BROWN M&M’S AND THE BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHT INSTALLER
Growing up, I would hear funny stories about pretentious famous people demanding to have a white limousine waiting for them with sparkling water chilled to a perfect 39 degrees. Recently, my view on these urban legends was turned completely upside down when I learned the genius back story of Van Halen's demand for no brown M&Ms. In the band’s contract, it was specified to have a bowl of M&M’s backstage waiting with absolutely no brown M&M’s. This request was a strategic move to learn if the venue was detailed enough to fully capture all the contract requirements.
If a venue failed to understand the details of the candy preference, there was a much higher likelihood the details for the sound system requirements or stage specifications were overlooked. In reality, Van Halen may have canceled only one show over a brown M&M, but there were many occasions where Van Halen’s team triple-checked everything upon seeing the brown candy.
Similarly, when hiring a Christmas Light Company, there are clues you can find just like the Brown M&Ms. Here is a simple list that may help sort out the great from the bad and ugly.
The company’s trucks. If a company does not have vehicles that are presentable with clear and clean branding, there is a good chance the company does not put energy into the little extra stuff to be excellent. The less-than-stellar vehicle image could result from financial stress or just a disregard towards the value of aesthetics. There is a greater chance a company caring to keep their trucks clean and presentable will also care about the details of your Christmas Light install.
Google Reviews and Referrals. We all had to start somewhere with no reputation. Helping someone start business is one thing, but putting blind faith into a stranger to safely scale your roof and configure an intricate network of electrical wires is another. If you can not find a massive amount of Google reviews or neighbors who are multi year rave fans, you may be signing up to have a lights out Christmas party. For companies new to the industry, even if they have experience with other lines of service, have ten times the risk of making an error that results in having non-functional or unattractive lights on your home. There is a seemingly endless list of what could go wrong with a Christmas Light display, but here are a few of the most common problems I have seen.
Putting too many bulbs on one power supply, overloading the circuit.
Using inexpensive clips not suited to last the whole season.
Leaving cut wire ends exposed, causing breakers to trip.
Setting up timers incorrectly where half the house comes on a few hours before the other half.
Not planning the installation correctly where the roof peaks do not have a bulb centered makes the lights look crooked and awkward at night.
Using old cheap incandescent bulbs to save money, but the bulbs burn out frequently and sometimes create a potential fire hazard.
Was the Quoting Process Easy, Fast, and Thorough? Suppose the company has a smooth process for quoting your display with excellent communication around the process. In that case, there is a very great chance the same company has also taken the steps to be thorough with the most important part of the installation process: Safety! Picking a Christmas light contractor differs from picking someone to trim your shrubs. Standing 30 feet off the ground with a bundle of lights carries inherent safety concerns. If your Christmas light company is not organized, there will undoubtedly be shortcomings in their safety procedures.
Christmas lights do something for me emotionally. They help us all transition into one of the absolute best times of the year. Those lights on all our houses bubble up warm, beautiful memories of the best times we have spent with those closest to us. If you ask me, everyone should put lights on their house and celebrate as a community. Christmas lights bring an irreplaceable texture to the Holidays, and picking the right contractor will ensure you spend Christmas thinking about great Aunt Judy and her famous jello bundt instead of leaving desperate unanswered voicemails because your lights are out.
