Some people spend a lot of time putting the Christmas decorations together.
Pete Archie spent two and a half weeks getting his Roanoke County home ready for the holiday. The thousands of lights and hundreds of figurines that line his front yard are evidence of his hard work.
He says he's done an elaborate display for four or five years now and he thinks he can outsmart the elements,
"I've learned not to put anything up really high. The higher something is the harder it is to keep stable," Archie said.
He also says if you have something anchored to the ground, that trusting the stakes that come with the packaging isn't a great idea, "a lot of that stuff you buy in the store comes with the little stakes: don't depend on them."
The First Alert Weather Center recommends taking those decorations down at least until Saturday. WDBJ7's meteorologists think gusts could go as high as "30-50 mph" and some of those lightweight decorations, inflatable or not, might not be able to brave the storm.
John Houston and his family sell Christmas trees in front of Tanglewood Mall. The Houston's have a 30-foot tall inflatable Frosty the Snowman next to where they sell the trees.
John Houston says he can't take any chances with Frosty if the wind is too strong.
"We deflate it everyday but it can be dangerous if he blows over because of the interstate," Houston said.
Frosty chills at the intersection of Route 220 and 419 where nearly 80,000 cars travel every day, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation. Houston says that alone is reason enough to be careful.
Houston says deflating Frosty only takes around 10 minutes, but "if his hand starts waving a lot we'll take him down."
Taking your decorations down might be the smart thing to do until the windy weather settles Saturday night.
