Winter wonderland doesn’t require snow, pine trees

DEAR JOE: I love the holidays and take weeks to decorate the front yard and inside the house, but I never thought about doing anything to the backyard. Your recent articles on decorating by the pool have inspired me to do something out back. We recently moved from the Northwest and miss our traditional winters with snow and tall pine trees. Do you have any suggestions? — Hollie L. in Aliante.

DEAR HOLLIE: The holidays are not lost on those households who enjoy draping their homes with an assortment of holiday lighting and décor. As one drives down any neighborhood, you can see the beautiful displays of lights. And, there always seems to be one home that outshines the others covering every inch of the front yard and house with some holiday object or glittering light. For them more is better and they can’t seem to get their fill, attempting to find just one more spot to add the latest holiday light, character or statue.

Desert landscaping and cinder block walls don’t have the lush look found in many parts of the country. But, any area can be enchanting with the right lighting and décor. One of the advantages of living in Southern Nevada is that there are many pleasant nights one can spend outdoors by simply throwing on a light jacket. Thus, creating a winter wonderland by the pool will give you one more place to express your holiday spirit.

Creating a scene or allowing the theme of one’s home to flow from the inside out will diminish any sense of melancholy for new transients to the area. The backyard pool décor can be a continuous infusion of holiday spirit for the family to enjoy.

Open the curtains and watch the amazement in your guests’ eyes as you flip on the switch to your winter wonderland out back. Whether you add a few strands of crystal lights or go all out with a full on display, the effort with be intensified by the reflection in the pool or spa.

Prelit décor, inflatables, motion objects and lights of all shapes, style, sizes and colors allow you to re-create a popular theme or fashion your own.

For households with children, life-sized characters from their favorite storybook, movie or cartoon can be intertwined into the holiday scene. Among some of the favorites are a Disney Christmas with Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore; Dr. Seuss’ Whoville and the Grinch or Thing 1 and Thing 2; the Muppets with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Big Bird; or even Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Themes can vary from celestial with stars and angels to the North Pole with Santa, his workshop, elves and toys. Other ideas include a train theme, a collection of snow globes or religious with full-scale Nativity sets or oversized menorahs and dreidel for Hanukkah.

Energy-conscientious households may consider lining the pool deck with poinsettias, potted pine trees, luminaries or baskets of pine cones.

To keep objects in place during the occasional high winds, weight down the décor with a large rock or sand bags, or where possible stake décor into the ground. Always use outdoor-approved electrical cords and never connect more than the recommended number of lights into a circuit. Follow all safety precautions including keeping lights and cords away from direct contact with water and irrigation lines. Adding timers or remote control plugs makes turning the lights on and off convenient.

After the holidays you may decide to keep a few strands of lights up around the patio cover, entertainment area or palapa all year long. Clear twinkle lights add a romantic and festive look.

If you don’t have time to decorate the pool area this year, look for items on sale to add to your collection of holiday décor for next year. But, be careful, you may turn into the next Clark Griswold.

Joe Vassallo is the president of Paragon Pools, as well as a member of the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals, a certified building professional and a representative of the APSP National Builders Council, Region XI. Send questions or suggestions for column ideas regarding pools and spas to him at jvassallo@paragonpools.net or 251-0500.