We all know Thanksgiving can be a hectic holiday, particularly if you’re hosting. When the 10+ pound turkey has yet to be picked up, the sides have yet to be planned, and your guests are due to arrive in hours, decorating the table is the least of your worries. Don’t be discouraged: you don’t have to be Martha Stewart to create a beautiful, easy, inexpensive holiday centerpiece. In fact, you may have all the supplies to wow those soon-to-arrive guests in five minutes flat:

Option 1: Glass Vases or Wine Bottles + String Lights

Check your cabinets for empty glass vases, hurricane candle holders – any decorative glass bowl will do. If you’re in a pinch, an empty wine bottle creates the same effect! Now, fill with string lights and voilà – instant centerpiece. Battery operated string lights are easiest because you won’t have to worry about the cord, but you can also get creative with hiding the cord under your table runner. Add pinecones and/or branches as you wish.

Option 3: Leaves of Your Choice + String Lights

This incredibly simple centerpiece looks fantastic with deep green magnolia leaves or a collection from your front yard’s best yellow/orange/red ensemble. The rustic tablecloth used in this picture matches well, but any neutral color would work.

One of the best ways to relax outdoors is by sitting in your own private hot tub. After a long hard day at work, a soak in the hot tub can help rinse away all the stresses of work and life in general. A hot tub is also a great way to entertain a few friends on the weekend. Once you have picked out the tub that you have been dreaming of, the next step is getting it set up and ready for you to enjoy.

Setup

Although you may be extremely excited to start filling your new toy up with water for that first use, hot tubs require an electrician. Santa Monica homeowners will need an electrician to help wire the hot tub to the home. These wonderful devices are not something you can simply plug into the patio outlet.

The tub or sauna will need to be hard-wired into the home’s power. Typically, because of the electric requirements, a dedicated breaker will be needed. Depending on the available service, you may need an additional breaker installed.

It is not uncommon for permits to be required for the setup and installation of a hot tub. An inspection may also be needed. A qualified professional will need to make sure the hot tub is wired correctly and safely. These are all things that will need to be handled by an electrician. Santa Monica residents can call The Electric Connection to discuss the setup of their new hot tub.

Maintenance

Like anything that is run by electricity, there are times when the unit will fail. Never try and fix the hot tub yourself. In many cases, you could end up voiding your warranty by doing so. If you ever run into trouble with your hot tub, call an electrician to take a look and save yourself time and money from a voided warranty. The Electric Connection is here to help you get your hot tub up and running.

As a licensed Dallas electrician, I see a lot of the work other electricians do.  A lot of it is good, high-quality work similar to the work I and my employees do but not all of it is, unfortunately.  Just like any other industry, there are plenty of bad deals and scam artists preying on customers looking for a good deal.  The slow economy doesn’t get rid of these phony electricians either.  If anything, it makes them come out of the woodwork as people try to save money by using less expensive services.  So, how do you avoid electrician scams?  Obviously, it can be really difficult to detect some scams, but here’s some important tips that can help:

Above all, remember that taking risks with your electrical work isn’t a good thing.  You wouldn’t tell your friend or boss to use a shifty electrician.  So why put your own loved ones through it. Don’t use a service company you wouldn’t recommend to others?