2009

Be a good Santa

I had the pleasure of attending the “Celebrate Santa” convention back in March of this year. There were about 400 portly gentlemen attending to trade secrets on how to be a better Santa. I took all the knowledge collected at this gathering, mixed it with my own and have come up with ten tips on how you can be a great Santa. Read them now and start practicing for this holiday season. It will be time very well spent. You Have a Major Responsibility Being Santa Claus carries a lot of responsibilities. People see a good looking Santa and want…
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The rumor mill

Ahhhhh. The sound of wedding bells were recently heard in the Christmas decorating world. Our very own Melissa at Christmas Done Bright found her high school sweetheart from 20 years ago thanks to Facebook and they were married last month. A special congratulations to the new Mrs. Davis! A southerner (that’s anyone living below the North Pole) mailed me a video where some guy was saying to replace all your Christmas light fuses with nails. Hook as many strings together as you want and save big money not having to buy extension cords. This guy has figured out a quick…
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Gone with the wind

The question comes up time and time again, “How do I keep my blow molds from tipping over?” Securing a blow mold to keep it from falling down, tilting, or spinning in the wind is not difficult but it does take a bit of time. Additionally, a properly secured blow mold will help to reduce the chances of it being damaged when it falls or being stolen by a snatch-and-run thief. Here are some of the methods that I have developed over the years. Depending upon the molds I’m securing, a combination of techniques makes sure they don’t budge in…
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The Grinch again

Mrs. Grinch conned me into watching “Invasion of the Christmas Lights” on some cable channel last weekend. What is wrong with you people? So much stress and drama! I get the impression you think about decorating year-round, start putting stuff on the house in September and then can’t get it all done by your lights-on ceremony in December. Good gosh. The one year I decorated for Christmas involved putting a Bah-Humbug sign in the front window and it took me maybe a minute. Jesh. I’m quite proud of my fellow Grinches out there, though. We have a gathering every September…
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Professional home display

If you have the time to read this article then you either need more Christmas decorations to put out or you are a really organized enthusiast. Either way I am glad you took the time to visit. PlanetChristmas is dedicated to bringing the best of Christmas decorating news to you and I am honored to be a part of the process. This time of year is extremely busy and I have been running around like crazy with the normal tasks one has during the season. At the same time I’m investing hour-after-hour on a new design for my home display.…
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My search for the first snowman

Who made the first snowman? Who first came up with the idea of placing one snowball atop another and sticking a carrot in the top sphere? This was my quest for over six years. It would deplete my bank account, test my marriage and get me in with a lot of cool celebrities. I was at a career crossroads of sorts when I decided to tackle this project. Weary and jaded from working as a writer and illustrator in the shrinking magazine field for over 15 years, my flashier assignments were well behind me. I was looking for something that…
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95 foor Christmas tree in shopping mall

In last month’s PlanetChristmas magazine, I shared some tips on how to get started with a large scale Christmas display at your home. It’s time to follow up with examples of how important planning is in the world of commercial decorating. Perhaps the most common object associated with the holiday season is the Christmas tree. Add animation and musical synchronization to that tree and you have an incredible crowd pleaser. Many shopping centers realize this and are starting to install giant trees within their venues. Unfortunately, most don’t realize the amount of planning that goes into a successful display. It’s…
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Lasers in your Christmas display

Lasers have not been used much in Christmas lighting displays. They are typically viewed as too confusing for the Christmas decorator or the effects were dull and boring. The technology has evolved over the last few years and the laser industry is making systems that are user-friendly and spectacular looking for the Christmas decorator. Lighting designers and everyday Christmas decorators have been using LEDs and incandescent lights effectively. Some of these larger displays are controlled via DMX that make all of the lights on the house seem like they are turning on and off or changing colors to the music.…
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More Christmas village tips

Christmas villages began during the 1700’s with the Moravians building a Putz. What’s a Putz? It’s a display featuring the nativity and tells the story though different scenes about Mary and Joseph on their journeys leading to the birth of Jesus. As the years went by these displays became more elaborate and by the end of the 1700’s people would have nativity scenes in their homes under the tree, on the fireplace mantle and even in china cabinets. By the beginning of the 1800’s these scenes started to have other items added and stories began to unfold. By the Victorian…
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Indoor displays

It has been slow going this year setting up everything for our six open houses in December. There have been lots of new things to add, old things to repair, unloading and unpacking, thousands of trips up and down the ladder to reach everything on those darn top shelves and hundreds of trips up and down the stairs with my bad knees. Running cords to the lights, music boxes and animation is always a major chore, especially since you can’t have any of those ugly wires showing. It has been lots of hard work but it’s my obsession and I…
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