How ‘Nevada’ Is Your Christmas Spirit This Year?

Did you know different states in the U.S. have different habits when decorating for the holidays? And when it comes to Christmas lights, Nevada has a specific way of doing things. It's probably not something many of us put much thought into. But trends are everywhere, and they influence us even when we don't realize it. According to a recent study, that's even true for how Nevada residents decorate their houses for Christmas. So we thought it would be fun to break it down and see how 'Nevada' we are in our holiday decorating. First, a look at WHEN people put up their Christmas lights. The study, done by todayshomeowner.com, found that 40% of Americans put their lights up the week after Thanksgiving. In my house, we always start decorating for Christmas while the turkey is cooking on Thanksgiving. So we definitely fall into this category. And it makes sense now that I was one of the first on my block in Las Vegas to have lights up. According to the study, Nevada typically waits until December 1 to put their Christmas lights up. And if you take your lights down before January, you're in the small 18% of Americans who do. Second, HOW MUCH people spend on their holiday lights. The study showed that this year the average American will spend just over $384 on lights, not including the cost to illuminate them. Which to me is kind of crazy because I store the previous year's lights to reuse, so there's not much to buy. Am I alone in that? Not according to this study, which says Nevada will only spend an average of $208 on lights this year. Look at us being all frugal! Third, how Nevada compares on the color of our Christmas lights. This one didn't have much variation. Americans pretty much agree across the board that colored lights are superior to white ones. 59% of the country was in agreement on that. The rest were all about the white lights or didn't care at all. So, if you have colored lights or a mixture of colored and white, you're very Nevada in your exterior decorating. And, evidentially, also very American. You can check out more details about the study at todayshomeowner.com. So there you go. Now go forth with your decorating, Las Vegas! And whichever side of the trendy line you're on, happy holidays! -Wendy Rush, 96.3 KKLZ