Happy New Year!

Happy New Years From Your Friends at Park Ridge Builders!!

Where To See Holiday Lights!

As we get closer to the Holidays it’s always a good idea to be festive. Festivity causes happiness and who doesn’t love to be happy? One of thousands of ways to show your holiday spirit is to hang up lights! For years people have hung up lights on their buildings and loved it! From simple white lights to full figurines made fully of lights.

Columbia is now different than any other city and offers great attractions in the field of holiday lights. It’s first show is called the Holiday Lights on the River at the Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission. This light show lights up Saluda Shoals with over a million bright lights! Making a run from November 26^th through December 31^st, you have a great window of opportunity to go see it. It has many parts like the Dazzling Dancing Forest, Wetland Wonderland Walking Trail, etc. They even offer special events like Nights of Wonder running December 12^th-23^rd. (To read more visit http://www.icrc.net/holiday-lights)

Another great show in Columbia is the Lights Before Christmas at Riverbanks Zoo & Garden. This is a great light show put on by Columbia’s local zoo! This light show offers many activities for people of all ages. With nightly Santa visits for the kids and nearly one million lights for the adults it’s great for the whole family! Other things offered are the Music in Motion Lights Spectacular and the Jingle Bell Bonfire. It runs November 21^st through December 30^th. (To read more visit http://www.sciway.net/tourism/sc-holiday-lights.html)

Charleston is also an amazing place to see holiday lights! They are not lacking in that area at all. A great place to go is the Celebrate the Season Holiday Driving Tour at the Old Santee Canal Park. Running November 28^th through December 30^th it gives you a lot of time to see it’s amazing features. Only five dollars per person you get to drive down the river and see tons of lights that are even energy efficient. It even gives its proceeds to local charities!! (To read more visit http://celebratetheseason.oldsanteecanalpark.org/)

So pack up the car with the kids and a few good snacks and hit the road! Aside from these choice spots, most local newspapers list residential houses that went above and beyond and need to be viewed. Rally the family and take in some genuine holiday cheer! This the only time of year we get to see the beauty of a well-decorated Christmas display, so take advantage of it!!

Gift Ideas For A New Homeowner

Many things come to mind when one thinks of a good house-warming gift. Anything from a welcome mat to a piece or art is needed by a new homeowner. So this week, we decided to help give you a few outside-the-box ideas to stand out from the mountains of dishes and glassware that everyone else is giving them:

1. Silverware - Food is one of the main necessities a human needs to sustain its life and live the healthiest it possibly can. To make this easier, humans began to make cutlery, also know as flatware, to cut down the work needed to eat and increase sanitation. A great gift idea for a recent homeowner would be just this. They would need it for virtually every meal they have, and without it they would have to eat with their hands...GROSS!

2. Plants - Decoration for a new homeowner is very important so their house doesn't look plain and bland. So why not purchase something to spice the house up?! If you were to give someone that has recently purchased a house a plant, you can give them a decoration and a hobby. Better hope they keep it alive!

3. Animal Safe Taxidermy - Taxidermy has always been a pretty nice market for homeowners, especially in the South. It has traditionally been used as a trophy for hunters, but a new form of animal safe taxidermy has helped shake the whole "dead animal on the wall" vibe taxidermy had. Using cardboard, wood, duct tape and other synthetic products, animal safe taxidermy removes the need to go out and catch your new wall art before putting it up.

4. Garbage Cans - An often overlooked gift, but humans are very wasteful and all that trash needs somewhere to go. Everything can be thrown away or recycled, so having one is a must. A new homeowner would love a garbage can to throw away all the trash from moving--you can never seem to have enough when moving!

5. Curtains - Most people would say that they are definitely not a morning person. This obviously meaning right when a person wakes up they don't want the sun blinding them, so why not save them the trouble. After figuring out their bedroom theme, if they have one, you can gift them some fancy, new curtains! It would be a great idea for a new homeowner. And just think, every time they wake up, they'll have you to thank for protecting their eyes from the bright morning sun!!!

6. Paintings - Art has always been an amazing form of expression for mankind and many works of art continue to wonder us today. To purchase paintings for a new homeowner would be a great idea! Right now they're probably decorating their house and would love to have a new addition here and there!

7. Wine Bottle Holders - Most new homeowners are old enough to drink (hopefully) and enjoy a glass here and there. A lot of people prefer wine to other forms of alcohol and a wine bottle holder is a great idea for that special new homeowner. After finally unpacking all their aged wines and putting in this great gift you've given them, they can sit back, relax, and enjoy a glass of wine.

8. Clocks/Alarms - A small gift isn't always bad. If you're running a low budget, but still want to purchase a gift for you new homeowner friend then alarms are a great choice! Being on time is very important and t
hey really need to pay their new house so do your part in making sure they get to work to make the money to pay those bills!

Holiday Shopping: Tips & Tricks!

It’s that time of year again! Christmas trees are going up, stockings are being hung, and everyone is scrambling around, trying to get every last gift on their gift lists before the big day. If you’re like me, and most everyone else, you still have a bit to do before the 25^th rolls around. Not to fear! Here are a few tips to make the last few weeks really count, so you can get the most for the best bargain!

Now there is no harm in starting early. In fact, you might have already picked up a few things here and there but all the real deals come during the holidays. The best way to tackle this is to get organized. List out exactly what you need to get and who to get it for. Research where these items are sold, and where and when you can get the best price. Write it out, and you can create a game plan for where to go first and what to get where. A task like this seems unnecessary, but works wonders when used. Avoid extra frustrations by using the list to make decisions on where to go and what to get for you.

If online shopping is more for you, there are even few tips to know when choosing to shop from home instead of braving the mall. For online shoppers, take into account shipping costs when you plan out holiday budgets. Also do not discount shipping time either, shopping online has a definitive cut off date where you will not get presents in time for Christmas if you don’t place the orders soon enough (for instance, the cut off date for a common online retailer, Amazon is December 16^th, unless you’re willing to pay a fee to get it expedited.) Cut off dates vary from business to business, but the information is readily available on their respective websites. Watch your spam inbox for exclusive deals and coupons. It’s easy to ignore spam when it flows in at a regular basis, but taking that extra five minutes to filter through and see if a coupon is waiting for you.

And if all else fails, do not discredit the power of a homemade gift. Make food or simply offer your time. You can avoid retail insanity during the holidays and truly give a piece of yourself to a loved one instead of a hollow, plastic figurine. You can find countless ideas for small crafts that you can turn into heartfelt presents for any type of person. 

Whatever method works for you, don’t let the stress of getting it all done keep you from enjoying the true reason for the holidays—spending time with the ones you love.