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South Carolina's Most Trusted Roofer Since 1950
Now that we’ve all stuffed ourselves for Thanksgiving (and probably enjoyed some good college football games), we are headed straight into December and the brilliant Christmas season! This can mean one thing (well, besides shopping), and that’s HOLIDAY DECORATIONS! Read on for some trends and safety tips for outdoor holiday decor.
Let’s start off by looking at some the most popular decoration trends of 2022. Wayfair.com has their list of the most ordered items, including some classic favorites like the lighted “fawn & doe,” and a large inflatable “penguins & snowman.” Check out the full list here.
Popular Mechanics also has a great list of current decoration trends – including the new “Crystal Lighted Angel Display,” and the ever popular pre-lit garland (using LED energy efficient bulbs). Then there’s our personal favorite – the Crystal Snowman, standing at 5′ tall and featuring over 300 LED bulbs, with nice accents of a top hat, scarf, twigs and pinecones. It’s actually on sale at Wayfair.com – check it out here.
Now that you’ve stocked up on some new decor, and probably just unpacked all your older decorations, let’s review some tips that can help you stay safe and also keep your home in tip-top shape.
No one thinks about falling off a ladder – until they do! Please make sure you follow these 5 safety tips on proper ladder safety before even thinking about getting on your roof to put up holiday decor. The Safety Alliance has them posted here.
Almost every outdoor decoration these days have lights, most of them powered by electricity. The last thing you need to be doing is trying to plug in electrical lights in the rain. If the weather looks bad, just organize everything and put a plan of action together for when the sun is shining and everything is DRY. You should never climb a ladder or get on your roof when it’s wet.
Use only outdoor rated extension cords, and double check to ensure your decorations are rated for “outdoor use.” Also make sure all of your lights/decor are plugged into a GFCI outlet, preferably an outdoor one. Without ground-fault protection, damaged strings of lights could electrify a wet roof.
Do not staple or nail lights to your siding, shingles or gutters. Please! Staples or nails will absolutely damage your home and could lead to further issues. Use the all-purpose holiday light-clips! These inexpensive items clip to shingles, siding or gutters and work with a variety of lights, ropes and icicle lights. Installed properly, they do not damage your home and can be removed and used next year.
If you are placing inflatables or other items on your roof, make sure you never place anything on a roof that angles more than 45 degrees. The steep will be too sharp to ensure proper safety.
Also any decor on your roof will need to be tied down to some type of weight, but don’t go overboard. Sandbags weigh too much and could damage your roof. We recommend a small wooden base that can be properly tied down with ropes and clips.
Also, make sure your rooftop decorations are far away from any vent pips, chimneys (fire hazard), electrical lines or low-hanging limbs/branches. All of these could lead to serious issues in the case of some wind gusts.
Now that you’ve got some ideas on new decor, and have all the proper safety tips down, get out there and make all of your neighbors jealous of your amazing outdoor Christmas light show LOL! We hope everyone stays safe this holiday season, and if you are up on top of your house roping down an inflatable sleigh, and you happen to notice anything questionable with your roof, contact Clyde Nettles immediately. We’ll send someone out ASAP to check it out, so shopping and your light bill will be the only things you have to worry about this year! 
Happy Holidays!
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