It’s like a scene straight out of a late ’80s movie franchise: big houses decked out in Christmas lights, inflatable decorations playing along to music as families compete to have the most beautifully decorated house of the season.
But this year the competition may not be between the biggest or brightest houses, but rather about trends and the high cost of powering the lighting installations.
BC Hydro released a report on holiday decorating trends this year on Tuesday, showing that 60 per cent of British Columbians are taking a minimalist approach to decorating and half of them are not decorating at all. However, the number of mega decorations is expected to increase by 50 per cent, according to the report.
The so-called Clark Griswold-style mega-lights, a reference in Hydro’s recent report on The shrill sayings Christmas holidaysconsist of over 10 fairy lights and several electronic or inflatable displays.
An estimated 15 percent of British Columbia residents fall into this category, most of them living in the Lower Mainland.
However, the report also found that more British Columbians are worried about the cost of the holidays this year, with half saying they have less money to spend on Christmas decorations.
Canada’s inflation rate was 6.9 percent in October, not including higher food prices and recent interest rate hikes.
While Lower Mainland residents are more than three times more likely to get a huge Christmas fireworks display than other regions of the province, Lower Mainland residents are also the most likely to say cost plays a role in their decision to decorate less this year.
The cost of decoration is high
Kyle Donaldson of BC Hydro says the easiest way to save on decoration costs this year is to switch from incandescent bulbs to LED lights.
“They are more energy efficient and if you have several strings of LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs over the course of the holiday season, your bill could be 40 cents higher instead of $40.”
He wanted to find out how much it would cost Clark Griswold from National Lampoon to put on his Christmas show if he lived here today instead of in 1989.
Based on the lightbulbs used during the film’s six-week Christmas season alone, Griswold’s electricity bill would be over $5,000, according to Donaldson.
But even far less generous budgets are affected, he says.
“Many British Columbians say they may be buying fewer Christmas decorations this year because of rising inflation. Goods and services are costing more and interest rates are also rising.”
Whether you’re a Clark Griswold or a minimalist, the competition may be only in your wallet and not in different decorating styles.
