We hope your holiday season is going just the way that you want it. Now that your decorations have been up for a while, this is an excellent time to take a closer look at your outdoor lights and decorations. We don't mean to look for dead bulbs or rearrange light strands; in this blog, we're looking out for the safety of your house and the health of your landscape.

It's estimated that more than 80 percent of homeowners in the United States put up lights this time of year. It's impossible to tell how many of them put them up, thinking about the potential dangers of having extension cords laid across the yard.

Watch your water
One thing to keep an eye on is your irrigation system. Just because it's winter doesn't mean you should turn your system off. Grass, plants, and trees need water even if they are covered in lights, or Santa Claus figures; however, spraying water on the exposed outlet on an extension cord can lead to trouble.

Turn on your system and see where the sprinklers are hitting to ensure that you're not directing the water into an area where you have things plugged in. Besides being safe, the test will also determine if you're spraying water onto your favorite decorations. It doesn't take much H2O to damage decorations.

A little electrical tape takes your safety to the next level. Tape up every plug. The tape will help keep the water out and your connections together.

Look at the lights
Now let's take a close look at the lights. If you still have the box, make sure they are designed for outdoor use. Some bulbs are only supposed to be used inside.

New lights on the market are LED and don't heat up, but if you're using the strands that have been going on the house for generations, they may get warm. Be sure that the bulbs are not resting on dry leaves. Christmas light-related fires are rare in Florida, but they can happen.

Damaging decorations
When your holidays come to a joyous end, the last thing you might want to do is take down the decorations, but don't wait too long, especially with anything significant that's on the lawn. Yes, the grass is dormant in our mild winter, but if you leave something in the yard too long, especially anything with an extensive base, it could damage the blades. The last thing you want to see in the spring is a circle where your blow-up snow globe was on Christmas.

We hope these helpful reminders keep you and your landscape safe during this particular season. If you're looking for a new look for your property in 2020, let us know. Our landscape designers would love to show you what your home could look like in 2022.