SAN DIEGO — According to tradition, Christmas trees and decorations should go up on the first day of Advent, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This year that date falls on Sunday, November 27, but more and more people in San Diego County are putting their Christmas decorations up earlier.
David Necaise started Design Smart Lighting 20 years ago. He and his crews have been installing Christmas lights around San Diego for decades.
“We are getting started earlier and earlier every year. Fifteen years ago we were lucky to get them to book November 1 and 2 and now, by September 28th we’re already rolling full steam ahead," Necaise said.
Necaise and his installation teams have been working seven days a week since September 28. Necaise says the shift to decorate early started during the COVID pandemic.
“I started getting calls in 2020 in July and August from existing clients and they’re like- can we put my Christmas lights up now, Dave? And I’m like- dude. I am ready! Let’s bring the joy! Let’s light up your life!," Necaise said.
Currently, the Design Smart Lighting teams are decorating 30-50 homes a week. He says the average two-story house can cost $695 dollars for lights and installation. A larger home can cost up to $7,000.
Necaise is a full service leasing company, he provides all the equipment: the lights, the chords, the attachments, etc. And he comes back after Christmas to take it all down.
He says there are companies that charge less, but he often has to go and fix work cheaper companies do. Or, he says, other companies will install the lights, then disappear after Christmas and a homeowner will call him to come and remove them. He says, “Christmas lights spark joy. I’ve been doing this almost 20 years and it brings me joy, especially when I see all the kids’ faces.”
But there are some Scrooges in the crowds. He says he ran into one just last week on Coronado.
"We’re putting up garland. It’s across the whole fence and around the block. And so this elderly gentleman started walking by us and he’s like- you’ve got to be kidding me! And I looked at him and I said- we’re absolutely not kidding you," Necaise said.
A post on the NextDoor app last week exploded with hundreds of comments and reactions. The post said:
"I mean no disrespect, and I’ll preface this with the fact that I love Christmas, but…can we make it illegal to put up outdoor Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving? I’d add playing Christmas music in stores but I realize that’s a long shot!! Sincerely, your Neighbor who’s truly not a Grinch☺️”
The post got a lot of support and a lot of scoffing. We asked people at a Rancho Penasquitos shopping center if they thought Christmas Lights should wait until after Thanksgiving, or go up now.
One couple immediately jumped back into a debate that say they’d already been having. The woman says it’s never too early. The man says you have a holiday before the holiday, so celebrate one before the other.
Another woman had a great idea about enlisting your guests to help you put up your lights on Thanksgiving.
One woman told us, “I used to think about Thanksgiving, but now I’m kind of into it a little bit. I just think not before Halloween.” One man said, “I’m an after-Thanksgiving guy. Just to get through each holiday sequentially. Linear thinking.”
Tips if you like to DIY
Whether you’re putting up your lights this weekend or Christmas Eve, Necaise has tips to do it safely.
- Don’t fall off the roof. He says, “There’s a lot of things that can go wrong. Ladder placement. Make sure you’re just taking the right steps and you’re not in a hurry.”
- Don’t crowd plugs. Use extension chords.
- Know where there could be water. If there are chords that run along the ground, you can stake them above the ground so they don’t get soaked in water.
- Make sure chords and connections are not in the gutters. Make sure they are clipped neatly and tightly outside the gutter so the connections are not soaking in water
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