Simple yet elegant this beautiful layout used classic elements of white pine roping, wreaths, white lights and touches of red throughout the design. Photo Courtesy John’s All Season
For years Howard Beach houses have been the source of oooh’s and aaaah’s from drivers and passersby in reaction to the neighborhoods Christmas lights. One Howard Beach company says they can make your house into a car stopper too and that’s not all.
Johnny Tiro, owner of John’s All Season Holiday Decorating, says that people love their Christmas lights, but it doesn’t stop there. “People are getting into decorating for every holiday,” Tiro says, with the biggest spikes coming at Halloween and Easter. More and more these “secondary to Christmas” holidays are finding homeowners celebrating with some form of lighting.
But decorating a house on a large scale is no easy task, and many proud displays are accompanied by tales of woe and sometimes have dangerous complications. Short circuits, fires and the risk of falling off a ladder are all good reasons to avoid the risk according to those in the business of professional decorating.
Tiro, who started the business 13 years ago, with partner John DiLorenzo, definitely agrees. Over the years he says he has seen interest grow tremendously. “Decorations make everybody feel better and they really promote the spirit of a holiday—they just brighten your day.” That’s why he says his customer base continues to grow.
Another thing fueling the boom is the change in the actual decorations. The Illuminated blow-ups tethered to front lawns and LED computerized/musical light shows of today are a far cry from the big red bows and giant multi-colored bulbs of yesterday.
And even for those not interested in elaborate displays, Tiro says virtually all of his new customers say the same thing after decorating—or trying to decorate—themselves. “It’s so funny,” he laughs, ”The first thing they say is ‘I had no idea how much was involved’.”
And according to reformed decorators it’s not just the work of actually putting the decorations up. It’s the initial shopping for your stuff, thinking about a design, planning it out, placing the decorations, making sure they work, then taking it down and packing it all, having a place to store it where it will be safe so it looks good and works for the next year, that may seem a little overwhelming, shall we say, to some.
Tiro contends that using a professional decorator will get you a beautiful display and save you lots of time and work. But he says there is some serious advice for anyone doing it themselves. It’s on an issue which he says should never be compromised–safety. “People can get carried away sometimes and they have to make sure there’s enough power to handle what they have.” Not knowing the wattage and amperage of the decorations or the house’s capabilities, he warns, is certainly a recipe for disaster.
The company offers customers the option of purchasing or renting a display or part of one directly from them or having their own decorations installed. By using their service he points out that a customer can change their look without having to go out and buy everything from scratch.
Displays can be as simple and elegant or elaborate as the customer chooses. The price tag for services begin with a basic design on a standard size house coming in at around $500 and increasing as does the size of the property and the level of decorations used. “Obviously the more of a blow-out you want, the more expensive it gets,” says DiLorenzo. “But no matter what we do,” he says, “we treat our customers equally in terms of maintenance and service.”
For those interested in getting on the path to Christmas decorating, John’s All Season serving both residential and commercial clients, offers services including roofline, walkway and stake lighting as well as string lights, clear or colored and LED lighting, wreaths and garland, lit and unlit, animations, Nativity Scenes and more. They are also offering a 20% discount to all first time customers only.
You can reach them at 718-751-6235 or 646-403-2259 or visit them on the Web at www.johnsallseasom.com or on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/johnsallseason
By Anna Gustafson
