Essentials for Outdoor Decorating for the Holidays
Whether you love spending time outdoors over the December holidays or are planning festive celebrations in your garden, make sure you have everything you need to host a memorable event.
21/12/2021
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There might not be any snow at your outdoor festivities this December but there should be plenty of lighting to set the mood.
Most everyone is going to be enjoying the December holidays this year, despite the fact that many will be staying at home and limiting their days to time spent with close family and friends. That means you have more time to spend outdoors in the garden, on the deck or patio, or the outdoor entertainment area.
If this is the case, you will want to make sure you have everything ready and organised for the fun days ahead and we look at a few essential items you need to enjoy the holidays or celebration the time of year.
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Outdoor Lighting
Unless you want the glare of a spotlight shining in your face all night, the best type of lighting for outdoors should provide enough light to see by and set the atmosphere for relaxing or partying. One of the easiest forms of outdoor lighting is LED lighting and particularly that with an IP rating that allows for outdoor use. We are talking about LED curtains, LED fairy lights and solar-powered ambient lighting.
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Solar lighting on its own, unless you have solar-powered floodlights or spotlights, do not provide a lot of light. They tend to be dim and only light a small area. If you combine solar-powered lights with a few LED lighting elements, it goes a long way towards lighting up for an evening's entertaining, whether you are dining al fresco or pumping up the beats.
Electrically-operated lighting gives you the best overall effect and nowadays, low-voltage lighting in the form of LED is more than affordable for everyone. If you are looking at lighting up the garden, make sure that any lighting you want to put outdoors has a high IP rating and is suitable for outdoor use.
Safety first when setting up any lighting in the garden. Use a weatherproof adaptor box for all your electrical connections.
Here in South Africa, we need to cover ourselves for any eventuality. Assorted lighting sources should include electric lighting, solar lighting and possibly even gas-operated lights and candles. You never know when Eskom is going to put the lights out and there is no certainty that Christmas will be safe!
Create a garland of lights over the garden or entertainment area.
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Whatever lighting you install or setup outdoors, make sure it is safe. Electrical lighting should be IP rated for exterior use, plugs and adaptors should be protected from the weather, gas lighting should be placed away from fabrics and furniture and candles should be placed in glass containers if possible.
Set up your outdoor lighting to be absolutely safe. Only use IP rated fittings that are waterproof and weatherproof.
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