Holiday light displays are beautiful but be careful with them. Be sure to know what you are doing. In the much-loved Christmas movie, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Clarke Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, gets a bit overambitious with his display, resulting in frustration, chaos, and an overloaded power grid!
Sure, it’s a movie designed for laughs, but the hazards are real. It is wintertime and the increased darkness, and the additional ice and snow, make going up on ladders very dangerous. It is a lovely way to bring the Christmas spirit to the neighbourhood, but a lot of work, too. Doing it yourself can be dangerous. There is an increased risk of fire, as well as injuries and falls.
Doing It Yourself
If you are the DIY type, be sure to know what you are doing. These Christmas displays have probably been in the basement for the past year, and they will need to be inspected before they are replaced. Be sure there is no damage, and no frayed cords or broken sockets.
Clark Griswold’s display had too many light strings together and too many plugs attached to one socket or extender. Don’t attach more than three strings together. This is a definite fire hazard. Professionals do it right. They know what to do and put safety first.
Benefits of Having lights Installed Professionally
There are good reasons to hire someone to do it for you. It is more convenient for one thing. People are too busy to do it themselves, and getting up on the roof is daunting at any time of the year. It is very much a safety issue, especially in the wintertime. Companies who will do it for you know what they are doing and there is much less risk or danger.
Companies can do the installations without damaging the roof, the walls or the eaves with nails, staples or tacks and they save you from having to climb ladders, untangle cords, and from walking on the roof.
Professional services are a big help at a busy time. Most people start to think about installing their displays or hiring around November, so now is the time. Professional services have insurance if anything goes wrong. They also have experience in electrical displays, and they can bring in any themes. They can save electricity costs as well, by making sure that everything is in order.
And the final reason to hire professionals to put up your Christmas light display? They take it down too! While putting it up might be a motivational project, taking it down in January is a chore. The professionals will take it down, and store it for you, too.
It’s winter! Sit back and relax and enjoy the movies and the lights of the season.
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