Hilchos Succos

(Laws of the Festival of Booths)

It is a mitzvah to beautify the Succah with decorations, posters, etc.
 

Hanging decorations should be placed high enough so that children will not be able to tear them down.

Decorations hung from the ceiling (schach) should be no lower than 12 inches below the schach

so that one will be able to sit under them without them acting as an "interference" between you and the schach.

Before the beginning of Yom Tov, one should state vocally that:
"Every Bein Hashmashos of the 8 days of Succos I do not consider the decorations to be part of the schach,
and I am thus retaining the right to use them for my own personal use."

Since the decorations are (after the above declaration) not considered part of the Succah, one now has the right to use them

or move them, and they thus do not become muktzeh on Shabbos and Yom Tov, and can be moved, or set aside

if they happen to fall down over the eight days of the Festival of Succos.

One should live in the succah for seven days.  "Living" entails:
eating, drinking ("L'chaim!"), Torah study, passing the time, and even sleeping.

As it is often too cold to sleep in the succah, the Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles) has allowed a heter (leniency)

and one is allowed to sleep inside of his home IF to sleep in the succah is a hardship.

One should be careful NOT to eat or drink outside of the succah, if at all possible.

The "Succah B'rachah" ("...layshav b'succah,")  should not be recited when:

drinking beverages, or eating:

fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, or eggs.

The succah should be treated as one's home,

and as such, pots and pans should not be brought into the succah.

One should set the table in the3 succah with one's finest china and silverware to enhance the beauty of the succah.

The Four Species

The lulav should be held in the right/strong hand,

while the esrog should be held in the left/weak hand.

The b'rachah Natilas Lulav should be said with the esrog being held upside down,

and only after the b'rachah should one hold all four species "as they grow."

The first day on which we take the four species (which this year is Sunday, the Second Day of Yom Tov),

after the b'rachah Natilas Lulav, we recite a Shehechyanu.

According to the Gra, the esrog is always held in its "growing position" -- with the pitum up,

and one should concentrate on NOT fulfilling the mitzvah until one has recited the b'rachah.

After the b'rachah, the four species are waved in six directions (na'anu'im).

Our minhag is (...to be continued...)