As autumn gets into full swing on the East End, the holidays are right around the corner, which means the time is near to dig out the Christmas and Chanukah lights — but who’s going to hang them?
If your answer was “not me!” then you might be in the market for a professional holiday light hanging service. And one of the best local companies around performing such services is East Quogue-based Calais Flower Landscape Design and Management.
We spoke with Calais Ongania, the owner of Calais Flower Landscape Design and Management, to discuss the latest trends, what homeowners need to know and how to avoid the headache of hanging holiday lights this fall!
What are the latest trends you’re seeing?
Right now we’re decorating for Halloween for some clients and after that we jump right into Christmas lights. We put them up, but we don’t turn them on until they need to be on. Usually at the beginning of November we start putting up the Christmas lights. We won’t start putting up the wreaths or the the roping or anything but we will put the lights on the roof. You won’t even know they’re there until you turn them on. We started getting calls in July. I’m sure it’s going to be a very good season. People are over the whole COVID thing and want to bring some light back into their lives. We’re here for them.
Our clients that were here last year booked last year for this year so that they had an early spot. Because nobody wants to wait until the last minute, but we do serve people who want to decorate the day before Christmas. As long as I have the manpower to do it, we’re there.
How intricate do some of these displays get?
We basically do tree lightings, roof lightings, all the peaks in the roofs, no matter how big, ground lighting, garland. We do indoors as well, we do some Christmas trees indoors, we do staircases with garland and ribbons. I make all the bows from scratch. We do natural and we also do artificial, whatever the client wants and whatever bulbs the client wants too.
What are some of the challenges to hanging lights this time of year?
The earlier you get it done the better because as it gets colder you have to deal with ice and things of that nature. Wind and rain basically this time of year. We finish up our cleanups in the day and then our guys want to go back out at night and do the Christmas lights. And it’s fun; they all come out in their red sweatshirts and their red hats. They look like little elves decorating and everybody stops.
What are some issues homeowners should be aware of?
They need to have GFI plugs outside. You can’t use old-school outlets. These are low-voltage lights, so if there’s rain or whatnot it could trip a breaker if you just use an old-school outlet. So it’s better to have the GFI, up-to-date electric.
Do you supply the lights?
We have everything. We sell it to the client, they own the product, we box them up in a nice big heavy plastic box, wrap everything up nicely, label it, and we just give them a call the next year, like a week before. We tell them to leave the box outside; they come home and everything’s done. We have a commercial-grade light. We roll them out across the roof, we cut them, we splice them, we tape them up, so every package is custom cut for your roofline. They look so good.
What other services do you provide?
Halloween decorating and fall plantings. We do a lot of Chanukah displays too. The dreidels, or we can pretty much put up anything you need.
We’re here for you for all your decorating needs!
Calais Flower Landscaping is located in East Quogue. It can be reached at 631-875-8112 or calaisflower.com.
