Best holiday decorators near Boston, VA

Yes, you can try removing and replacing each individual light bulb one at a time until you find the problem bulb—just be prepared for it to take a while. The bulb tester is worth the investment if you don’t have a lot of extra time to spare or need to test several strands of lights.

Outdoor Christmas lights cost between $80 to $300 on average without installation. This comes out to about $4 to $50 per strand. You can get a box of outdoor Christmas lights for as little as $20, if you just want to decorate a small area, like a doorway. If you want to go all out and cover your entire home, you'll need between 10 to 20 strands of 100 to 200 bulbs each.

The length of time shouldn’t matter much if you stick with lightweight Christmas lights and similar decorations. Those shouldn’t pose risks to your stucco. You should avoid attaching anything to your stucco that could fall because it’s too heavy, which may take part of the stucco with it. Some methods, like using double-sided tape or adhesive hooks, will naturally wear out over time and lead to falling lights, so don’t expect to leave these lights up year-round.

It’s unnecessary to tip holiday decorators, and most professionals won’t expect it, but it’s a nice gesture to show your appreciation for their work. If the expert goes above and beyond to keep your delicate decorations safe, or they’re hanging your exterior lights and putting out lawn decorations in freezing temperatures or inclement weather, a tip between 10% and 20% of your total will be appreciated. Large jobs that include interior and exterior work are also good opportunities to tip, especially if your expert is performing a rush job close to the holidays.