CLICK HERE FOR MORE STORIES FROM OUR HOLIDAY HANDBOOK
1.
Utilize your yard. Ken Perkl’s yard features a flag pole and a giant maple, one of the reasons his home on Candy Cane Lane is a fan fave. He transforms the pole into a tree by stringing multiple strands of lights from the top into a circle around the base and finishes it off with a bright, light-up star. As for the tree, he uses smaller light-up displays as “ornaments” around the lower branches.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
2.
Take inspiration from daily life. One of Perkl’s favorite displays is a living room scene he set out in his front yard. He made use of a showy fireplace mantel he found at a church rummage, some old furniture and a used Santa Claus. The scene has a homey touch and, since he bought everything used, it only set him back about $20.
3.
Make it bright. Inflatables are nice, but Perkl says it’s the lights that draw people in because you can see them from a distance. Perkl uses a long painter’s pole to hang lights high on his maple, then uses coat hangers to hook ornaments on the easier-to-reach branches. He recommends LEDs with a yellow-gold cast – not those cold blue hues – to brighten your display.
