With Christmas less than 45 days away, many of you have already begun decorating your home for the most festive time of the year.

Aunt Sally has already bought all of the local Winn-Dixie’s dried fruits for her yearly fruit cake-making marathon.

Children are busy making their wish lists to send Santa at the North Pole.

Your local radio station has started playing “All I Want For Christmas Is You” on a loop.

As you begin preparing for the holidays, don’t forget one important thing that has its own Christmas wishes.

Your yard.

Yes. Your yard has needs too that can’t be forgotten during this amazing yet crazy time of year. Keep reading below to learn exactly what your lawn needs and how Cutting Edge Lawn & Landscape can help.

 

Remove Excessive Leaves and Debris

 

Before you begin your outdoor decorating journey, make sure you take a little extra time to remove excess debris and leaves from your yard. No, you don’t have to remove the leaves from all areas of your yard but be sure to pay special attention to areas that your power cords may encounter.

Not only will taking this extra bit of time give your yard more curb appeal, it can also deter fires. Having extra leaves and debris can be a huge fire hazard and the likelihood of a fire dangerously close to your home increases.

Feel free to use this time to add a fresh layer of mulch around your plants and bushes. This can be the perfect way to insulate your delicate plants until spring arrives.

 

Use Outdoor Décor That is Lightweight

 

Your lawn will be damaged if you use Christmas decorations that are too heavy. Your grass will be damaged, and your lawn may even develop sunken spots and become uneven.

Many companies now make extremely lightweight, fabric decorations. These have a fan attached and blow air into the decorations, keeping them afloat and tethered to the lawn. These types of decorations keep damage to your yard at a minimum.

If you have children or pets, keep in mind that these types of decorations are especially appealing to them. Children may want to play with them, which can cause damage to the grass. Your pets and neighboring pets may also get in the middle of the decorations and ruin them. Keep all this in mind when choosing the inflatable type of decorations.

 

Consider Moving Your Decorations Throughout the Season

 

If you don’t choose to use inflatable decorations, consider moving your decorations at regular intervals throughout the holiday season. If you keep heavier decorations in one spot for possibly months at a time, your grass will most likely be damaged.

When spring rolls around, you are likely to have ugly, bare spots on your previously pristine lawn.  Most of the potential damage can be avoided by using lighter decorations or by rotating them throughout your yard.

Simply make a Christmas decorations schedule for yourself. Keep your heavier decorations in place for up to two weeks at a time. After they have set there for this time frame, move them and keep them in place for another couple of weeks. Keep this rotation throughout the holiday season.

 

Primarily Use Decorations That are Attached to Your Home

 

If you want to have minimal damage to your lawn that you’ve worked hard on, consider hanging Christmas lights from your home. By utilizing lights only, you are saving your lawn from the excessive weight of heavy Christmas decorations.

Using lights can bring amazing curb appeal to your home as well. Don’t try to be Clark Griswold but a tasteful amount of lights can bring cheer and make your home beautifully inviting for the holiday season.

 

Please Use a Timer for Your Christmas Lights!

 

If you choose to use Christmas lights on your home or on your lawn displays, please remember to use a timer. Using a timer is vital in saving your lawn. A timer can keep you from having to trek across your lawn every day to turn the lights on.

The extra foot traffic can be detrimental to your yard in the winter months. There’s no need to walk across your yard, plugging in light strands as you go-only to turn around and have to trudge back across the lawn to go back inside. Grab a timer at your local hardware store and presto! All your Christmas light worries are gone.

 

Never Use Candles!

 

Sure. Candles are beautiful, but they should NEVER be used as part of your outdoor Christmas decorations!

Candles are a tremendous fire hazard. Between your yard, shrubbery, inflatable decorations, etc., this is absolutely no place for a fire to start. If your lit candle tips over, a quickly moving blaze moving towards your home could be likely.

If you absolutely must use candles, ALWAYS burn them while you are at home. Never leave your home unattended with candles burning inside or outside of your home. You and your home’s safety depend on it!

 

Always Check Your Lights!

 

Before completing your Christmas light masterpiece, make sure that none of your light strands are frayed or damaged in any way. Always plug the light strands in as you unpack them, to be sure that nothing is damaged or working incorrectly. After ensuring the lights are working properly, you can then begin your decorating journey.

If you do use frayed or damaged lights, you are putting your yard and your home at risk for a fire. Please do not take this risk. Always use fresh lights or lights that you have tested before setting them up for the season.

 

Cutting Edge Lawn & Landscape is here for all your lawn care needs and can answer any questions you may have about your winter lawn care maintenance. Cutting Edge can make sure that your lawn’s Christmas wishes come true.

Cutting Edge Lawn & Landscape offers snow & ice removal, landscape maintenance, tree trimming, landscape design and so much more.

Give us a call today!