How to get the "Classy Clark Griswold" look this Christmas
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One of Allison Rozsa Evans' designs from Porch Pumpkin Creations. Photo: Courtesy of Allison Rozsa Evans
The holidays are already filled with stress from planning, spending and hosting. Homeowners and businesses are taking at least one thing off the list — decorations.
The big picture: Similar to "pumpkin concierges" in the fall, there's high demand in Chicago and the suburbs for professionals who handle everything from the initial design to the hanging of lights and greenery to the disassembling.
State of play: Santa's Helpers start installing lights on businesses and public parkways as early as September, on homes in October, and then returning this week to "flip the switch."
- The best part? If the lights poop out during your Christmas party, the company will fix it for you. "We still provide that service. We make it easy," sales director Tammy Kyriakopoulos tells Axios.
Reality check: Clark Griswolds of the world be forewarned. Santa's Helpers will not do just anything and everything, Kyriakopoulos says. They keep it classy and are always mindful of the safety and stability of the decorations in Chicago's snowy and icy winters.
Zoom in: Allison Rozsa Evans started Porch Pumpkin Creations last year as a way to help people personalize their fall and Halloween decorations, but she soon learned her creativity was in demand for other holidays.
- Now she works with dozens of clients to affix custom-made 9-foot bows to windows, line walkways with evergreen and spruce up winter planters.
- Evans even decorates homes for Valentine's Day.
What they're saying: "Often it's parents that just are tired, don't have energy, or just simply don't have the time, or some that are going up in their years and don't want to get on ladders anymore," Evans says of her clientele.
The cost: Kyriakopoulos and Evans both say cost depends on a lot of factors — size of the house, taste of the homeowner — but start around $1,200.
The bottom line: Watch Clark Griswold on TV, leave it to the professionals and enjoy your jelly of the month.