Decorating With Taste
When you deck out your business for the holidays consider your location, your clientele, and your budget. Should you go all out? That depends on your business.
Professionals and businesses that are otherwise conservative during the rest of the year probably should stick with more traditional holiday decor or don with a softer contemporary look. Young, hip businesses can pull off colorful trends but should still be careful not to go so over the top as to detract from their purpose of their businesses.
Red, green, silver, and gold are traditional holiday colors that never go out of style. But don't overlook the new trends in 2009. Chocolate brown ornaments are in style, as are (still from last year) some of the 70s colors including mint green, fuchsia, and pinks.
Check With Your Landlord and Local Authorities Before You Decorate
If you plan on decorating your store front window or exterior of your business, be sure to check with your local government to see if their are any city or municipal ordinances that restrict holiday decorations.
In some places, keeping up decorations past a certain date can invoke a nasty fine. In others, like historic districts, the types of decorations you can use may be restricted.
Many businesses choose to refrain from displaying ornaments and decorations that have a religious theme but this is purely a matter of taste when it comes to interior decorating. However, your business park, city, or town may have rules that regulate live or staged nativity scenes.
It is also a good idea to check with your local fire marshall to see if their are any regulations about public displays, using live Christmas trees, and lights.
Holiday Lights Safety Guidelines
- Be sure to inspect holiday lights for kinks or damage to cords and plugs and bulbs. Always play it safe and discard any item that looks worn, damaged, or that does not light properly.
- If you plan on putting up lights out of doors be sure the lights you choose are weatherproof and approved for outdoor use.
- Never string more lights together than is recommended by the manufacturer (in most cases, this means no more than three strings connected together.)
- If you use extension cords make sure they are the proper gauge. Never use indoor extension cords for outdoor use no matter how nice the weather.
- Make sure cords are tucked out of the way - not where someone can trip on them.
- Never overload electrical outlets or extension cords as this is a fire hazard and increases the risk of electrical shocks when cords are touched.
When To Pull Down the Decorations
Decorations should generally be taken down within a few days after the first of the year.
Save yourself time by placing decorations in boxes and marking what each container holds. Bankers boxes work well because they are easy to stack.
Separate strings of lights into large freezer baggies or wrap them around rolled up newspaper to help prevent damage and tangling.
Happy Holidays!
