Christmas Lights

Lighting up your abode for the holidays
isn’t just a DIY option anymore


Chances are, everyone knows someone like Clark Griswold, the inept dad who wanted his family to catch the traditional holiday spirit in the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” One telling scene had Clark trundle up a stepladder with a baled string of bulbous Christmas lights to get the homestead ready for the occasion, nearly destroying the house and risking his life in the process.

Darren Steele, who runs Edmonton-based Darren Does That and has been illuminating home exteriors to greet the season, says he’s the beneficiary of all the guffaws in that classic moment, in that households hire him for that task once they realize the hazards involved in doing it themselves. “The classic Griswold scene is famous,” said Steele, who’s been brightening homes for 14 years, “and when people are thinking about doing their place up to the nines, that’s one of the touchstones they refer to.”

Folks lighting up the domestic compound on their own are about as traditional as midnight mass, beautifying that coniferous tree, and carving the turkey. Hardier traditionalists would argue that breaking out the bulbs is cheaper, especially when reusing those strings of lights, and helps bring the family together when everyone chips in to complete the task. 

But notions of those Griswold rooftop misadventures are what often prompt families to seek the help of a professional. Susan Larison, who’s been running St. Albert-based iStar Lights with her husband Brent the past four years, says she frequently gets calls from folks who’ve seen neighbours injure themselves while prepping their homes for Christmas.

“When people were doing their own Christmas lights back in the ‘50s, they were doing it with a stepladder and people were getting hurt”

Susan Larison, IStar Lights

Companies like iStar are far more sophisticated when on the job. They might break out the stepladder on occasion, but more aerial efforts more likely require a cherry picker. And with LED lights being smaller and more versatile, companies can customize tracks to install them to match the exteriors. Regardless of how elaborate the final results might be, job safety remains top of mind. Most companies make sure their labour is covered by WCB insurance.

“Safety is our top priority, and our longstanding presence in the region has allowed us to develop the highest standards for safe and reliable holiday decorating.”

Steven Knight, owner of Five Star Holiday Décor, a North American franchise operation that started in Edmonton in 2010.

Even if homeowners are safety-conscious, Larison warns that opting for the high-tech route could turn into a trial-and-error exercise. “Permanent lights are a little more complicated than I think one assumes,” said Larison, whose husband is a tech-savvy engineer. “It’s taken us hundreds of hours to figure all that out.”

When families figure out that outsourcing the exterior decoration option is a best bet, they’re faced with whether they want them up temporarily each season or get them permanently installed. Steele, whose operation can handle both those tasks, sees the advantage in having them put up exclusively for the holiday season. 

“They cost an awful lot less money than a permanent lighting system,” he said. “And temporary lights can be strong in all sorts of places for the season when you see the lights themselves. You’re not going to install permanent lights around your shrubbery and around your columns because they’re really visible and look really bad.”

But Knight argues going such a route amounts to unnecessary annual labour, storage issues when decorations aren’t being used, and becomes less cost-effective when lights need replacing. It could also be potentially dangerous if people leave them up year-round anyway. “Temporary holiday lights, though convenient during the holiday season, must be taken down in hot summers,” he said. “The plastic covering the lights can melt under high temperatures, posing a fire risk.”

Companies like iStar and Five Star specialize in permanent lighting, which is easier on a bank account in the long run. “The feedback I’m getting from customers is that is so pricey anyway, that getting permanent lights pay for themselves in a handful of years,” indicated Larison.

Knight also noted that a one-time installation can be used for more than the Christmas season. “This permanent lighting system offers thousands of lighting patterns and colors, allowing homeowners to customize their displays for any occasion, holiday, or celebration,” he said. “This versatility enhances the curb appeal of the property throughout the year.” Steele often gets asked by clients to put up a system using their favourite hockey team colours, so the house can be lit up on game days. Larison has also found that Edmonton Oilers fans like to illuminate their homes in orange and blue throughout the hockey season, while others use the system to celebrate events like Valentine’s Day and Halloween.

Larison has nothing against people who still insist on decorating their homes themselves. “For people who want to do string lights, I understand that. They’re more affordable and happy. When I drive around in St. Albert communities and see string lights, I love that.”

Still, do-it-yourselfers are at the risk of falling prey to the Clark Griswold syndrome. To those people, Larison has one piece of advice: “I would say just be careful.”

Permanent lights are a 
little more complicated 
than I think one assumes. It’s taken us hundreds 
of hours to figure all 
that out.