With 200,000 twinkling lights, inflatable Santas and a host of candy canes and snowmen, Re/Max Performance’s outdoor display at its mountain lodge-style office building has become somewhat of a holiday star.

People drive from around the Pikes Peak region to gaze at the winter wonderland off U.S. Highway 24 east of Woodland Park, said Lori Marttila, office manager for the real estate company, which has 26 agents.

The Christmas decorations prompt people to call and compliment the company. The display draws passers-by — and potential customers.

“People remember we’re the ones with the lights,” Marttila said. “We get exposure, and we get some business out of it. But we really do it for the pure enjoyment and cheer of the holidays.”

Despite a soft economy and predictions of less-thanstellar retail sales this season, businesses aren’t cutting back on the greenery and glitter, said Shannon Steiner, president of Kodiak Christmas, a local professional decorating company.

“Christmas is still Christmas,” Steiner said. “Nobody’s holding back — we keep getting busier.”

But whether it’s setting up a few trees, wreaths and poinsettias inside the office or going with a full-blown outdoor show stopper, decorating isn’t cheap.

Nationwide, residential and commercial consumers spent $200 million last year on holiday lighting and decorating services — an 800 percent growth from 2000, according to Christmas Décor, a national decorating franchise.

Re/Max Performance’s annual display, now in its 15th year, increases the company’s electric bills by 200 percent between Thanksgiving and the first week in January, Marttila said. The company also spends several thousand dollars each year buying new decorations to replace weather-battered ones, and pays for professional installation and dismantling.

For custom-made decorations, labor and storage, Steiner’s company charges commercial and residential clients anywhere from $200 to $10,000 or more. A typical bank runs $2,500 to $3,000 for indoor decorating, for example, while extravagant outdoor displays can cost $10,000, she said.

“It’s very cost effective because we do whatever the client wants — we custommake Santa in a sleigh, poinsettia lampposts, wreaths — and we know what we’re doing,” Steiner said.

A worthwhile investment, Marttila said.

“The appeal of our display outweighs the cost,” she said. “The community looks forward to it.”

Besides, Steiner said, customers expect a little holiday cheer when they walk into a business.

Jill Lais, marketing director for Chapel Hills Mall, said festive decorations put shoppers in the holiday spirit.

“We create a place where people can feel the magic and experience of the holidays and have fond memories,” she said.

The shopping center this year purchased new decorations in a red and white motif, including a Santa set, banners and overhead light curtains.

Although the cost was significant, Lais said, “you have to look at it from the standpoint that 25 percent of the shopping center’s annual sales are generated in November and December. You want every customer to have a great shopping experience with music, decorations and a Santa set.”

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0235 or debbie.kelley@gazette.com

HOW MUCH DO WE USE?

Electricity use in Colorado Springs normally runs 640 megawatts a night but jumps to 660 a night during the holidays, according to Colorado Springs Utilities spokesman Dave Grossman.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The cost for businesses to power holiday lights depends on the type and number of lights and length of time they are on. Examples:

- The cost to run 30 strands of C-9 lights (the really big bulbs) for six hours a night for one month: $78. For 100 strands, it’s a $260 electric bill increase.

- The cost to run 30 strands of night light-size C-7 lights for six hours a night for one month: $54. For 100 strands: $180.

- The cost to run 30 strands of minilights for six hours a night for one month: $18. For 100 strands, $60.

- The cost to run 30 strands of LED lights for six hours a night for one month: 90 cents. For 100 strands: $3.

COLORADO SPRINGS UTILITIES