Light it up

Decorate for the holidays with this handy guide

Photo+illustration

Photo illustration

Story by Lindsey Egger, staff writer

All around Texarkana people have started putting up their festive Christmas lights. From simple strands on gutters to lights that change with music, everyone is showing their Christmas spirit. It can be very simple or quite strenuous, but it all depends on how much time and money you are willing to put into it.

Off of McKnight and down Jonathan there is a house that syncs their Christmas lights to a radio station while the lights flicker to the beat of the music. They have songs from “Polar Express” and classic Christmas tunes like Carol of the Bells. At first it seems as if it’s only flashing lights, but as soon as you turn on your radio and get the full experience, you realize how amazing it is.

Since we live in an area with that awkward temperature where it’s not cold enough for flaky white snow, but it’s not warm enough to be a comfortable temperature, some people have placed fake snow all over their yards.

Outdoor Christmas lights usually cost $9 at Walmart. You would also need clips, an extension cord and a ladder. They can go on roofs, bushes, trees, or pillars and blow less fuses while saving more electricity. If you’re looking for a more eye-catching look, you should go with the kaleidoscope multi-colored projector, which casts a colorful moving pattern on the walls of your house. People who want a more simple look usually use white lights with a icicle pattern. The bigger props people use such as blow up Santas or lighted reindeer usually cost between $100 and $200. Even if you have that great Christmas spirit, but you don’t have the money to show, just a few lights will show you put in an effort.

Setting up lights might seem simple enough, however you newbies should take precautions. Make sure you use a sturdy ladder and you should never put lights on trees that come in contact with power lines. Also, use the proper outlets to avoid sparks from flying. A ground fault circuit interrupter outlet will shut the circuit down if there is an over-current.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

It’s not too hard to show some Christmas spirit, so let’s light Texarkana up!