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Stephanie Bergmann, NBC NewschannelIf not Santa himself, who better to scale your roof than a bunch of firemen, hanging Christmas lights as a second job?
Lance Diffenbaugh of Bright Lites says "you want people up on your roof that are not scared of heights, and that's why we come out here and use everything that's safe. We tie the ladders off and get everyone on the roof, and we're used to climbing on ladders all the time."
They charge a dollar a foot to put the lights up, take them down again in January, and store them until next winter.
Even more elaborate is Patton Holiday Lighting. Lora Patton of Patton Holiday Lighting says "we take a picture of your home, then we load it on our laptop. We sit down with you, and we can decorate your home with you, show you the different looks we can put on your house." Even the difference between day and night.
Once the homeowner approves the layout, a crew goes to work. Mike Patton of Patton Holiday Lighting says "we install linkables which are designed holiday lighting on powder-coated rods. They're 44 inches long, and they'll have either snowflakes or stockings or candy canes."
They can even install led lights that use less energy but last longer. Fancy lighting with a fancy price. The average home costing $1,800 to $2,400 the first year and about a third of that in following years.
But for the couple who lives here, it's worth it.
Earl Brandt says "well, I'm 82 years old, and I shouldn't be on ladders anymore I guess." And here's the view he bought for $1,500.
Some of his neighbors paid several thousand more all the dazzle of Christmas without any danger.
