It’s December, which means tis’ the season for holiday decorating! Whether you like it or not, holiday lights will be hung up soon, and there is no better time than now to have a handy guide sharing some information about decorating the right way!

 

Lights

It is best to buy only what you need in terms of lights. Check beforehand that any lights from previous years are working. Ensure the wires are not frayed, the prongs are not bent or broken, and no broken bulbs are left without replacements. Measure the lengths of what you would like to be stringing with lights, and don’t forget to include the distance to the nearest electrical outlet in your measurements! A good rule of thumb while decorating a tree is 100-150 lights for every vertical foot, but it all comes down to personal preference. Having excess lights can cause problems such as tripping and fire hazards, but having too few can cause too much tension and result in damaged wires or worse…your Christmas tree falling down! It is recommended to connect 3 strings of incandescent lights maximum. If you are using LEDs, most will print on the box how many strands you may connect safely. The more lights you link together from the same source, the greater the chances of danger and blowing a fuse.

 

Plugs, outlets, power strips, and more

This is a loaded topic, but let’s start from the beginning by making sure your extension cords and power strips are of good quality. It is also helpful to purchase surge protectors if you plan on plugging multiple plugs into one outlet to protect your electronics from voltage spikes and other damage. There are no holiday lights with no power, so be sure to read power capacities and all information on the packaging to know how much power each device can hold at maximum. Many outlets are different so be sure to read the usage on your lights and power strips/extension cords to ensure you are not overloading anything. A great way to prevent fires caused by overloading an outlet is to use GCFI outlets which shut down the circuit if there is too much flowing current. To tell if your outlet is a GCFI outlet, check if it has the “test” and “reset” buttons in the center. If not, talk to your maintenance technician as GCFI outlets can be easily purchased from home improvement stores and installed. Energy-efficient lights are also something to take into account, especially when it comes time to pay your electric bill. If you are unsure about any of this information or if you think something went wrong, be sure to contact staff.

 

Turning lights on and off

Everyone, especially in apartment communities, should be a good neighbor! If decorations are blocking someone’s view, move them. If lights shine into someone’s window, take them down or turn them off. Leaving bright lights on throughout the night is a quick way to make enemies and rack up your electric bill. Keeping your lights on a timer is a great way to save power, prevent fires, and keep the neighbors happy. Setting these timers so that lights come on at dusk and turn off in the early morning hours is a great rule of thumb, especially because keeping your lights on when nobody is home or when you are asleep can be an extreme fire hazard.

 

The infamous debate: How long is “too long” to have lights up for?

It all comes down to preference when “too long” is after the holidays, especially because there are so many holidays within a 1-2 month span. According to the National Fire Protection Association and the minds of neighbors everywhere, holiday lights should be kept up for 90 days maximum. After 90 days, the lights can quickly become unsafe as they are worn out by use during the season, by weather, and so on. The unwritten rule of holiday lights is that they need to be taken down by the 1st or 2nd week of January, but feel free to test it out in your community. Look around and see if others have taken their decorations down for the season yet, and be sure to look into any community policies to see if there are any rules on when decorations need to be taken down.

 

Holiday lights and decorating are a fun form of expression, but following all rules and regulations in your community is crucial. The last thing you would want is to decorate for the holidays just to find out you have to take everything down for violations of rules or hazards. If anything is unclear, ask your maintenance technicians or other staff from your community.

 

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