How do we keep the kids of the dispaly area?

[Mega Arch]

I told Rainy his candy canes were cool - but of course, this sentry gun is on everyone's must have list!!

[Rick Creed]

I use the candy canes from Walmart (Red, Green, White) with garland that I put all four colors in (Red, Green, Blue and White).  Each candy cane is supported by a piece of rebar, which actually also hold the garland.

[dgrant]

I use a string of LEDs along a mini landscaping wire fence to hopefully get the message to not cross it

[Klayfish]

What's needed to keep the kids out?  Parents who teach their children respect....

 

Short of that, there isn't a lot you can really do to keep kids out.  If they want to walk around, they will.  In the past, my yard was very large in a rural setting.  To see the show, people had to park in my driveway or on my lawn (on the opposite side of the driveway from the show).  I did use rope lighting to designate parking, but decided not to use anything to "rope off" the show, for the reason I mentioned previously.  I never had any issues.  This year, I'm now in a suburban sub-division.  We'll see how it goes...

[ezimnow]

Lots of good ideas from all....I'm a bit nervous about it this year as I will have a large video screen on my front lawn to show some of the video's I had show from an upstairs window in the past and quite sure no one could see them. I just don't want to create a little outdoor movie theatre especially with all the extension cords around and props that can be knocked over or just the little ones tripping on something and getting hurt. Your right you would expect the parents to keep the kids out of the area but its not always the case. I'll probably go with roping off the area and a sign that the parents will be able to read and clearly see...other than that I'll just hope for the best. It's like a fine line of not offending anyone but keeping everyone safe at the same time...

[George Simmons]

... It's like a fine line of not offending anyone but keeping everyone safe at the same time...

I don't see such a fine line at all. I'd go for the safety and let the rest take care of itself. The only ones that might be offended by the keep out sign are the parents who let their kids run free in the yard.

[PaulXmas]

^{i use  fence posts and that thin mesh for gardens to fence the whole yard.}

^{I run a sting of lights on top and out front I have some net lights.}

^{Dog broke it one year because he didn't see it.}

^{If I see anyone in the yard the show it shut down.}

[drivemewilder]

After walking outside and catching a family posing for a photo in front of my ferris wheel, 25 feet from the street, i decided to put up a baracade.  I run rope-light through pex horiontally with 3' vertical PVC uprights. I stake it to the ground using electrical conduit.  I also hang snowflakes and strobes from the pex. This is enough of a deterant to keep people from coming in the yard, even if it only takes 2 seconds to knock over or get around if they really wanted to. The barrier is also LOR controlled so it adds more color and excitement to the display instead of just looking like a barrier.

[kzaas]

I have leaping mini arches surrounding my yard, works real well until a Mom sits in her SUV on her phone while her three year old runs around every where. I am not worried about anything getting broke afterall if I built it I should be able to repair it. I just don't want anyone to get hurt tripping over things.

[1983ss454]

... It's like a fine line of not offending anyone but keeping everyone safe at the same time...I don't see such a fine line at all. I'd go for the safety and let the rest take care of itself. The only ones that might be offended by the keep out sign are the parents who let their kids run free in the yard.

I have to agree here, I realize it's Christmas and you want to make people happy. But I am certain I have offended people and made them not come back. But the reality here is if you tell them to get out they get mad, if they get hurt then it's your fault that they didn't watch their kids. I've come home after work to find a grandfather with his grand daughter sitting on my merry go round waiting for a ride. The merry go round is only ridden on by my son and small children or close friends when other people aren't around. So when a man in his 60's is in my roped off yard with high voltage signs, ya I get a little pissed. I know most of the time sequenced shows don't have as big a problem, but I know displays like mine with wood cutouts and such have a huge problem with kids in the yard and parents as well

Edited September 23, 2014 by 1983ss454

[Santas Helper]

I have a transmitter that has a microphone hook up. This allows an announcement by me to be made during the show.

So if I see something I'm not liking, I can turn down the laptop music and speak thru the microphone the message I want to get across.

Good thing is, everyone watching the show hears it since they are tuned to the radio station. Now everyone is focused on the children or parents or adults not keeping out making the situation about them for a very brief period.

Something to think about.

Just got to be tactful of what to say. Keeping it cheerful but to the point.

Of course it means keeping an eye on your display but most of us do that many times each evening.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Santas Helper

[Old Sarge]

maybe try a long dog run. chain your neighborhood pit bull to it so it can perform a perimeter check for you.

[dgrant]

So tonight, Halloween night, someone trashed one end of my little simple and illuminated fence line. Then some young guys walked across the lawn, tripped and fell on the other end of the fence line. Guess I'm going to have to think of something else.

[jimswinder]

So tonight, Halloween night, someone trashed one end of my little simple and illuminated fence line. Then some young guys walked across the lawn, tripped and fell on the other end of the fence line. Guess I'm going to have to think of something else.

 

 

Christmas time you won't have kids in costumes obstructing their eyes trying to navigate to your front door to get candy canes... 

[uncledan]

I drive 3 foot long sections of rebar in the ground around the whole perimeter of my house approximately a foot in the ground. I made 3 foot long poles out of EMT I put on each one. I welded a 1\2" EMT fastener on the top of each one. Basically a U to hold the lights. I wrapped the poles with red and white phase tape to make it look like candy cane. Halloween I wrap black tape over the red and white. After Halloween I take the black tape off. A little bit of work... I position these every ten feet around the perimeter of my house and put lights on them. Basically a lighted fence. Nobody steps foot on my property because of these. Before I had people in the front yard running around, taking pictures etc..

[Brett H.]

I put up a sign stating that due to use of wireless extension cords you will get a shock if you step in between wireless controllers.

 I use these.... http://www.thinkgeek.com/stuff/41/wec.shtml

 Everyone should use them.

[Jaynee]

We had theft one year (but got the decoration back thanks to a very nice teen in the neighborhood who confronted the offender whom she heard bragging about the theft), and vandalism another year, so this year we've got a couple things going for us.

 

1) Security cameras

Our HOA has agreed to include a note in our quarterly newsletter this year about not vandalizing displays, and that perpetrators will be prosecuted if caught.  We also post on our neighborhood Facebook page that we have cameras and will turn in the footage and prosecute.

 

2) A banner

This year we made a banner to hang on the house that warns people, but in a cute way.  It has a picture of Santa and says, "Don't be naughty - Santa is watching (and so are we)!"  Just as a reminder in case someone is criminally minded.

 

3) And lastly, this year I'm hoping to have some sort of temporary fencing up - similar to the candy canes and rope lights that others do.  I originally thought about putting up an actual white picket fence (using tall landscaping fencing), but that is too cost prohibitive.  So instead we'll do the candy cane/rope lights thing.

 

Last year our neighbor had a toddler who was fascinated by our display, and she would periodically text me at work and ask if they could walk through the yard.  I always told her yes, but asked her to stay with her child due to the many MANY cords in the grass that could be a tripping hazard.  Never had a problem from their tours.

[jstorms]

I would like to get signs made based on this:

[Ebuechner]

This is the sign I use at my business

[radioguy1007]

I have yet to have a problem with keeping people from getting too close.  As one "critic" that commented to a story last year in the local paper on my display, he said "now you have to build a moat around it to keep it from being vandalized".  It is actually in my back yard and faces a pond.  A road skirting the pond is where viewing takes place.