Design 101

Outdoor Christmas Decorations Ideas

September 05, 2024

If you're like many people, you may not start thinking about Christmas decorating until well after you feel a chill in the air. However, the right time to plan your decorating theme could be sooner than you think. 

Check out our favorite outdoor Christmas decoration ideas and stage your perfect winter wonderland this year.

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Plan Your Theme

Depending on where you live and who you live with, you may choose from a wide variety of themes. For example, if you have kids, you may opt for a fun, playful vibe. Or, you might lean toward the traditional Christmases with a nostalgic feel, or go the modern route with neutral colors, tasteful lighting schemes, and more.

A few ideas could involve:

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Characters

If your little ones go wild for Rudolph and his red nose or Santa and his elves, you could decorate your yard with inflatables and a particular color scheme.

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Colors

This theme idea doesn't have to be specific to a character or lighting theme. In addition to the traditional red and green, Christmas colors can include silver, gold, and white.

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Christmas planters

While flowers might bring to mind a springtime setting, you could lean into your love of winter plants and incorporate evergreen, holly, and poinsettias. These are traditionally associated with winter and the outdoors in the Christmastime season.

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Heirlooms

Did your great-aunt gift you with an animatronic Santa figurine you've been trying to figure out how to stage for years? Dust it off, bring it down from the attic, and search for porch lighting and additional outdoor props that really show it off.

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Lighting

Fantastic lighting displays are synonymous with holiday festivities. Designing your theme around lighting options can be ideal for first-time designers who feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities.

Outdoor Christmas Decorating Ideas for Your Front Porch

If you're used to decorating indoors for Christmas, you may already have a set of well-worn decorations you unbox every year at the beginning of December. Many people struggle with Christmas yard decorating outdoors because there are so many options and themes to choose from — and much of it can be limited by the space and configuration of your yard.

That's why your front porch can be ideal for creating a welcoming — and festive — atmosphere. Check out these ideas for a starting point:

Christmas Trees

While evergreen trees have long been a staple of indoor Christmas decor, they can just as easily be used to decorate outdoors. Choose where on your front porch to place the tree, and use the porch's dimensions to determine your desired size.

Fitting an artificial tree onto a porch will likely be easier than using a real evergreen. Many artificial trees, which range from three-foot miniatures to seven-foot giants, have built-in lighting to make your holiday decorating easier.

You can also add additional lights, garlands, and decorations. Don't forget to spend extra time fluffing your tree's branches after taking it out of its box, as it will likely look a bit flat after its time in storage.

Wreaths and Garlands

Nothing says "Welcome to our home" quite like a decked-out Christmas wreath hung on your front door. Traditionally, people used leftover tree branches to craft homemade wreaths after bringing a Christmas tree into their homes.

Fortunately, there are many more choices in the modern world. Your wreath can match your outdoor tree, or you could choose a more subtle version that matches your decorating scheme. You can also get additional pre-lit garlands to wrap around pillars and banisters.

Festive Rug

Switch out your usual doormat for a Christmas-themed version you'll love enough to keep as part of your yearly decoration theme. Try a traditional "Merry Christmas" greeting made with durable, mold-resistant fiber, or invest in a cheery snowflake design that will last for years.

Or, if your porch is large enough, consider a 5x8 rug designed for indoor/outdoor use and adorned with Christmas stockings or a winter forest theme.

Decorative Pillows and Blankets

Finding comfy items that can withstand the outdoors, regardless of your locale's winter weather, can be difficult. If you've been thinking about incorporating a few cozy pieces into your outdoor Christmas decoration theme, consider a durable holiday-themed decorative pillow made to withstand the elements. A throw blanket can easily be placed on the same chair or draped over a bench for added ambiance.

Outdoor Yard Decorating Ideas

Your yard decorations can be as unique as your home itself. Consider decorating your lawn to draw attention to your home's natural features. For example, you could use an array of ornaments on a wide, flat lawn or adorn trees with several varieties of twinkle lights.

Lights

Lots of people love looking at neighborhood holiday light displays. Fortunately, there's a wide variety of small, colorful lights to choose from. Red bulbs strung together with green wire can complement trees and porch/fence posts nicely, while candle-shaped lights can add a touch of elegance to your overall Christmas display.

Lawn Ornaments

Ornaments and lawn decorations can run the gamut from a small cartoon snowman to more traditional mainstays like a fully lit reindeer display. If you want to make your neighbors smile, you can opt for a gigantic inflatable nutcracker.

Pathway Lights

If you plan on hosting this holiday season, consider illuminating your guests' way to your home with new pathway lights. Small twinkling Christmas trees or glowing snowflakes placed along a front walkway are a practical solution for helping visitors navigate to your front door in the darkness. They also tie together that special Christmas feeling you're trying to create in your yard and on your front porch.

Christmas Planter Ideas

Adding a Christmas planter to your outdoor holiday decor can create a welcoming and festive atmosphere for your home. These planters, filled with seasonal greenery like pine branches, holly, and berries, can be customized with ornaments, lights, or ribbons to match your existing holiday theme. Positioned on porches, patios, or along walkways, they add a fresh, natural touch that complements other outdoor decorations such as lights and wreaths. The vibrant colors and textures not only brighten up the cold winter landscape but also make your home feel warm and inviting to guests and passersby.

Find Your Perfect Outdoor Christmas Decorations Ideas Today

Are you already planning out your Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping list? Now's the time to get ahead of one of the year's busiest seasons and begin searching for Christmas decoration ideas. 

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