December Greetings from On The House!

Did we miss something or did Fall take a hiatus this year? It seems as if we went from a warmer-than-usual Summer right into what is shaping up to be a cold Winter. Brrrrr!!!

In spite of the fact that staying warm will be a challenge, Winter is one of our favorite times of year. Celebrating the holidays with family and friends; holiday decorating; special holiday meals; baking and snuggling up to a crackling fire are just of few of the things that we like best about this time of year.

It's no secret that icicles can bring chilling costs to your heating bill. Many of us get to see the coldest part of the season represented by beautiful strings of icicles fanned out along deck rails and roof overhangs. But there is a side to these magnificent creations of nature that we need to more clearly understand.In this issue of On The House Express you will learn that there are actually three reasons why roof snow melts, other than nature.

Did you know that for homeowners and their families a house fire is most likely to occur during the Winter when heating is needed, and especially during the holidays? Faulty furnaces, Christmas tree lights and even the trees themselves present hidden dangers for fire. We want you to have an enjoyable and safe holiday and thus we herewith offer several tips on Christmas tree safety.

One of the more interesting and important new developments for homeowners who are planning to remodel or renovate, is the recent emergence and increasing usage of in-home "computer assisted design" programs to help visualize what finished a finished project will look like. Thanks to our friends from MyContractor.com, you can "test-drive" this exciting technology in this issue of On The House Express.

And what holiday season would be complete without some delicious fixings straight out of Dom Deluise's kitchen! Dom's dishes are the recipe for success for all of your holiday entertaining that involves food!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!