Will you have holiday lights on your house this year?

Company Decorates Homes For Holidays

Residents Hire Wisemen To Put Up Lights

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/14697853/detail.html

UPDATED: 6:52 pm EST November 26, 2007

BOSTON --

Did you go into the attic and pull out a tub of Christmas lights over the weekend? Not ready for the
annual twisting-and-untwisting? NewsCenter 5's Jim Boyd reported Monday that there are companies who
will decorate your home for you. Three Wisemen Creations spent much of the day decorating a home in Andover.
It's part of a growing trend in many neighborhoods. "It's crunch time for us. We have limited days
to get the job done," said Marc Deschenes, of Three Wisemen Creations. Deschenes said that homeowners'
requests could range dramatically. "We've had jobs where we've done it for $100, and we've also had
jobs for thousands and thousands of dollars," he said.

"It would be really hard for me to get up on that ladder and do the lights on the top of the roof,"
resident Mary Beth Finn said. "My kids have always enjoyed lights at Christmas time. The kids in the
neighborhood love it. We love when people drive by when the neighborhood is all lit up and we know
that we are making people happy by viewing the lights and all the decorations."

The home will radiate with the glow of about 25,000 holiday lights when the job is complete.

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That's the way to save energy!! :sarcasm:

25,000 lights On one house?? :wtf:

:wow:

I have a Christmas tree in my condo

I may be moving soon (argh!)and so I'm not sure if I'll be settled in by then.

But if I do decorate, I'll only be doing my usual candles in the windows.

Then I don't use any lamps at all and only the over head light in the kitchen. ;)

10 Watts for the entire outside display. The tree inside barely registered on my wattmeter. Gotta love it, baby!

Was it a small display or a large one? Got pics? :P

Kind of a medium display - just following the line of the gutters along the front of the house, and then spiraling up and down the posts that are by the door and framing that area.

I also got green and red compact fluorescents for the house lights! They seem to be better at starting when it's colder outside than CFs used to be.

are much, much safer than the old "large bulb" tree lights from when I was a kid (1960's). And even safer than the more recent small bulb intense light strings.

Much less heat. Less chance of setting a tree on fire or over loading a wall outlet.

Last year and this year too,we'll have one LED strand on the tiny railing.

The lights up on the house went LED last year
(in Chernobyl Blue that will never fade out to
sort-of-white-with-bluish-highlights).

The white lights that light the walkway are still
incandescent mini-lights, but will probably go
LED soon. Heck, later, maybe I'll go see what
Lowe's has this year.

Tesha

nothing on the outside though, except'n for maybe a wreath on the door

I dread having to replace all my decorative lights or can I just get the led bulbs? :shrug:

you'll easily make up the price difference in one season of use with the electricity you save.

don't remember the price though and you buy them in a set pretty much like any other sets. Leds have different requirements than incandesence lights so they pretty much are not interchangeable. I do remember them being more expensive but I like the idea of led lights and thought maybe down the road they'll save us some money as we're getting older and one day we'll be real appreciative of anything thats saves money. leds are tiny but they look big when turned and its a different kind of light, I don't know what it is but there is something different about the light they produce.

anyways I bet you'll love 'em

n/t

as we will have "lights"... actually luminaries that will line the driveway and the porch, and along the top of our traditional adobe home in Arizona. I think the total is something like 120 individual paper bags, some sand, and small candles. Probably four or five sets of small candles as the kids (my sisters grandchildren) like to see this southwestern tradition for more than one night.

Looks something like this (not our house):

:shrug:

I mean...it is pretty and all that (nice pic) but I'd say, "screw that!" after the first time! :P

Maybe you should get those leds!

neighbors (we just moved this year) will join us. They were used in the Southwest and Mexican missions to guide the faithrul to Midnight Mass.

long tapers... supervised, of course. And Uncle Alan (that's me) does the roof.

But it really is quick to set up... and fun for everyone. No wires to untangle, bulbs to replace, etc.

He does this every year, apparently he's got even more up this year. We drove by it last year & were nearly blinded. Traffic was crawling by slowly, everyone wanted to see the house or was distracted/surprised by it.

Homeowner's early spectacle of 250,000 Christmas lights is turning off some neighbors

Some people have big houses. And some people like celebrating Christmas. And then there is Dominic Luberto.

A year ago, Luberto bought one of the largest single-family homes in Boston. It has 11 fireplaces, stone turrets, long red velvet drapes, and furniture imported from Italy. Set on a can't-miss spot on the Arborway, it is one of the jewels in Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace of roads and parks surrounding Jamaica Pond.

Last month -- a full 72 days before Christmas -- Luberto began covering the exterior of the 8,500-square-foot house with Christmas lights. He says he has spent $10,000 on lights alone, a purchase that he hopes will cause people "throughout the city, throughout Massachusetts" to take note.

The reaction so far has been a few glasses of eggnog short of holiday cheer, as neighbors who live in the graceful residences surrounding Luberto's home take in the onslaught of Christmas wattage and illuminated plastic yuletide figurines.

"This is my castle," Luberto, 55, said.

The tens of thousands of lights he has put up so far -- eventually he hopes to have 250,000 -- switch on automatically at 4:30 p.m. and blaze until 1:30 a.m., and he plans to leave them on longer as Christmas approaches.

I think I saw that house in pics last year and his neighbor did the lights for charity?

People would donate and it went to the Children's Hospital Fund or something similar.

I put up a tree with lights in my apartment, but have no choice in the outside decor!

the town outlawed his display after that because people who lived near him were totally pissed off
because it took them hours to get home due to all the traffic of people coming to see the lights.
He was on Good Morning America because the display was so big. He should've had it set up in the
downtown area instead, imho. I went to see the display at 10 PM at night and it took me almost
two hours, of stop & go traffic, to even get near the house!

Very New England.

It makes the place have a warm, cozy glow and feeling. ;)

Do your part, soldier!

which is just a bit less than an electric space heater.

Sid

3800+ orange marker flags flanked by the American Flag. First erected December 2005 when we were too depressed about the war to decorate for Christmas. It has gone from 1200 flags to 3800+. When will the madness stop? Peace, Kim

It would be buried in snow here though.

Peace! :hi:

So far we have never had them totally covered though. It is a sad sight to see but we keep at it. Peace, Kim

So I feel that checking "Yes" would lump me in with the goober who is wasting electricity.

We have some small pines in the front and I put white lights on them and some icicle lights right in the front awning (not all over the house - the awning sticks out in an A-frame style).

That's it. I don't need to put tons up to feel "liked."

I live in an apartment building, but even if I had a house I would not go crazy with the lights.

They are so, so beautiful on a Southwestern night.

I decorated outside for the DAY time, too--the neighbors love that! Lots of things to catch the light, lots of garland and wreaths.

I'm a sucker for decorating any time of year.

No electric lights outside though, probably.

that's what it's all about..

Now, if you want tacky:



http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20071124/APN/711240715

I know that pic isn't the best but that's Al Copeland's house, I think from last year (Metairie, La). That asshat signed my paycheck for 10 years and every year there is a big brew ha ha over his lights. But, as they say, tacky is as tacky does and I've witnessed plenty of tacky when it came to Al Copeland.

Al Copeland used to own Popeye's Fried Chicken.

Here's another:

But many of us don't, because we are of other backgrounds: Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh ... from Somalia, Turkey, or Bangladesh.
I, personally, love looking at other people's Xmas decorations, and sometimes feel jealous or left out .... but am glad I've never had to deal with it.

Just a reminder that not all Americans participate in Xmas ... and that number is growing. And it's not just a religious thing (I bet most nonbelievers here still have a tree or lights of some fashion). We are no longer a Christian nation ... and, in fact, never were.

Happy Holidays!

Not Christmas or Xmas. I've seen many pretty displays of Jewish stars
and menorahs lit up too. And Kwanzaa has decorations as well.

Kwanzaa Man

Our neighbors (who know my husband is Indian) asked about it and were positive in their reactions to it once they understood.

4.5 ft tree in the window. This is a serious Xmas light neighborhood. I imagine the 'bucket brigades' have been at it all day. We have the carriage rides and bumper to bumper lookie-loos closer to Xmas. Seems like every year something happens with a carriage, horse bolts into traffic or carriage tips over.

tree, snowflake twinkles across the roof, angel in the window, and lights on the bushes count?

:P

:hi:

Is there a magic to it?

My significant other enjoys decorating for the holidays a lot. My mom's giving me all her Christmas decorations, so I'll have tons of ornaments, knickknacks, and lights galore. Maybe this weekend we'll be able to put things out. Plus, this is my first year to own a house for Christmas, and in the apartments I never really decorated. I'm looking forward to it.

I probably would too! :P

Congratulations!

I guess you already got what you wanted from Santa, huh? :)

for the Home Depot in my stocking...around $5000 would be nice. :P

It's my first house, so heck yeah I'm totally decorating. I'm making the bf get his butt up on the roof for lights even. :P

'Deck the Halls' yet? You should! It might give your BF incentive! :P

But I have seen Christmas Vacation a million times. :)

Okay, I may not make him get up on the roof, since I don't own a ladder (yet, it's on the list with a bunch of other stuff I need). But I have a lot of bushes, so we'll put lights out there.

It's pretty funny, in a goofy sort of way!

Light hearted banter.

I think I meant to say the movie; "Deck the Halls" (sorry)

http://www.deckthehallsmovie.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790604/

With Danny Devito & Matthew Broderick

:)

The only reason my landlord wants rent is to buy more.It's so festive here! :)

:rofl:

:hi:

And I mean CRANK it to wall shaking levels. There's nowhere else I could get away with the volume I play music at, so it's a fair trade off. Besides, what's he going to do, call the cops? :evilgrin:

:rofl:

I can play my music really loud too, if I choose to but that's
because I barely have any neighbors anymore, not because of crack! :P
They've all moved out and we're next...

I wish I had some altruistic reasoning behind it, but I don't. It just doesn't seem the time or effort... While there may be some positive effects, and maybe I can spin it in such a way to piss off some people who bug me, but those just unintended benefits... Oh and no, I don't have any kids whose holidays I am ruining because I'm a scrooge.

Although, I was tempted by an idea to decorate Halloween with Christmas shit, and christmas with Halloween stuff... Now the reactions that would get would worth the little bit of effort required.

colored lights in a tasteful amount. :-)

:P

Hope they look pretty! ;)

if you use this! :P

There is no way i would contribute more to the electric and oil companies for a bunch of lights burning that mean absolutely nothing .

;)

One of the advantages of living in a rural area is the lack of neighbors who live close enough to whine about the C9's sticking out from my eaves in June. I replaced a few burnt out bulbs last weekend and fired up the houselights and the semi-permanent strands woven through our trees (not noticeable at all during the spring and summer once the leaves grow in) without fanfare. I'll have the icicles, the lawn decorations, and the blue light "lake" with the ice skating penquins out next weekend. I also have some nice 10" tree decorations that I use to transform the 30' redwood in my front yard into a giant XMas tree. No lights or anything, just old fashioned paper strands and plain glass ornaments (actually, they're shiny plastic, but they look like glass).

My house isn't too bad in the grand scheme of things. I have about 7,500 lights total, about half of which are LED's. I have no cheesy inflatables, nothing plastic, and no lights dancing to music. Most of the LED's aren't even colored, and none blink. It's tasteful, and it only bumped my power bill by about $20 last year. I wouldn't even have that many if we didn't string lights along the fences, but we have about 500' of roadway frontage that my kids insist on decorating every year (those are all LED's).

I've always thought that it was an ostentatious waste of energy and money. Instead, I donate that money I save on the electric bill to my favorite charity.

Besides, the vast majority of house decs are done really poorly, either very pedestrain or gaudy as hell.

A white candle light in each of the 9 windows on the front of the house and a lighted 2 foot diameter pentagram.

Nothing huge. And nothing that will stay on more than a couple of hours each night (I have them set on timers). I refuse to make myself miserable. I recycle. I keep my house at a chilly 60-65 degrees. Dammit, I'm having Christmas lights and a tree inside and you can't make me NOT have one or guilt me into it no matter how hard some try.

Out of pure laziness.

Bolingbrook, Illinois. Last week I had to go there for a wrestling meet and turned a corner to see this site like none other...Happy Hannukah, a Star of David, Happy Kwanzaa, A Kwanzaa Kinara, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, a Christmas tree and Feliz Navidad!

They covered them all.....if only ALL communities were as thoughtful.

of lights across the bushes.

to do the holiday. Been that way for a long time. Living alone and having no obligations for the holidays gives me the opportunity to not give a crap. :)

Promote global warming and they are too expensive.

This year is perhaps no different than any other year for many of us. Since I could not get married this year, my answer is still no.