As the holiday season falls upon us, we pile wood into our fire places and enjoy hot apple cider; we also dig out our holiday decorations from sheds, garages and basements.  If you haven't done it already, you've still got time to decorate your home for the holidays.

Whether you are planning to double your power consumption this December, or just trying to keep up with the holiday spirit, we asked Roswell expert Terry Kraft of Lawn South for a few holiday decorating tips.

There is no magic solution to making your home look great for the holidays, but Kraft says, simple guidelines like following the "architectural outline of the house and roof" when stringing lights will always please the eye. 

According to Kraft, using lights to accent windows and roof lines is a winning combination.  "Hanging wreaths in windows" looks great too, says Kraft. 

When planning your design, whether you are thinking about a new light bulb record, classic look or a plethora of blinking lights, Kraft says the choice is yours, "it's really a personal taste issue."

Before you start, "safety and power" need to be the number one focus of any detailed lighting display. Overloading a circuit by stringing too many lights together can create a fire hazard. 

Using LED lights can help residents achieve the lighting experience they want without the massive power consumption and fire risk as "they use about 1/10 the power of incandescent lights."  Kraft also advices using "a 14-gauge extension cord" to reduce fire risk.

And because many of us find "time" to be a very valuable commodity around the holidays, Kraft says, "Garland is beautiful, elegant and simple." Accenting the front door and mailbox with this holiday pine will provide your home a classic look that is easy to put up as well as take down.

While we are enjoying the holiday season, Kraft reminds us to be careful when putting up holiday decorations, "If you don't get up on a ladder for a living, be careful! It's not worth spraining an ankle, or worse, just to put lights on the roof". 

The holiday decorations are beautiful and add to the cheer of the season, but most of all, Kraft says, "This is the season to give and receive."