A Very NYC Holiday Letter from Your (Slightly Tired but Still Cheerful) Contractor

Love, The Alban Group

Dear Building Managers (and Our Favorite Festive New Yorkers),

Ah yes, the holidays in New York. Lights twinkle, menorahs glow, and Amazon drivers develop Olympic-level stamina. As your loyal construction team—the ones who patch, paint, scrape, and buff after the magic fades—we’re here with a few holiday survival tips to keep your building beautiful, safe, and lawsuit-free.

 Let’s Start with the Walls

Those cute little santa clause stickers? It’s not so cute when it takes half the paint with it. Eco-friendly paint doesn’t “touch up” anymore—it repaints. So please, stick to Command™ strips or removable hooks. One jolly man in red today = one big paint job tomorrow.

🚪 Decorative Doormats & Fire Inspectors Don’t Mix

We love your style. But NYC fire inspectors don’t. Those adorable mats outside your door? Violations waiting to happen. Plus, nothing kills holiday cheer faster than a trip-and-fall lawsuit.

🌲 Tree Tips from the People Who’ve Seen It All

Live Christmas trees make the city sparkle—right up until they scratch your lobby, shed needles in the elevator, and leave a trail of sap worthy of a crime scene.

• Bag your tree before bringing it in (your super will love you).
• Put a basin under it to catch needles and sap.
• Don’t drag it down the hallway like you’re in a Hallmark movie.

🕯 Menorahs & Candles — Keep the Fire Department Off Your Guest List

Live flames are beautiful but risky. Never leave them unattended, and if you can, go LED. Fake candles don’t drip wax on windows, burn sills, or set off building alarms at 2 a.m.

📦 And Now… The Packages and some tips

Yes, we know. The holiday package avalanche is real. Lobbies turn into cardboard jungles, door staff become unofficial postal workers, and everyone’s patience runs on fumes. From a contractor’s perspective, that chaos doesn’t just slow traffic — it quietly damages the building itself. Stacked boxes scuff freshly painted walls, dent doors, chip corners, and turn high-end finishes into accidental casualty zones.

• Pick up packages promptly. Fewer boxes means fewer walls used as backstops — and fewer repair invoices come January.
• Keep hallways and exits clear. Stored packages aren’t just clutter; they’re fire hazards, trip risks, and prime sources of scratched walls and dented doors.
• Bag live trees before they come in — and before they go out. Pine needles embed in carpet, sap stains fibers, and unwrapped trunks scratch hardwood and stone floors on the way in and out.
• Mind the door staff. They’re juggling building safety, deliveries, and resident sanity — all while protecting finishes they didn’t install but will hear about if they’re damaged.

A little planning goes a long way. Your building — and your contractor — will thank you when the decorations come down and the walls still look like December never happened.

From all of us at The Alban Group: thank you for helping us keep your NYC building safe, spotless, and standing strong. We love the holidays as much as anyone—especially when we don’t have to repaint, refinish, or re-floor afterward.

With love (and a Shop-Vac),
Your Happy General Contractor, The Alban Group