Cajun Nights with Lights
They twinkle. They sparkle. They glow and glimmer and shine.
Christmas lights turn whole neighborhoods into holiday wonderlands.
They’ve even entered the digital age.
There are light displays that have sensors that choreograph the lights to songs that are playing on the radio, said Jessie Bienvenu of Cajun Celebrations, a design company that will decorate the exteriors of homes and businesses for the holidays.
For the average person, the digital approach takes too much time, expense and planning to be feasible. But a little planning before putting out decorations is advisable.
“I like to bring out the architecture of a place,” Bienvenu said, “the roof lines and doorways.
“Of course, you want to go where they get the most play – maybe they have a great outdoor living area where the host parties,” Bienvenu said.
The next thing to consider is what kind of lights to drape around the house.
“This year, more traditional is in,” said Ashley Carmichael Doyle, a designer with Julie’s Etc., also a design company that helps homeowners create their holiday decor.
“We try to blend with the rest of the home,” Carmichael Doyle said. “We decorate with the interior colors they already have.”
“The lights we usually use are small lights,” she said. “It’s the customer’s preference, but we tend to use more of the white lights. We do fun doors with multi-colored lights for children.”
Wrought iron gates are another spot that may be strung with lights.
Garland can be woven into the design with lights as the accent, as can bows and ribbon.
“If it’s indoors, use silk or glittered ribbon,” Carmichael Doyle said. “It’s beautiful when the light hits it.”
When stringing lights on the tree, Carmichael Doyle recommends doing more than just wrapping them horizontally around and around, as most people do.
“On the average 7 1/2-foot tree, I use seven packs of lights,” she said. “I wrap them around individual branches. Lighting takes time. I go down each stem and each branch and light it.”
The lights are what accent holiday decorations of any kind, whether it be wreaths, garland or trees.
“Lighting is important, especially at night,” Carmichael Doyle said. “If you don’t have lights, you can’t see the decor.”
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November 30th, 2008 by Ragin Cajun /
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