Decorative To Do List

This is the weekend to get ready for the holiday season. Besides gift shopping many homeowners get into the holiday spirit by decorating their homes — inside and out. With four weeks left to go, it's time get out your holiday décorations and make a list of "must have" greeneries and accents.

Here's a list of things you should try and get done this week:

• Before you begin to decorate your house for the holidays, be sure that it is clean and organized so your décorations aren't competing with clutter.
• Test all your outdoor lights before you begin to hang them and make sure that you have enough strands to go around. Be sure that your extension cord can handle the weather and voltage. If you need to purchase new lights, be sure to purchase energy-efficient lights.
• If you want to add some extra holiday cheer to your neighborhood, you can use topiaries, icicles, and lawn figures to dress up the outside of your home. Adding decorative garland and wreaths to your front door, windows, fence or porch will give your home great curb appeal during the day.
• It's also time to dig out your indoor décorations, which can be quite plentiful. Remember to liven up the mantels, stairways, doorways, foyer and great room with fresh greenery.
• If you put up an artificial tree than this is a great week to get it assembled and decorated. If you enjoy a live tree, you might want to wait one more week before you go and cut or purchase it.
• Most importantly, enjoy the time spent with your family decorating and reminiscing.