Homeowners Save Time By Outsourcing Holiday Decorating
More and more people are deciding it is much easier to pay someone else to put up the lights and outdoor Christmas decorations. Outsourcing some or all of the holiday decorating has become a growing trend. In some cases it may be safer as well as less burdensome -- especially for the elderly -- to have someone climb a ladder to get lights onto the roof or the tops of trees.
Specialty services will put up your lights and decorations, take them down after Christmas and store them all until next year. MSNBC.com reports that Darla D'Amato in Katy, Texas spent $2,200 for lights installation, storage and removal.
For Darla D’Amato, lightening up means letting someone else climb a ladder to hang Christmas lights on her family's new 5,600 square-foot home in Katy, Texas. She paid $2,200 for a crew of people to hang Christmas lights and later take the lights down and store them until next Christmas. She said her new house is too tall for her husband to hang the lights, but having Christmas lights is a tradition in her family.
"Just thinking about getting all the Christmas stuff down every year just gives my husband a heart attack," said D'Amato, an executive at an investment firm. "It is much more time efficient for us to hire someone who knows what they’re doing."
Those willing to spend more for a unique design can spring for a custom installation. WOAI.com reports that Brite Ideas Decorating, an Omaha-based company with franchises nationwide, provides installations starting at $1,000.
Freeman said about 3 percent of his customers spend $10,000 or more per year to spruce up their lots - one customer paid $73,000 this year for mostly custom-built pieces to display.
An LED-animated scene of three elves putting a star on a tree costs $3,900 according to the Brite Ideas Web site. Santa on a motorcycle costs $1,950. Combining displays for neighborhood bragging rights can quickly run up the price tag.
After all, it's hard keeping up with new decorations, neighborhood aesthetics and an ever-increasing holiday spirit.
"It's definitely the high end market, where people want something new and unique and they're willing to pay for it," Freeman said. "They just want to stand out."
The higher end services offer installion, removal and storage of the decorations. To find a service in your area check the local newspaper advertisements or try an online search for keywords like "holiday lights installation", "Christmas lights installation" or "holiday decorating" plus the name of your city or town. Many local interior and outdoor landscaping companies also provide holiday decorating services.
