With the holidays quickly approaching, decorating your pool may not be the first item on your to-do list. If you’re a pool owner and you live in a part of the country with year-round warm weather, however, you always have the option to throw a splish-splashing holiday bash in your backyard pool. Even if you or your guests choose not to swim, decorating your pool area can add to the festive spirit of the season. This two-part series of articles can help you get your pool area ready for the holidays.
Safety is Always in Season
Before you go into full Christmas-elf mode, setting up the lights, ornaments, and tinsel around your pool, a word of caution is in order. Happy holidays are safe holidays. That’s why the first of this two-part article series will focus on safety. Here are some helpful tips for keeping your holiday pool area as safe as it is stylish.
1. Hire a Lifeguard if You Plan to Allow Swimming at Your Holiday Party
During the holidays it’s easy to get so busy with visiting and feasting that you completely forget about watching the pool. If you’re planning to have your pool open for your holiday gathering, you should strongly consider hiring a lifeguard to keep an eye on the pool during the party. This will give you a chance to relax and unwind without creating a safety hazard. If you can’t hire a professional lifeguard, schedule different responsible adults who are strong swimmers to keep an eye on the pool area at all times.
2. Consider Closing off the Pool with a Secure Cover
If you’re hosting a holiday gathering and you don’t plan on providing a lifeguard or scheduling careful supervision of your pool, you should definitely close off the pool area. If there are going to be young children roaming around the house and yard and you don’t want them to be tempted to enter the empty pool, make sure to securely cover it with a safety cover. Posting signs that say “No Swimming” can also help to get the point across that the pool is closed for the season. Be sure to also verbally tell all your guests if you don’t want people swimming in the pool.
3. Only Use Battery Operated Lights Around the Pool
If you do decide to keep your pool open for the holidays, only string battery operated lights up around the pool area. In fact, any lights within a 5-foot radius of the pool or strung above the water should all be battery operated. Regular plug-in 110V Christmas lights could fall into the pool and end in a tragic electrocution for swimmers.
4. Protect your Skimmer from Floating Decorations
Floating pool decorations can really add charm and class to your holiday décor. If you choose to add them to your pool, make sure to protect your skimmer from damage. This is especially true if you add floating candles to the water. You can block the skimmer off with wire mesh to keep those flickering lights where they belong. Also, it’s probably best not to float candles in the water while young children are swimming in the pool. Kids are fascinated with fire and could burn their fingers or try to carry the candles out of the water. Of course, with a lifeguard and other adult supervision, these risks go down considerably. Use your own best judgment when it comes to choosing family-friendly illuminated pool floats for your holiday party.
Now that we’ve established some basic holiday pool safety guidelines, it’s time to take a look at some creative ideas for making your pool look merry and bright. Check out the next article in this series for some fun and festive decorating ideas!
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Lyon Financial
Since 1979 Lyon Financial has made the backyard resort dream come true for over 400,000 families across the U.S. Through our solid relationships with more than 3,000 pool contractors and our continued commitment to putting our clients first, we have built a reputation as the first choice in providing pool financing solutions. For more information, visit lyonfinancial.net or call (877) 754-5966 today.
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