Miami Herald (Sunday)

Make spirits bright: Bring on the green(ery) for the holidays

- BY KATIE LAUGHRIDGE Tribune News Service Ask Angi

I will be the first to admit, I grew up as a bit of a stem snob. I thought the only way to bring a festive forest into my home was with real pine and arrangemen­ts.

However, thanks to Mary Carol Garrity many years ago, I have discovered that faux can be just as beautiful and much less messy. Seeing her stunning garland along with wonderful faux trees and stems had me saying no to needles and so long to sap drippings for good. Each year I get so excited to bring the holidays into my home without fearing the mess it makes on my wooden floors and favorite floor coverings.

When it comes to decorating for the holiday season, I like to start off with stems. A great display is built up in layers and levels, each as important as the next. Beginning with greenery allows a strong base canvas to display all of your holiday splendor. You can’t very well add ornaments until you get the tree up first!

While the Christmas tree is known to steal the spotlight in a room, it wouldn’t be the star it is without a little help from added greenery. Garlands and picks are just as important as the tree when it comes to your holiday displays. Picks in particular are the unsung hero of home decorating and come in a wide variety of sizes, colors and styles. You can use them to create any holiday look you want, from traditiona­l to whimsical, glam to rustic. The secret to making them look fabulous and not flat is to work with them before you start decorating. Bend and shape the branches so they look perfectly imperfect, like you just pulled them from the woods (and not a box).

I use picks everywhere from the mantel to the table. Adding a sprig to your napkin holder or a few stems to your centerpiec­e can bring color and volume to your displays. The most important place we use picks at the shop is in our trees and garlands. We use artificial trees, and picks are our go-to tool to make the trees full and lush. We tuck them in here and there (and everywhere), filling in bare places, and giving the overall tree more dimension and interest.

You can use garland all over your home, whether you want to snake some down the center of your dining table, loop it up a banister or drape it over your mantel. It is OK to improvise, too. Try cutting a 6-foot garland in half and use it to decorate your buffet, or thread it through the arms of your dining room chandelier – there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to decorating for the season! To create an interestin­g swag on each corner of your fireplace mantel, you can even cut a piece of garland in half to use on each side. Dress it up with ribbon, picks and ornaments, and you have a beautiful holiday treatment ready for family and friends to admire.

Once Thanksgivi­ng is past, homeowners’ attention will turn to decorating for the winter holidays.

You can save a lot of hassle by hiring a profession­al to hang your holiday lights, and the sooner you call to get on their schedule, the better. A pro will have the experience and training to get the best effect out of your lighting, protect it from snow and water exposure, and efficientl­y get the lights up and back down.

Some lighting companies offer holiday services, and a trusted handyman can also perform this job. This work usually costs about $400, but it can change based on the size of your home. A multistory house will cost much more, and steep roofs will raise it even more.

In most cases, installers will put up your own lights. If you don’t have lights to supply, you can often buy them from the installer, or rent a set for the season for an additional fee.

As always, make sure whoever you hire is bonded and insured. Insurance is particular­ly crucial for any work that involves ladders. If your pro doesn’t carry insurance, you could be financiall­y liable for any injuries if someone falls or an accident damages your property or your neighbor’s. A ladder that tips over can easily crash into someone else’s house, after all.

HOLIDAY LIGHTING SAFETY

If you do it yourself, take it seriously. Accidents while decorating are responsibl­e for about 15,000 emergency room visits each year, and half of those take place due to falls.

Follow the same ladder safety procedures when hanging lights as you would for any other job. It’s often very tempting to go a bit higher than is safe or reach a little more, just for long enough to hang one more thing. But that last bit of extra reach is often what causes accidents. It’s always worth it to take a moment to get a better ladder or safer perch to reach that difficult spot.

The buddy system is important for grown-ups, too; you should always have someone stabilizin­g the ladder while you’re climbing it.

For added safety, consider magnetic holiday lights, which simply stick onto any metal surface. After the holidays, you can remove them easily simply by pulling the lights down.

While you’re at it, take care not to overload your electrical system. If you draw too much power, you can trip your circuit breaker or cause risk of fire.

Any outdoor lights should be plugged into GFCI outlets. You can spot such an outlet by looking for the “test” and “reset” buttons. They’ll shut down the flow of electricit­y in event of overload, and add an additional layer of protection.

 ?? BAUHAUS100­0 Getty Images/iStockphot­o TNS BANKSPHOTO­S Getty Images/iStockphot­o ?? These traditiona­l, Victorian-style homes in a Christmas town/village are beautifull­y decorated for the holiday season.
Outdoor holiday lights can make a spectacula­r view. Profession­al help can make this task much less stressful.
BAUHAUS100­0 Getty Images/iStockphot­o TNS BANKSPHOTO­S Getty Images/iStockphot­o These traditiona­l, Victorian-style homes in a Christmas town/village are beautifull­y decorated for the holiday season. Outdoor holiday lights can make a spectacula­r view. Profession­al help can make this task much less stressful.
 ?? PROVIDED PHOTO TNS ?? Picks fill in bare places and give the overall tree more dimension and interest.
PROVIDED PHOTO TNS Picks fill in bare places and give the overall tree more dimension and interest.
 ?? TNS ?? Garlands and picks are just as important as the tree when it comes to your holiday displays.
TNS Garlands and picks are just as important as the tree when it comes to your holiday displays.
 ?? TNS ?? The secret to making picks and garlands look fabulous and not flat is to work with them before you start decorating.
TNS The secret to making picks and garlands look fabulous and not flat is to work with them before you start decorating.

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