For some, the holiday season begins when the tree goes up. For others, it’s the day the first Christmas card arrives. For many, the holidays really start when the lights go up on the house.
Companies such as A+ Lawn and Landscape in Ankeny start hanging holiday lights as early as
October. “We’re usually done with most of our lighting projects by early November,” explains Brian Rudish, “because we want to avoid the ice and snow as much as possible.”

A+ will tackle nearly any lighting job, whether it’s a whole-house exterior decoration project or just hanging lights on a giant evergreen.

“We’ll use the homeowners’ own lights, if they prefer, including their lighted lawn ornaments,”
Rudish adds. But A+ can provide the lights as well. Homeowners don’t have to do anything. “They don’t even have to flip a switch because we’ll get everything set up and programmed with a timer.” And the company will return and take the lights down for you after the holidays as well.
But if the idea of using the same lighting scheme you’ve had for the past decade leaves you cold,
why not get creative with your exterior decorations this year?

Light the trees. Existing landscaping can benefit from holiday lights, but you don’t have to stick with the traditional netted lights or individual strands of exterior lighting. Don’t toss those hanging annuals baskets—use them as hanging lanterns. You can hang strings of multicolor outdoor lights from tree branches or leave them on their porch hooks to light the front entry.

No hanging baskets handy? Willow balls are available at most crafts stores. Wind these with Christmas lights and dangle them from tree branches for a soft, magical look. Or cluster several
together on top of a birdbath.

Light the windows. Don’t limit the lighted wreaths to the front door. Hang one from the upper window frame on each front window and you may not need the roofline strands at all.
If your home has window boxes, consider ornamenting them with greenery, pinecones, artificial fruits, and poinsettias. Have fun by treating the window box like a centerpiece. Add some twinkling lights for a striking after-dark illumination.

Light the candles. Vases make ideal candleholders for the front walk. Place holiday pillar candles inside clear-glass vases, nestling them on river rock to prevent tipping. Or use the candles on garden ornaments, such as birdbaths and raised planters, to add color and light throughout your winter landscape.

Light the entry. Not only can you wrap greenery and lights around pillars and the front door, but even the smallest porch can benefit from its own Christmas tree. Colorfully decorated and twinkling with lights, a mini potted Fraser fir beside the entry extends the holiday spirit beyond the living room.

Light the unexpected. Forget the prelit snowmen and deer this holiday. Try something unexpected to celebrate the season. Wrap your front planters with ribbon to resemble Christmas presents. Decorate an old sled and prop it in the landscaping or beside the front door. Twine retro lights through that old iron gate in the flowerbed or twist twinkling lights through the rose trellis.
Search second-hand stores (or the garage) for broken or unused furniture to use as landscape accents; wrapped in lights, the furniture makes a lovely setting for holiday greenery or candles. Dusted with snow and twinkling in the darkness, even junk can look beautiful again.

After all, you don’t have to have the most lights to have the best decorations in the neighborhood. You might be in the running for “most creative.”

RESOURCES

A+ Lawn & Landscaping