East Texas Holiday Hosting: Don’t Let an Outage Ruin Your Thanksgiving or Christmas
The holidays are supposed to be full of warmth, family, and food — not cold kitchens, dim dining rooms, and ruined dinners. But if you live in East Texas, you know that weather and power outages don’t always follow the traditional script.
Storms This Week - A Reminder
A line of thunderstorms moved through East Texas this week with gusty winds and heavy rainfall. These aren’t just “summer storms” anymore. Even in late October or early November we see grids stressed and outages pop up. Frequent rain and lightning can easily knock out feeders, damage service panels, or trigger local brownouts. If your home isn’t prepared, one of these storms could turn your holiday gathering into a scramble.
This week’s forecast is your cue to act now.
Holiday Hosting Scenarios Gone Wrong
Picture this: Thanksgiving dinner is underway, the oven’s humming, guests are laughing, the tree’s lit, and then — blackout. No heat, no lights, the fridge stops, the turkey’s stuck halfway done. Or imagine Christmas morning, stockings hung, coffee brewing, and suddenly the lights go out.
From spoiled food to cold rooms, equipment failures to lost moments, an outage can ruin the magic in minutes.
That’s why a standby generator isn’t just a nice‑to‑have. It’s the difference between the night going off without a hitch and you digging frozen casseroles by flashlight.
Why Winter Weather in East Texas Matters
Winter in East Texas doesn’t mean polar winters, but it does bring real risk. Here are some data points worth noting:
- In Longview, TX
the average December high is around 60 °F and the average low drops into the 36 °F.
- Though snow is rare, the chance of precipitation (rain or mixed) in December is
roughly 23% on a given day.
- Homes get sealed up for cold snaps, heating systems strain, trees full of leaves drop – all stressors that increase outage potential.
The takeaway: snow and ice might be unusual, but
cold, damp, stormy weather is anything but safe. Power disruptions in holidays and cold fronts happen more often than many expect.
Holiday Must‑Have: A Standby Generator
If you only do one thing this winter, let it be this:
get backup power in place. A standby generator keeps your home’s heat, lights, refrigerator, and medical equipment running during blackouts. That means no scrambling in the dark, no spoiled food, and no frozen pipes.
At MALL Energy Home, we install Kohler and Briggs & Stratton standby generators sized to your exact needs.
Let our local experts help you choose the right generator for your home—one that keeps your family safe and never leaves you in the dark.
What a Generator Gives You
- Keep the oven cooking, no matter what.
- Keep guests warm and lights bright.
- Preserve perishables and leftovers.
- Maintain WiFi, security systems, refrigerators.
- Protect aging parents, pets, and special medical gear.
Your Winter Hospitality Prep Checklist
- Schedule a
generator consultation now. Don’t wait for the rush.
- Inspect your gutters, roof, and eaves. Even a light freeze or ice build‑up around sagging eaves can cause leaks or bigger damage. If you need local help, consider Clean Cut Roofing for roof repairs and Jack’s Gutters to clear leaves and debris.
- Replace batteries in detectors and CO alarms—you don’t want that chirp at 3 a.m. Many homeowners ignore the alarm, remove the detector and never put it back up. Cold weather tightens homes and increases use of gas heat and fireplaces, so accidental CO buildup is a very real risk.
- Stock your emergency kit: flashlights, extra batteries, bottled water, non‑perishable food, blankets. Don’t forget prescriptions, backup chargers. And if a storm is coming — hit the grocery store early.
- If you have a fireplace, stock firewood now. East Texas companies like P&L Tree Services deliver seasoned firewood to Kilgore, Gladewater, Longview and beyond.
- Check your smart thermostat settings, or install one. Smart systems adapt to temp changes and can lower the heat when you’re away to help prevent frozen pipes.
- Re‑assess generator sizing: Are you covered? Many new or growing families underestimate their needs.
8. Make your hosting plan — if the lights go out, are you covered? From turkey to tree, generator power keeps your plans on track.
Don’t let a storm, blackout, or freeze interrupt your holiday hosting or family time. With one call to
MALL Energy Home, you can be ready. We serve Longview, Tyler, Shreveport and the entire East Texas region. We’ll walk you through your options, inspect your home, and give you a no‑pressure quote before the next front rolls in.
