Get ready to make your home twinkle, sparkle and glow! The season of cheery lights and cheerful exteriors are almost upon us. How will your house look this holiday? Classic with white lights and garland or a unique color combination that will rank your residence as a must-view of the neighborhood?
Lighting your house for the holidays conjures images of Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” precariously scaling his roof to adorn his house with 25,000 twinkling incandescent lights in search of a “fun, old-fashioned family Christmas.”
Don’t be that guy.
Since 2016, Kevin Young and his team at Shack Shine have been helping homeowners realize their dream holiday displays. The Somerville-based business offers a variety of services—window cleaning, power washing, gutter cleaning and roof cleaning—but starting in early September, they launch into holiday light installations. And with over 200 houses on their client list, the season is a busy one, with installations continuing up to December 20.
Decorating homes for Diwali officially kicks off the holiday season. “We do a lot of beautiful displays illuminating the front and entrances of homes to help residents celebrate this festival of lights,” he says.
When it comes to holiday displays, Young has seen it all. “Colors are popular. We’ve done custom color patterns for people, from candy cane designs to completely random combinations, like pink, blue and orange patterns, for a cotton candy light display. They can be very unique,” he says.
Many people come to him seeking to evoke a childhood memory. “They are usually looking for a certain color, whether it is white lights or a specific color pattern,” he says. “We recently did a display for a family whose father had always done the lights and had passed away. They wanted to exactly duplicate his display.”
Before beginning a project, Young will meet with the homeowner to discuss what they are looking to do so he can present ideas, show a mock-up of the display and present price options. “We use a variety of clips to hang lights without damage; we do not put holes in a house,” he says. “Then, we return at the end of the season to remove everything.”
Trends often ride the wave of social media influencers. Last year, Young mainly received requests for traditional white lights, but in years prior the candy cane pattern was the rage.
In addition to holiday displays, Young is often called to bring that special sparkle to weddings and other events. His work can be seen at the Ross Farm annual holiday light display and the light installation on the corners of Mount Bethel Road and Mountain Boulevard in Warren.
So, how does this Master of Light decorate his own home each year? “My family has been in our current house for five years and at least four of them have been different,” he says. “We have done the classic treatment with wreaths and garland, then the following year, we’ll do all kinds of crazy colors. We have two little kids, so they like that. It’s nice to change it up each year.”
Find creative ways to light up your house at ShackShine.com.
“Colors are popular. We’ve done custom color patterns for people, from candy cane designs to completely random combinations, like pink, blue and orange patterns, for a cotton candy light display.”