If you'd like to match reindeer and kilowatts with all-star holiday yard-trimmers but fear your amateur efforts might black out all the houses on your street, you can find help and inspiration in a new do-it-yourself outdoor decorating guide by Brad Finkle.

Holiday Hero: A Man's Manual for Holiday Lighting (Chronicle Books, $9.95) takes the guesswork out of creating memorable Christmas displays. It covers everything from the basics on how to hang lights to planning, installing, troubleshooting and storing your dream display.

Finkle, who lives in Omaha, Neb., has won numerous awards from the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America.