Central Florida comedian Jeff
Jones gives decorating tips on how
to have a festive holiday yard
L O R A K O R P A R
Central Florida stand-up comedian Jeff Jones has been getting people into the holiday spirit
with his grand and elaborate Christmas decorations for the past 15 years. Now, he is
sharing some of his decorating advice.
Jones began doing comedy 14 years ago
when his friends signed him up for a standup
class for his birthday. Today he is known
not just for his stand-up, but also for his
award-winning comedy shows across Central
Florida.
Though comedy is Jones’ career, during
the holiday season, decorating is his passion.
In December, his front yard is lit up
by thousands of colorful lights wrapping
around his house and trees. Projections of
snowflakes move across his garage and candy
canes sprout from the ground.
Also, several large inflatable Christmas
characters, such as Santa Claus and his
reindeer adorn his front lawn. Nutcrackers
surround his large Christmas tree made
of lights.
Jones’ house has become a Christmas
attraction, even winning his subdivision’s
Yard of the Month award in Dec. 2018.
“I love
Christmas
lights and I
loved seeing
them on other
people’s houses
as a kid,” Jones
says. “I started
small and it has
grown over the years by adding more to my
collection.”
Jones got into the Christmas spirit and
shared some tips for those decorating their
yards for the first time to help you create a
festive front lawn.
- Don’t buy anything at full price
Jones says that this was the piece of advice
he wants to stress more than anything else,
as it is easy to fall into the trap of overpaying
for Christmas decorations.
He suggests that people visit stores the
day after Christmas and buy all their holiday
supplies for the following year at a discount.
“The big thing for me is to go get stuff
for half-price after Christmas,” Jones
says. “That’s the best way to build up for
next year.”
- Use LED lights rather than incandescent
“Transitioning from incandescent over
to LED lighting is a lot easier,” Jones says.
“Before, when it was all incandescent
lighting, it was hard to get a ton of lights
without blowing fuses and having enough
plugs and extensions for it.”
LED bulbs use less wattage to run and
heat up a lot less than incandescent lighting,
making them the more energy-efficient and
safer option.
Also timers that connect to LED lights are
easier to deal with and have WiFi capability
so that all the lights will turn off and on
at the same time, sparing you the hassle
of replacing multiple bulbs throughout
the season.
- Do not leave inflatables deflated during the day
If using inflatable characters as
decorations, Jones says that only inflating
them at night makes the lawn look bad. He
recommends inflating them in the early
afternoon.
“They look dead when the inflatables are
deflated,” Jones says. “They’re made to be
seen during the day as well.”
If you’re worried about your electric bill,
just remember you are balancing it out with
your new, energy-efficient LED bulbs.
- Make sure to fill the space appropriately
Decorations should be spaced out evenly
without any obvious holes. Jones says one
of the most
important
elements when
it comes to
decorating
is knowing
your space
and filling it
appropriately.
“Don’t put too much in a small yard and
not enough in a large yard,” he says.
Jones also says there is no such thing
as adding too many lights and decorations
(unless it is impeding traffic).
“I do everything over-the-top, so why not
Christmas as well?” he says.
- Try to make some of your decorations
Many items advertised as being
specifically for Christmas are overpriced, so
Jones suggests using items not traditionally
used for Christmas decorating.
“I think there’s a lot of stuff people can do
on their own they can just experiment with,”
Jones says.
Go through your attic, shed and garage
and let the creative juices flow. Maybe some
old wood in the yard can be constructed into
a pen for your reindeer or that retro disco
ball you’ve been holding onto can convert
the yard into an elf dance club. Try and think
outside the gift box.
Jones will be out in the yard again this year
decorating for Christmas. He plans on adding
new elements such as more DIY projects and
alternating between white and colored lights.
“I want people to just come by and enjoy
it,” Jones says. “That’s all I care about. I
love the fact that I can stand in my kitchen,
look out the window and see cars slow down
when they drive past the house at night. It’s
just fun.”
This House
is Lit
Wat e r m a r k ’ s H o l i d ay G i f t G u i d e 2 0 1 9 30