If a St. Louis home is adorned with festive lights, then you’d better believe Laura Thake knows about it. Since 2015, Thake has operated the website Holiday Light Hopping, an interactive guide to all things cheerful and bright. Thake has spent untold hours driving across the region to admire the most dazzling and colorful home displays, which are submitted by homeowners and later vetted and photographed by Thake herself. As St. Louis’ resident “Queen of Gleam,” Thake is an expert on illuminating the holiday spirit and transforming ordinary homes into whimsical wonderlands. Before you plug in your first set of string lights this month, consider these bits of sparkling wisdom.
1. Think from the top down. Grab your ladder, and enter Kris Kringle’s domain. Decorating your roof will help your display look more complete. Simple touches, such as lighting the ridge line and making your gutters glow, can make your house appear more attractive from street level. If heights aren’t your thing, there are several St. Louis companies that specialize in holiday light installations.
Get a fresh take on the day’s top news
Subscribe to the St. Louis Daily newsletter for a smart, succinct guide to local news from award-winning journalists Sarah Fenske and Ryan Krull.
2. Use your entire yard. If you’re building a winter wonderland scene, spread it out. And make it colorful. “If it’s the first time I’m visiting somebody’s house, I love to turn the corner and see it from 100 yards away,” Thake says. “Bring things out to the curb. Sometimes people tuck everything against the foundation of their house like they’re protecting it. That’s no fun.”
3. Don’t waste space. Once you’ve hung the lights, step back and survey the scene. If you notice any empty areas, consider filling them with decorations such as inflatables, blow mold figurines, or other smaller lights. “Sometimes people forget the windows, and they’re just these black holes,” Thake says. “The more light, the better.”
4. Bask in the spotlight. If you’re using several smaller decorations and ornaments to create a scene in your yard, then be sure they have adequate spot lighting. “If people driving by can’t see them, there’s very little point,” Thake says.
5. Find the right bulbs. The rooms inside your home might be lit with LED bulbs, but those aren’t always the best choice for an outdoor display. “LED lights last a lot longer, and they’re brighter, but they have a very cold color effect compared to the old-fashioned C7 and C9 bulbs,” Thake says. “Those are usually warmer lights. Your bulb choice might depend on what you want to do.”
6. Make it interactive. Embrace the spectacle—as well as the crowds that are sure to flock to your street to get a peep of your decorative display. Bring out a festive bench and call it a selfie station. You can also hide holiday characters around the yard so that kids can play a game of Where’s Santa?
FYI: For more inspiration, check out Thake’s map of the best free holiday light displays in St. Louis at holidaylighthopping.com.
