Holiday Decorating Made Easy

One in a continuing series on the state of the American Dream.

Does the idea of dragging out your holiday décor make you tired? Does the thought of stringing hundreds of lights around your Christmas tree sound overwhelming? Are you hosting a holiday party and have no idea how to impress your guests? Tapped out of ideas on how to use your old decorations?

If you need help this holiday season, one Grayslake resident promises to make your December stress-free.

Susan Smit, 57, has been decorating, staging, and organizing for more than 30 years and is now offering her experience for hire with Holiday Decorating Help.

“I always hear people get so stressed out with the holidays and don’t want to or don’t have time to decorate. And, no one ever wants to take it down,” Smit said. “I love it. I love the creative part, the lights, the colors, making things sparkle and making things pretty for other people.”

Smit has the experience under her belt. Her resume boasts more than a decade of fashion merchandising and design at JCPenney. There she created the visual displays, store windows, furniture layouts and vignettes. She has also worked for Carson Pirie Scott and Hennessey’s of Montana.

“I always found it interesting to see all the fashion over the years,” she said. “You see the colors, textures and styles move from the clothes to the house wares. It’s always evolving.”

While Smit retired last year, she is still looking for an outlet for her creativity. She launched Holiday Decorating Help to provide a wide range of services including consultation and shopping, putting up the tree, lighting and garland, event preparation, and complete take-down and organization for the next season. Smit said she is interested in any project, no matter the size.

Carole Swedo of Naperville, a longtime friend of Smit's, frequently has taken advantage of Smit’s talents to help decorate for holiday events.

“She’s very easy to work with and very creative,” Swedo said. “She comes up with some very nifty things and uses what you already have on hand and really does it up.”

Swedo said she enjoys seeing how Smit blends natural and artificial decorations to create a beautiful look and ambiance.

Kathrine Gorski of Gurnee has worked with Smit on various events. The women are organizing the Toys for Tots Gala and Dinner put on by the Navy League of the United States-Glenview Council next month.

“Susan is a super person,” Gorski said. “She is dedicated, conscientious and she sees all her projects through. She is a problem-solver and can do a bit of everything.”

To find out more about Holiday Decorating Help, email Susan Smit at susanjsmit@gmail.com.