Beta Beta — hiring neighbors on Papalocal is new; what you see here is real, and it's still growing.
Holiday decorating and gift wrapping Beta
A neighbor helps put up the tree, garland and indoor decorations, wraps your gifts, and packs it all away when the season is over.
- How often
- Seasonal
- Where the work happens
- Inside your home
- Who it suits
- Can suit a teen working alongside an adult
These open your Papalocal account. You'll be asked to log in or sign up first.
Holiday decorating help covers the indoor work of the season: carrying bins down from the attic, assembling and trimming the tree, hanging garland, wreaths and stockings, setting out village pieces and table decor, and packing everything back up in January. Gift wrapping help turns a pile of boxes into wrapped, tagged presents.
Busy families, older neighbors who can no longer climb to the attic, people who host every year, and anyone who loves a decorated home but dreads the boxes hire help for it.
A neighbor can come back after the holidays to take everything down, and over the years learns where every ornament goes in your house.
Also called: Christmas tree decorating service, holiday decorating help, gift wrapping service, help taking down Christmas decorations, holiday home decorating.
What's usually included
- Bringing bins out of storage and back again
- Setting up and decorating the tree
- Hanging wreaths, garland and stockings indoors
- Arranging mantels, tables and shelves
- Wrapping, labeling and tying bows on gifts
- Taking everything down and packing it carefully after the season
What to ask before you hire
- Which rooms, and is there a photo of how they looked last year?
- Who supplies the wrapping paper, tape, tags and ribbon?
- Are there fragile or sentimental pieces that need special care?
- Will a ladder be needed, and who brings it?
- Is taking it all down after the holidays part of the job?
Staying safe
- Use a sturdy step stool or ladder with someone steadying it, and never stand on chairs or furniture.
- Check light strings for frayed wires before plugging them in, and keep candles away from greenery and paper.
- Keep glass ornaments and hooks up high when small children or pets live in the home.
Holiday decorating and gift wrapping by town
Questions people ask
Can a teenager help decorate?
Decorating and gift wrapping suit a teen with a parent's OK and an adult in the home. Ladders and outlets are for the adult to handle.
Do you do outdoor lights too?
This service is for indoor decorating and gift wrapping. Lights on roofs and trees are a separate service, since they involve ladders and the weather.
Can you wrap gifts at your own home?
Some neighbors take gifts home to wrap and bring them back tagged. Agree on how the gifts are counted going out and coming back.
Will you keep my decorations organized?
Ask the helper to label bins by room and photograph each finished setup, so next year starts from a picture.
Thinking of offering this yourself?
- Photograph each room once it's finished, so next year's setup and this year's take-down go faster.
- Label bins by room as you pack, and wrap fragile ornaments in tissue paper.
- Charge by the hour or by the job after seeing what local decorators and gift-wrapping services ask, and pick your own price.
- Book the take-down before you finish the setup, and ask about next year before you leave.
- Roof and outdoor lights are a separate service; refer those to neighbors who offer holiday lights.
