound to your display. All you need are some weather-secure speakers and some speaker wire. Run the wire to your home stereo and put out a sign asking viewers to roll their windows down. Don't make it so loud that the neighbors complain. And don't hesitate to set times for the music.

A color theme can be very useful as far as helping you in your preparation shopping. You know what you are doing, and you aren't looking for anything else. Personally I prefer themes that are more than one color, but I have seen a number of homes that are all red or all green.

Another fun character option would be great Christmas villians of the past. Try decorating your home and yard in the theme of the Grinch. You could build his sled, already stuffed with the toys he has taken. You could build a sad little Christmas tree without any needles and one ornament that bends the tree over. Its different, but it would be a lot of fun.

No matter what you do, do it safely. Always use a secure ladder. Make sure you are using outdoor lights for your outdoors. And please don't put candles on the tree.

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