Jack admires the Christmas lights on the house across the street. Usually, he puts lights up on his house, too, but not this year, not after his accident.

Leaha would like to join her neighbors in celebrating the holidays with some lights for Hanukah but, with her son living half-a-country away, at 72, it’s probably not a good idea to climb a ladder.

Ron and Linda have Christmas decorations and they have a solid ladder. They just don’t have the time to put up the lights this year.

All of these people, and more, may skip putting up holiday decorations this year. Their reasons for doing so are valid. But, there is another way where all of these people can fully participate in the season and share their holiday spirit with friends and neighbors. Some companies, such as Northern Illinois Windows in McHenry, offer holiday decoration services.

“For one reason or another, some people can’t put up lights and decorations for the holidays,” said Bill Thomas, the owner of Northern Illinois Windows. “In some cases, they want their decorations up but they’d rather not do it themselves. In either case, we can help.”

Most of the year, Northern Illinois Windows is cleaning or putting tinted window film on windows. They also clean gutters and put gutter guards on gutters. But, when the holidays approach, they also offer a holiday decorating service.

“And we’ll come out to take the decorations down, too,” said Thomas. “Even if you enjoy the family tradition of putting up the lights and decorations, in the bitter cold of January, you may want to skip the hassle of taking them down again.”

Thomas said the cost depends on how many decorations and on the house. A ranch will generally cost a little less than putting decorations on a two- or three-story house.

“We’ll also put decorations out for businesses,” he said. “You know, we really enjoy this kind of work, especially when we drive by at night and see a house all lit up with decorations we put up for a customer. It feels like we’re adding to the festive nature of the season.”

Thomas said that his crews have put up holiday decorations for years; they’re professionals and do a professional job.

Thomas said folks can call him for a quote to put up (and take down) holiday decorations at 815-385-6646.