It’s a new year, and many of us have resolved to finally do what makes us happy. To stop coming up with reasons not to do the things we want. Of course, this time of year also brings many to the crippling realization of just how much they spent over the holidays, and how much they need to save in the new year.

Good lighting, beautiful lighting, new lighting in your home can really work miracles for the space’s look and feel, and even your own well-being. But, when trying to save money, springing for new lights can feel like too much of a luxury. How do you know when it’s worth it?

We’ve put our heads together here at Pegasus Lighting to come up with the 8 best reasons you should say YES! to a lighting upgrade:

1. You’re wasting money. 

One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® and Mister Sparky® are North America’s most trusted home services brands thanks to the skilled, hardworking tradespeople who proudly wear our uniforms. That’s why we’re equally proud to announce a partnership with Mike Rowe, creator and executive producer of CNN’s “Somebody’s Gotta Do It” and Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs.”

In addition to his TV work, Rowe is the founder of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting honest work and reinvigorating the skilled trades. Our home services brands have committed to donating $100,000 in scholarships to mikeroweWORKS over the next 12 months, and will work alongside Rowe to promote the skilled trades industry and empower future and potential trade professionals.

The partnership, announced yesterday at our annual convention in Las Vegas, features Rowe in television, radio and print advertisements, where he will appear alongside real technicians from each of our brands. Rowe will also work with the companies to highlight the benefits of careers in the plumbing, electrical and HVAC industries. No other home services provider has embarked on a partnership of this kind to promote skilled trades and the professionals who’re carrying those industries forward.

“We are pleased to join forces with Mike and appreciate his commitment to the trades,” said Mark Baker, president of franchise for the three brands. “The men and women with careers in this field power all three of our brands. We are excited to support them and share the message of how our trusted technicians, plumbers and electricians are like superheroes to our customers, often saving the day when they encounter a problem and helping to protect their homes and families.”

Rowe became a household name by working alongside tradespeople in essential but often unglamorous fields in his two television programs. Since establishing mikeroweWORKS in 2008, he has written and spoken extensively about the value of hard work, the widening skills gap, offshore manufacturing, infrastructure decline and related topics. To date, his foundation has awarded more than $3 million in education “work ethic” scholarships for schools around the country.

“The goal of mikeroweWORKS is pretty simple - help close the skills gap by encouraging men and women to get the training they need to pursue good jobs that actually exist,” said Rowe. “One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky are perfect partners because, collectively, they offer thousands of jobs waiting to be filled. And they know first-hand what a "good job" really is. I'm flattered for the chance to speak on their behalf and grateful for their generous donation to my foundation."

Join us in welcoming Mike Rowe to our home services family, and watch for him in new advertisements for our brands coming soon!

Bring a bit of Henri Bendel’s “Hirschfeld Spectacular” into your home this holiday season. Join in the fun and enter Capitol Lighting’s Chandelier sweepstakes, and you could be the lucky winner of the magnificent Swarovski chandelier that is currently being featured in the holiday window display at Henri Bendel’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City!

Crystorama provides the lighting; Swarovski showcases the Elements; Henri Bendel creates the most dazzling holiday window displays; and Capitol Lighting presents the opportunity for a lucky winner to bring it all home for the holidays!

A lighting industry leader, Crystorama has teamed up with Swarovski to provide 16 chandeliers for the famed Henri Bendel holiday window display on Fifth Avenue. This year’s display, the “Hirschfeld Spectacular,” honors the late Al Hirschfeld, an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.  

Adding to the enchantment—Crystorama and Capitol Lighting/1800lighting.com are hosting a holiday sweepstakes for a Crystorama chandelier featuring Swarovski Elements.

Hirschfeld Spectacular at Henri Bendel  

The main window of the Henri Bendel flagship store has been transformed into the formal dining room of a classic New York townhouse in the midst of a holiday party.  The celebrated party guests-all Al Hirschfeld’s line drawings translated into three-dimensions—include: Carol Channing, Whoopi Goldberg, Sarah Jessica Parker, Liza Minelli, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Bernadette Peters, and Woody Allen.

At the center of the window hangs a large gold-plated Crystorama chandelier sparkling with Swarovski Elements.   The centerpiece of the atrium is Henri Bendel’s iconic two-story tree, covered in malachite.  Atop the tree is Al Hirschfeld’s Charlie Chaplin, also sculpted in three-dimensions, looking down at all who enter the store.

Fifteen Crystorama chandeliers with Swarovski Elements adorn the tree’s many branches.

The display will be up through January 2, 2014 and can be seen at the Henri Bendel flagship store located at 712  5th Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10019.

Chandelier Sweepstakes with Capitol Lighting

During Capitol Lighting’s “12 Days of Giving” social media campaign, the grand prizewinner will receive a Crystorama chandelier from the Maria Theresa Collection featuring Swarovski Elements.

Capitol Lighting will be announcing the contest on its Facebook page on December 12 with a photo featuring the chandelier prize. To enter, fans must “like” both the Crystorama and Capitol Lighting Facebook pages and “share” the announcement photo from Capitol Lighting on their own page and tag both companies; the winner will be announced on December 20, 2013.

  About Swarovski

Swarovski delivers a diverse product portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, Swarovski Crystal Business is famous for natural and created gemstones, fine jewelry and accessories, and dazzling light fixtures.

Now run by the fifth generation of family members, Swarovski Crystal Business has a global reach, with over 2 350 stores in about 170 countries, 25,135 employees and revenues of 2.38 billion Euros in 2012. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasive), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group.

About Henri Bendel

Famous for his signature brown and white striped hatboxes and shopping bags, Henri Bendel became the first retailer with an upper Fifth Avenue storefront.  Henri Bendel continues to excite as a  “ A Girl’s Playground,” offering amazing gifts for the holidays and showcasing Crystorama and Capitol Lighting’s chandelier sweepstakes.

Henri Bendel, the “fearless innovator,” was a true pioneer in the world of women’s fashion.  He opened his first shop in Greenwich Village in 1895, supplying the city’s elite clientele with the peak of luxury.

The original townhouse façade of the Bendel Fifth Avenue building, including the Lalique art glass windows, has endured for over 100 years.  Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis petitioned the city of New York to grant the Henri Bendel Fifth Avenue store official landmark status in 1991.

About Capitol Lighting and 1-800Lighting.com

For more than 89 years, the lighting experts at the award-winning Capitol Lighting/ 1800lighting.com have helped customers find the perfect lighting fixtures and decorative accessories.   Capitol Lighting showrooms and their website 1-800LIGHTING.com satisfy all lighting needs, from contemporary wall sconces and traditional crystal chandeliers to table lamps, outdoor light fixtures and energy-efficient lighting – all at the guaranteed lowest prices.

For more information, visit Capitol Lighting, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.   Join in the celebration with Capitol Lighting during their “month long” social media event December 2-20. Enter the sweepstakes to be a contender for the Grand Prize.

One lucky winner is entitled to part of Henri Bendel’s “Hirschfeld Spectacular”:  Crystorama’s Swarovski Maria Theresa chandelier is the final prize and give-a-way for Capitol Lighting’s  holiday sweepstakes!  Like them on Facebook and be a contender.