THE DOCTOR IS IN; STARS, OTHERS TAKE A VACATION FROM THE STRESS OF CHRISTMAS DECORATING.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Staff Writer

Garland, ribbons, strings of beads, fake snow. Just what the doctor ordered - Dr. Christmas, that is.

Actually, the doctor is the yuletide decorator to the rich and famous, or just the busy and overworked who are willing to pay more than most families spend on their entire Christmas gift list to have a crew of ``elves'' add a Christmasy touch to the house.

``Some people will hire us to do everything but the tree,'' said Debi Staron, 41, half of the Sherman Oaks-based Dr. Christmas team. ``They really like to do the tree themselves, usually with their kids.

``Then there are people who would rather sit and drink cappucino and - poof

It's all up. And we come back and take it down.''

``The taking-it-down part is really important to some people,'' said Bob Pranga, 38, who founded Dr. Christmas in 1984. ``As long as they don't have to untangle the lights or put away the ornaments, they're happy.''

And happy is what the season - and the decorating - is all about. Walk into a home after Dr. Christmas' crew has worked its magic and you'd swear Santa himself had paid a visit. Mirrors reflect bowls of shiny ornaments, lights bounce off polished floors, mantles are swathed in greenery and ribbon, and Christmas trees - sometimes three or four to a household - sparkle with everything from faux diamonds and pearls to the most cherished of family-heirloom ornaments.

Dr. Christmas' trees are usually swathed in wide ribbon - Pranga's own special touch - and often feature some pretty pricey stuff on the branches. But while the decorating team has its own ideas, what you feel comfortable with is the bottom line.

``People show us their ornaments and say, 'Do you like this?' '' said Staron. ``My answer is always, 'Do you like it? If you like it, we like it.' ''

Dr. Christmas has decorated trees for dozens of Hollywood stars, including Bob Hope, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton, plus studio executives, corporations, stores and politicians like former President Ronald Reagan.

But while business is booming now, the firm got started more or less by accident.

While pursuing an acting career in New York in the 1980s, Pranga got a part-time job helping to put up holiday decorations at Macy's department store. Soon shoppers were commenting on his yuletide finery.

One of them was actress Mia Farrow.

``She said she wished somebody would do that (decorating) at her home, so I thought, 'Why not?' '' said Pranga, who's had no professional training as a decorator. Farrow's friends began to ask him to decorate their homes for the holidays, and after meeting Debi Staron in an acting class, the two formed the business that continued to grow by word of mouth.

``We didn't really have a name,'' Pranga said. ``I was just called the Christmas guy, as in, 'The lights won't go on; call the Christmas guy.' Then one of my clients said, 'You're like Dr. Christmas; you come and fix things.' ''

When they moved to California in 1989 to seek acting work, the business partners' Hollywood contacts - plus people who had seen their decorating work in New York - helped them build a client base here.

While Staron still is a working actress - she often appears in small parts in soap operas and in other TV roles - Pranga pours most of his drive into being Dr. Christmas, spending nine months of the year planning, purchasing and decorating. While Pranga is the designer, Staron is the business manager, and both decorate, aided by about 10 paid workers. They also have three how-to videos for people who can't afford a personal visit from Dr. Christmas, and two more videos are in the works.

The Dr. Christmas team begins decorating in earnest in mid-November, building to a frenzy in the last few weeks before the holiday, delighting in the use of non-traditional colors and materials. ``You can change a few things, go for a whole new look, new colors, put it all together, and say, 'Wow, that's incredible,' '' said Pranga.

But a ``wow'' tree can be a pricey tree. Pranga estimates the finest 7- foot artificial tree with showstopper lights and ornaments costs about $1,500. One client hires Dr. Christmas not only inside her house but to landscape the entire outside of her mansion in lights.

Whatever the budget, Pranga and Staron say they'll work to create a unique look that fits not only a family's home color scheme, but to showcase a client's character, hobbies or work.

Most female clients who hire Dr. Christmas expect to spend a pretty penny on sprucing up their homes for the holidays. But their husbands often suffer sticker shock.

``We'll go into somebody's home to decorate a gorgeous tree, and the husband will say something like, 'Why do we need more than three strings of lights?' and I just put 46 strings on it,'' Staron said. ``Clients often say, 'Use what you need, but hide the boxes.' They're afraid their husbands will have a heart attack.''

As you might expect, the stars love a little - or a lot of - glitter at holiday time.

``Bob Hope has every ornament he has ever had, and he wants them all on the tree,'' Staron said. ``It's a very homey tree . . . with the grandkids' handprints and Styrofoam balls.''

Actor Andy Garcia is also traditional and hires Dr. Christmas to do all the decorating except the tree. ``He's very family-oriented and likes to do the tree with his wife and daughters,'' said Staron.

Soap-opera star Kristian Alfonso has a tree with a Renaissance feel, all pearls and velvet, and Candice Bergen has Christmas trees in both front and back yards, as well as inside the house. And Carrie Fisher, a year-after-year client, will go along with whatever ideas Dr. Christmas comes up with, they said.

Once all the decorating is done, about Dec. 20, Pranga continues to be on 24-hour call to his clients.

``They'll get home from work or a party at midnight and want to have a drink and sit and look at the Christmas tree,'' Pranga said, ``and I'll get this call, 'The tree won't light.' ''

Many of the stars Dr. Christmas has decorated for have signed boxes of ornaments Christmas lovers can bid on through Dec. 18 on the Internet at www.unific.com; proceeds go to the stars' favorite charities.

Tops in tree tips

Here are some tips that should help as you branch out into Christmas tree decorating like the pros:

Before choosing a tree, measure the height and width of the space where it'll stand, figuring a tree topper or angel will take up an additional 12 inches. Also check to make sure there's an electrical outlet nearby.

If you like to set up your tree weeks ahead of Christmas, an artificial tree - which won't dry out and pose a fire danger - is a good choice. If you choose a live tree, use pruning shears or heavy scissors to make it into the shape you like. Trim a few branches off the bottom near the back to make it easier to add water to the tree stand.

Set up your tree, then decorate it in layers, depending on the look you want. Start with lights, then add fake snow, ribbons, specialty decorations, garland, ornaments, bows and sprays of greenery, pine cones, fruit or flowers, in that order. Un-decorate it in reverse order.

If you're using ribbon, let the ribbon guide you in its placement, advises Dr. Christmas partner Bob Pranga. ''People are afraid to let it flow and turn the way it naturally would,'' he said. ''They pull it too tight, tie it too tight.''

Artificial trees generally require more lights to look as lush as a live tree. Dr. Christmas' rule of thumb for either is generally to use three strings of 100 lights for each foot of tree height. To decide if they're place properly, ''Step back and look at the tree with your eyes crossed, Christmas partner Debi Staron. Wherever you see a dark spot, you could use more lights.''

Plug in lights before putting them on the tree so you can make sure they work and see which bulbs need replacing. Before hooking strings of lights together, check the label on the box for limits on how many it's safe to link. Don't wrap the tree with lights like a maypole; instead decorate in triangles, from top to bottom, making light removal easier. Lights should be placed deep within the branches, as well as at the tips, to give the tree a three-dimensional look. To keep lights from tangling from year to year, roll them into a ball (starting with the non-plug end) to store, then unroll them like rolling out a yo-yo next year.

For a 75-minute tape of tree decorating how-tos, call Dr. Christmas at [phone]. Tapes cost $14.95.

- Carol Bidwell

CAPTION(S):

5 Photos, box

Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) Bob Pranga and Debi Staron of Dr. Christmas

(2 -- color) The entryway of a Bel-Air mansion has matching mirrors hung with garlands and lights by Bob Pranga, who is reflected in the mirror.

(3 -- 4 -- color) The tree in the family room, right, features lights strung deep into the branches to reflect in the ornaments, above.

(5 -- color) Bob Pranga, left, and Debi Staron - Dr. Christmas - put finishing touches on a tree in the home of a Bel-Air client.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News

Box: Tops in tree tips (See text)