As the Christmas season approached this year and people began sending cards and hanging wreaths on their doors, Michael McGraw looked at his new 6,000-square-foot house and thought he better find someone to help him decorate.
McGraw said that in the past, and in smaller homes, he hung lights and decorated on his own, but this year he needed a professional. Through a friend, he heard about Dave Steckbeck and The Christmas Light Pros.
Steckbeck, a Centennial Hills resident, said he's happy to do all the climbing, plugging and untangling for customers.
This is the first year The Christmas Light Pros licensee has hung lights for anyone but his wife, Cinda, but he said when he was looking for a new type of business, this one fit perfectly.
"We love Christmas. It's my wife's favorite time of year," he said.
Steckbeck said he can give a rough estimate over the phone and will visit a home to see exactly what the customer wants. He can hang any type of light, and said the most popular are the icicle lights and the old-fashioned large, colored bulbs. He buys lights in 1,000-foot spools and can custom cut them for any home. The lights can be multicolored, white or in any color combination imaginable.
The Christmas Light Pros was started in 1998 by Kevin Boyd and Jeff Carlson in San Diego. Boyd and Carlson still are working as installers and are training new Pros to hang lights around the country.
"If I'm on a roof somewhere and I have a problem, I just call them and they're probably on a roof somewhere too, but they're always willing to help me out," Steckbeck said.
Steckbeck was trained by The Christmas Light Pros in California in October. He said the company gave him great tools for how to run the business and tips on how to hang lights properly.
"I take time, and after I look at it and ask, 'Is this something I'd be happy with?' If not, I take it down and redo it," Steckbeck said.
"You can tell it's professionally done because it's perfect," McGraw said of his home, located in the Southwest.
As part of the service, The Christmas Light Pros also take the lights down. Steckbeck will hang customer-supplied lights, sell lights to residents or lease the lights.
"It's kind of overwhelming and takes up so much time," McGraw said. "And then you have to go through the hassle of taking them down. I don't even have to store the lights or worry about untangling them next year."
McGraw leased lights from Steckbeck, who will store them throughout the year and hang them next season. If there is a problem with the lights, he will replace them, he said. Lights purchased from The Christmas Light Pros are guaranteed for three years, but customer-supplied lights can not be guaranteed, Steckbeck said.
The pre-Thanksgiving price for a single-story home starts at $200, and after Thanksgiving it starts at $250. For a two-story home, it starts at $300 before Thanksgiving and $350 after Thanksgiving.
"They did a great job," McGraw said. "All I did this year was change the spotlight bulbs to red."
The Christmas Light Pros start taking lights down on Jan. 2.
"I go to bed late after working all night and then I get up early thinking about Christmas lights," Steckbeck said. "I'm already excited about next year."
For more information, call (866) 934-2644, or visit www.thechristmaslightpros.com.
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