Chattanooga Christmas Decorating Tips

Tis’ the season for Ice on the Landing, Sports Barn Turkey Trot, Grateful Gobbler and Chattanooga homeowners channeling Clark Griswold. Thanksgiving in Chattanooga signals the official start of the Christmas season. It's also when dads throughout Scenic City neighborhoods start to teach their kids everything they know about exterior illumination.

Could the most wonderful time of the year end up being the worst time of the year for the roof on your Chattanooga home? It can be if you follow the Clark Griswold method for putting Christmas lights on your home. Here's a look at how to make your home merry and bright without damaging your roof.

While putting up Christmas lights looks quick and easy on Christmas Vacation, the process used can damage your roof. Staples penetrate the shingles on your home creating a hole. Regardless of the size of the staple, anything that creates holes in roofing material is an immediate problem. Multiply that times the number of staples that would be used across a decorated roof, and you have many small entry points for moisture. Staples are not necessarily on Santa's naughty list for home decoration, but if you absolutely must use staples for putting up exterior Christmas lights, be sure to staple the lights to wood, not your shingles. Take it from the big guy himself, “Staples on the roof are a no, no, no.”

What's the best method for hanging outdoor Christmas lights? The best method for putting up exterior Christmas lights is to use plastic clips. These clips should, pardon the pun, be a Holiday staple for any Chattanooga homeowner that aspires to become neighborhood decorating royalty. They are available in a variety of styles which can support the wide variety of outdoor Christmas light styles.

Santa uses the roof on your Chattanooga home as a landing strip once a year, which is more than enough foot traffic on your roof (aside from roof maintenance inspections by a Chattanooga roofing contractor). We greatly suggest that homeowners skip the roof décor. The more foot traffic on your roof, the more damage that is potentially done to asphalt shingles. If decking the halls causes roof damage, we can guarantee it’s not going to be a happy new year.

So, if you won’t be climbing up on the roof this Christmas season to decorate, that means you won’t be in danger of getting hurt while decorating. Right? Not exactly. According to the National Safety Council, emergency rooms see thousands of injuries involving holiday decorating every season!

To keep it a Merry Christmas in Chattanooga this season, here are some Christmas decorating safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

·         Keep potentially poisonous plants – mistletoe, holly berries, Jerusalem cherry and amaryllis – away from children

·         If using an artificial tree, check that it is labeled “fire resistant”

·         If using a live tree, cut off about 2 inches of the trunk to expose fresh wood for better water absorption, remember to water it and remove it from your home when it is dry

·         Place your tree at least 3 feet away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources, making certain not to block doorways

·         Avoid placing breakable ornaments or ones with small, detachable parts on lower tree branches where small children can reach them

·         Only use indoor lights indoors and outdoor lights outdoors, and choose the right ladder for the task when hanging lights

·         Replace light sets that have broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections

·         Follow the package directions on the number of light sets that can be plugged into one socket

·         Never nail, tack or stress wiring when hanging lights and keep plugs off the ground away from puddles and snow

·         Turn off all lights and decorations when you go to bed or leave the house

Up on the housetop is best left to Christmas radio and not your outdoor Christmas decorations. Not taking Christmas decorating tips from the Clark Griswold playbook is a great way to ensure it’s the most wonderful time of the year for you and your family! Here’s to another great Holiday season in Chattanooga!