Deck Out Your Space with Our Top 5 Fast & Festive Outdoor Decorating Tips

Take a long look at the front of your home from the street or the sidewalk in both sunlight and starlight. After all, that’s how neighbors and passersby will see your holiday display!

Determine your home’s exterior focal point and build your seasonal decor around it. A little bit of lighting along a sharply sloping roof can make a subtle impression, while more elaborate illumination can turn even a simple roof into a highlight. Adorn outdoor chairs with festive blankets and cushions. And nothing beats a classic light-up star or candlestick in the window!

Year-round plant life fits naturally into your holiday decor. Pine and holly make beautiful living garlands, accompanied by festive flowers like “Red Lion” amaryllis. Small potted evergreen shrubs add another natural touch. The possibilities for natural wreaths are almost endless (see Tip #4 below)!

Wherever you have spare lawn or porch space, there’s almost certainly a way to add a wintery forest touch. Create a cohesive look across your entire home and yard by finding creative ways to include fresh greenery throughout. Don’t be afraid to mix and match!

From dangling white icicles to flashing red-and-green strings to soft classic blue bulbs, holiday lighting displays are limited only by your creativity—just be sure to test the lights before they go up! Once everything is ready to go, arrange adhesive clips along windows, railings, or columns at an even distance apart and attach your lights accordingly.

Lights aren’t limited to only strings, either. Illuminated trees and freestanding figures can carry your light theme and color scheme throughout your whole yard—some are even electronically animated, adding a magical touch to the sparkling scene! Nothing says “Happy Holidays” like a lighted wire snowman waving to your neighbors as they walk by.

Have you ever seen a velvety magnolia wreath? How about frosted pine cones instead of classic greenery? A wreath woven from leaves can include bay, olive, and cedar leaves, plus many other types of greenery. Faux berries, gilded acorns, iron accents, handmade fabric—the list of possibilities may be even longer than your strings of holiday lights. For a DIY touch, you can even build a wreath out of colorful ornament bulbs.

If you use a living material for your circlet, just be sure to mist with water periodically, keeping your wreath healthy for the entire season.

When the new year arrives, dismantling your holiday display is super simple. Take advantage of vertical space in your shed by hanging handy shelves. Use weather-resistant storage bins to store your lights, wreaths, and other holiday decor throughout the year.

When it’s time to decorate next December, you’ll know exactly where you left every accessory. You can also keep tools like rakes and snow shovels close at hand to prep your yard before decorating.

Follow these 5 simple tips, and you’re certain to create a winter display that’s the envy of your whole neighborhood!