by Mindy Laughton

Putting on an outdoor show when the holidays arrive is a favorite activity for millions of households every year. Whether it’s a low-key Halloween lighting array or a full on scene straight from the Book of Matthew, the wide range of setup possibilities for end of year holiday decorations are nearly endless.

However, festive creativity ought not be completely unbridled. First timers are going to need to consider a series of factors involved in putting up lights and lawn ornaments. Failure to do so may result in some nasty bumps and bruises, property damage, drama on the block, or all of the above.

Fortunately, a few tidbits of advice can go a long way to ensure the outdoor holiday decoration efforts go smoothly:

Avoiding bodily harm

Attempts to put up holiday lights and decorations along the outside of the home often involve the use of a ladder. In short, the rate of fall-related injuries goes up during the holiday season. It’s very important to make sure ladders are stable and secure. Never work alone, either. This way lights can be installed and tested with minimal trips up and down the ladder, reducing risk of injury.

Deterring mischief

Every neighborhood has its own crew of troublemakers. For the most part, we’re talking about kids with a penchant for breaking the rules, a demographic for which the planet is in no short supply. What they consider an “innocent” prank may involve damaging an expensive lawn ornament beyond repair during the holiday season. A common countermeasure is opting for a home security system. According to securitychoice.com, nearly 7 million people use ADT security for their homes, many of whom do so for the ability to receive alerts on their phones or tablets when activity is detected outside. This allows homeowners to scare away “pranksters” fixated on kidnapping the Baby Jesus statue passed down from your great grandmother. Adding motion sensor flood lighting also does wonders to discourage riff raff on your lawn.

Checking with neighbors

The plan in your head for the lights and decorations look perfect. You’ve made sure to take the proper safety precautions, and have taken steps to beef up property security. However, there’s one more step before putting the display on for everyone to see. It’s both smart and responsible for homeowners to check with nearby neighbors before going forward with elaborate decorations. No, the issue isn’t whether or not they like the style, rather, you want to make sure the flashing bright lights and possible noises aren’t going to bother folks when they’re trying to relax or go to sleep. If their beds or sofas face the street and they aren’t interested in closing the curtains, be willing to compromise a little. After all, the pursuit of holiday cheer doesn’t do much if it creates bad blood between neighbors.

Scheduling the removal

Before you know it, the holidays are done. With every passing year, the sequence gets more predictable and therefore seems to happen faster than expected. In short, this results in few holiday decorators having a plan in place for getting those lights and ornaments off the gutters and lawn. The new year gets old before they finally get around to removing the decor. Rather than be that person who seems to be insisting the holidays never end, make an effort to schedule an exact day for taking down the decorations. An appropriate time would be somewhere in the second week of January.

It doesn’t feel like the holidays without seeing houses covered in lights and their lawns dotted with ornaments. Those taking a shot at outdoor home holiday decorating for the first time are encouraged to be inventive, but simultaneously abide by some common sense principles. The result will be a festive exhibit which was not only set up without injury, but survives without damage and doesn’t bother the neighbors. These are the hallmarks of a happy and fulfilling holiday season.