GRAND RAPIDS — Rosa Parks Circle in Grand Rapids is covered in holiday string lights as far as the eye can see, but what goes up, must come down. Fox 17 spoke with an expert from a local business to find out the best and safest ways to un-deck your halls.
A simple strand of lights can make a big difference when decorating.
“I love Christmas lights, so I try to put some outside," said Grand Rapids resident, Marcia Carpenter Friday at Rosa Parks Circle.
Putting those lights away, however, isn't quite as easy as putting them up.
"That's a little stressful, doing the storing of everything," added Carpenter.
Grand Rapids resident Becky Miller shared similar sentiments.
"I have two trees, I have lighting on my cabinets, I have a Christmas village. So yes, so lights inside, but outside not so much," Miller said. "I don't want to get up on a ladder, my husband doesn't want to get up on a ladder."
It's something Joe Pellegrom and his team at Christmas Decor are used to. They spent two and a half days putting up the holiday lights at the park, but will be taking them down shortly once the new year arrives.
"We ball them up like this and keep them very organized. They don't take up a lot of space this way. So you just tuck this in, yeah, then they don't tangle, and they're easy to store," said Pellegrom.
Once you've rolled your ball of lights, it's time to find them a new home.
"A dry storage area. Maybe a plastic tote, something like that," Pellegrom said. "Just don't put them away wet, either, because they could corrode and get moldy."
A dry storage area is also a good place to store that fake tree so it stays nice and fluffy.
"I think you'd have to put it away whole, you know. And just put plastic over it, possibly," added Pellegrom.
When it comes to decorating your roof, make sure you're practicing safety measures if a ladder is involved.
"Make sure there's two people, you know, if you're going to get on a roof. Getting on and off the ladder, that's the most dangerous time. So have somebody at the bottom holding the ladder for you," Pellegrom said.
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