If you like to pull out all the stops on special occasions (such as at Christmas, Halloween and on family members' birthdays) by decorating the exterior and the interior of your home, the advice below could help you with the former.

Don't overload your awnings when decorating them

If you have any awnings over your exterior doors or above your patio, you may want to add some decorations to these on special occasions. Whilst this is a wonderful way to make these features look cheery, colourful and festive, it is important to pick your awning decorations with care.

For example, it is important to think about the weight of the decor that you are thinking about placing on them. The reason for this is as follows; if for instance, you were to drape a very large and heavy skeleton or gargoyle prop over one of your awnings on Halloween, the weight of this decorative item could potentially cause the awning's frame to bend (particularly if it is left on the surface of the awning for a few days). This may result in the awning looking misshapen or, if it is retractable, the bending of this frame could make it harder for you to retract the fabric when you no longer need to use the awning. As such, it is generally best to use lightweight decorations on your awning; some examples of suitably light items include bunting, string lights and artificial garlands.

Think about the impact some decorative items might have on your neighbours

If your home is surrounded by other houses, then you should also think about the impact any decorations you put up on special occasions might have on the neighbours that live closest to you, and try to address any issues that your decorations that might bother these people.

For example, if you like to install very elaborate lights on your roof at the start of the Christmas period, which includes not only string lights but also life-size, light-up reindeer and illuminated festive signs, then you should keep in mind that leaving these on late into the night could make it hard for some of your closest neighbours to fall asleep due to the dazzling light from your roof beaming into their bedroom windows. In this scenario, you should turn off the roof lights at a reasonable hour (such as at around 10 pm, for example), to ensure that you don't inadvertently keep your next-door neighbours awake all night.