Outdoor Decorating

Outdoor Christmas decorating

Halloween versus Christmas
In the past, it seemed that no two holidays could be at more opposite ends of the spectrum than Christmas and Halloween. Today, however, Halloween is viewed more as theatrics and entertainment than the celebration of something dark and has subsequently made major gains in popularity. Home haunters, professional haunts and theme parks are all growing their Halloween offerings to include much more technology… much of which overlaps into Christmas as well as other holidays and even other areas outside of holidays. As an example, when we first designed the FireFly lightning simulator family, it was all about Halloween. Churches…
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Sleigh Time
The only thing that could improve your high tech Christmas display is a Santa sleigh direct from the 19th century! We decorate our homes with the latest in LED lights. They’re synchronized by computer to our favorite Christmas carols. Not only can our displays be seen from other planets, but they sometimes remind viewers of a space ship. This is all very cool, but maybe we need to balance our displays with a nod to Christmas past. Let’s add a little influence reminiscent of Clement Moore’s The Night Before Christmas. Our mission at Christmas Past Sleigh Company is to take…
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Blowmold renewal
Collecting and showing off blow molds is a passion many of us have. The thrill of finding an elusive piece is matched only when we can get it looking like it was brand new. How do you renew an old mold? Time, some chemicals and a lot of elbow grease yield great results. Trust me. I want your blow mold to look great so follow these easy instructions. Supplies needed: Natural bristle or plastic scrub brush (caution: a wire brush can scratch the plastic) Old toothbrush Paper towels or clean cotton rags Large bucket Mild dish detergent Ammonia (use lemon…
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Being on national TV
The Belcher family was a participant in Episode 1 of ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight” for 2014. We were included in the TV show which aired December 8th. We didn’t come out on top but Mr. Weaver deservedly won the coveted light bulb trophy for his wonderful Disney castle and character creations. First, a little about our display Our 2014 Christmas display was an experiment in visual arts in which we “projection mapped” the front and one side of our two story brick and wood home. Projection mapping is a fairly new art form which in its simplest form…
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Creating the ultimate Christmas display
PlanetChristmas Magazine has featured in the past, “Over the Top” displays, all of which, I have admired. There have been articles written for newbie’s and getting them pointed in the right direction, topics on planning, and executing a display, and even discussions on various display elements. However, one concept has not been talked about directly, what truly makes a display something magical, special or unique. What is it that creates a buzz about what you do? What gets everyone talking about YOUR display? What puts your display on the “Bucket List of Christmas Celebrations?” I refer to this as the…
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Blowmolds are back!
The blow mold industry is starting to return and the interest in the inflatable market is going the way the blow molds did in the early 90’s. Quality of the new inflatables is declining and materials are getting thinner and cheaper. Blow mold production is coming back with the return of Union Cado and the returned interest from Prime Plastics. Collectors are finding that blow molds are cheaper to buy, last longer and a joy to trade with friends. I acquired my interested in blow molds in the mid 1960’s as I was growing up and would travel around with…
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10 ways to get into the Christmas business
This is the time of year when some of us start thinking about how we can make money getting into the Christmas business. It’s got to be easy, right? Christmas expenditures are over $465,000,000,000 (that’s 465 Billion dollars) per year according to market studies. It includes decorations, gifts, food, and about anything Christmas related you can think of. No matter how you look at Christmas, there’s a huge amount of money being spent. Rather than spending money during the holidays, it might make sense to consider taking advantage of the season and making money. The good news is there are…
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I was on ABC’s Great Christmas Light Fight
Now that everything is put away, the dust has settled, and the check is cashed, I thought I’d take a few minutes to share our experience with the ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight, in hopes that those of you who may be sitting on the fence about applying will take the leap and participate in Season 2. Our family and our display, “Christmas in the Grove” were the winners of Episode 4. When It All Started We were contacted in Dec 2012 by a production company that was putting the show together. I guess someone scoured the light finder…
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Build a pixel tree
If you haven’t figured it out yet, all the articles in this issue of PlanetChristmas Magazine have been leading us to building our own pixel based megatree. We’ll readily admit it’s not as easy as it needs to be, but the results are so worth it. Just look at the cover of our magazine and imagine the light patterns in a fluid movement. Our goal is to build a tree that’s two meters tall (a little over six feet), have 12 vertical legs and each leg will use 60 pixels/meter pixel ribbons. With the help of a calculator we figured…
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Rethinking decorations
So you are minding your own business, shopping in a store, any store, when you spot something that kicks your creative juices into high gear. You start visualizing the next addition to your Christmas display. You buy as many of the items as you can possibly lay your hands on and begin to incorporate it into the next display that will make you proud you ever learned how to plug in a string of lights. Your idea is a success and you have gained the adoration of Christmas light display admirers for the next 365 days. The next year you…
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