As The Holiday Season Approaches

Christmas is certainly a joyous time of the year and as you know, the best way to get into the holiday spirit is to decorate your home. Landlords will probably cringe to hear me comment, but I love buildings where most of the tenants have decorated their windows and balconies with Christmas lights. The cascade of lights is inviting and often exudes a warmthness about a building.

And then there is the Christmas tree issue. Most buildings don't want real trees and as much as I love the smell of fresh pine I tend to agree. Where Christmas is wonderful for most of us, it starts to become a nightmare for superintendent staff. Pine needles don't sweep very well because they are often wet and they tend to jam vacuum cleaners. But it's not when the trees are brought in that's the biggest problem, it's when they are taken out. They haven't been watered in a week and by the time you get downstairs there is often nothing left to throw out except the stump. Then the next problem is where do you put the tree? It's not regular garbage and a building only has so many bins anyway.

Most Landlords are aware that real trees are always going to be taken into a building even if it is against their policy. But there are things you can do to make it easier for the Landlord to swallow. There are special bags for trees. Bring your tree up in a bag and bring it down in a bag. This will help eliminate needles strewn across the hallways. Be up front, ask your superintendent where you should put the tree before you bring it down. You will find they will be much more accommodating if you're honest.

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