HOA holidays create great opportunities for your association to foster a sense of community. Different holidays can be celebrated as a community in your HOA; towards the end of the year you have Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Hanukkah.

Activities and gatherings can be created to bring all residents closer together. However, there are many things a board should consider for HOA holidays including decoration rules, noise, and any safety concerns. 

HOA Holiday Safety Tips 

While HOA holidays are a fun time for most people, it’s important not to forget about safety procedures to ensure neither residents, workers, or board members are at risk. 

HOA Security 

During holidays, the people in your community association change. Families staying put for the holiday season will have more family and friends coming in and out. In a condo or gated community, it’s important to track the people coming into and out of the association.

Residents will also order more, meaning that more delivery people will come in and out of the community association. Parcels on doorsteps can become an issue when people travel, and you may get porch thieves taking them. Or even breaking into empty homes.

Residents should request that a neighbor keep an eye on their home when they travel.

Fire Safety

Since the use of community amenities, such as grills or the clubhouse, may increase due to holiday parties, the board should inspect:

• Emergency lights
• Fire alarms/detectors 
• Sprinklers

Your board can even create a safety committee with a police and fire department. If you want to know more about how to keep your community fire-safe, click here.

Additionally, Inspections by Vinteum can help your community organize your inspections, as well as ensure that every area is being properly inspected. Start a free trial with Inspections by Vinteum here. 

HOA Holiday Decorations 

If the budget allows, it’s nice if you can spread the holiday joy by decorating your HOA’s common areas. It’s also important to remind HOA members of the rules around decorations. Decorations that are too bright and noisy can cause a disturbance in the neighborhood which is why basic rules/guidelines should be implemented regarding HOA Holiday decorations:

• When are lights allowed to be turned on and where can they be located?
• How long can decorations be left for? 
• Are there any restrictions regarding noisy decorations? 
• Is there any size restriction for decorations? 
• Should decorations have color restrictions to maintain aesthetic uniformity?
• Make sure all decorations are not inappropriate or offensive. 
• How fast the lights blink, as this can cause epileptic fits

Secular and religious displays

Certain holidays carry religious connotations so certain decorations can be religious or secular. If a board displays something religious and a person asks to have a display of their religion as well, the association should allow that, or it could be considered discrimination. If you want to know more about religious and secular decorations, click here.  

Keep a well-maintained community 

It’s important to keep your community well-maintained and prepared for winter during the HOA holiday season. To make sure your association is safe and ready to celebrate, make sure to check the following:

1. Snow removal services: Check the weather forecast to see if a snowy season is approaching. If so, look into your HOA’s budget to check how much funding is needed for snow plowing, repairing pavements that were cracked during the snow, applying ice-melting components to reduce the snow, removing water pools at roads,  and removing snow from rooftops. 
2. Drains and gutters: Ensure that gutters and drains are properly functioning and are well maintained so that snow can flow out of homes easily.  
3. HVAC: Apart from drains and gutters, it’s important to check heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. It’s crucial that all of these elements, especially heating, are working correctly to make sure residents are safe from the cold. 

Spread the Holiday Spirit

HOA holidays create a great opportunity for community association to foster a sense of togetherness and unity. Your HOA can create several activities and events to get all residents in the holiday spirit. 

1. Gift exchange: Create a Secret Santa in your HOA’s clubhouse or any common area. You can announce this through your association’s newsletter and the board can create forms to collect everyone who’s participating. This is a great way for residents to get to know each other and foster unity in your HOA. 
2. Holiday decoration contest: A competition is always fun and can get everyone in the holiday spirit. After establishing decoration guidelines, announce the competition soon so that people have time to plan their decorations, set the timeline, and the prize for the winner. 
3. Charity/donation drive: Doing good is a great way to bring people closer together. Organize toy drives, food drives, and a clothing donation. Your association can even coordinate with a non-profit and host a fundraiser. 

Wrapping Up: HOA Holidays

The holiday season is a great time to unify your community but it’s important that everything is well prepared so as not to have to go through any serious troubles. Ensure that your community is safe, that facilities are well maintained, and that rules are properly enforced. With this organized, your community can plan on having several fun activities that will foster the holiday spirit throughout your community.