The cool weather has set in, Thanksgiving has passed and the holiday season is upon us. That means it’s time to pull out your festive sweaters, create your party menus, and make a plan for your holiday lights. Of course the exquisite Highland Park Village lights come to mind as we think about our city’s most stunning holiday display. That’s why we chatted with Christmas Light Company, who annually installs the Village’s lights, and many of our city’s grandest displays — the Galleria, the AT&T Performing Arts Center, and the Hilton Anatole — to learn the ins-and-outs of Christmas light installations.
“Right now LED Lights are popular,” General Manager of Christmas Light Company, Antonio Garcia says. “They use 90 percent less power.”
He explains that it’s important you hire a professional company that knows the difference between LED and incandescent lights, because to the eye, the lights look the same.
As far as hiring contractors is concerned, Garcia suggests you do your research before letting someone install your lights.
“Look out for regular landscapers, firemen, who are not professional lighting installers. If they don’t know how to work with power they can easily burn someone’s house up,” Garcia says. “You will find that a lot of people say they have workman’s comp, but it’s usually only on the business owner and partner — contractors are not employees so if they fall off a ladder it’s on the property owner, not the business owner.”
Christmas Light Company covers all of their employees in case of emergency, thereby protecting the homeowner. And lucky for us, Christmas Light Company works with all budgets from $1,000 up to — well, the sky is literally the limit.
Garcia says they can wrap every limb and branch on a tree to make it glow so bright. And there’s no limit when it comes to religion too. “We’ve done many menorahs and blue-and-white lights,” he adds.
Leave it to the pros and the only work you have to do is decide how bright and blingy you want your home to be this holiday.
Rachael Abrams is a personal chef and freelance writer who is obsessed with home decor and practically mainlines Pinterest. Find out more about Rachael and her excellent taste by following her on Twitter.
