27 Outdoor Holiday Decoration Ideas for a Festive Display
Your outdoor space also deserves to be merry, bright, and over-the-top for the holidays!
We've been there. It's hard to come up with fresh ideas for keeping your home's exteriors looking festive and vibrant with each Christmas season. That's why we came up with these 27 outdoor holiday decoration ideas so you don't have to! Keep reading if you're looking for some new inspiration that will reignite your passion for holiday decorating or help you figure out a good starting point.
1. Start With Seasons Greetings
Don the threshold with festive outdoor holiday decor like a Christmas-themed doormat. Choose a winter-themed doormat to give a nod to the holiday that’s also neutral enough to work well after the Christmas season ends (like the "Let It Snow" doormat above). Or amp up feelings of merriment with an elaborate "Merry Christmas" doormat. When in doubt, remember that the best Christmas doormat should convey your personality and set the tone for holiday guests.
Unsure how to approach your outdoor decorating scheme? Symmetrical outdoor holiday decoration ideas create a professional-looking display minus the effort! Start by centering the look with a festive wreath for the door. Position a small Christmas tree to either side of the door, then spiral evergreen garlands down each of the portico columns. Place a pair of small wreaths directly above each column for an added touch of symmetry and interest. Go even further with a larger wreath centered directly above the front door wreath on the pediment. With symmetry achieved, you can add in finishing touches like decorative ribbons or walkway lanterns.
Opt for incandescent Christmas lights and lighted decorations to make your front yard glow with a warm ambience. Incandescent or "warm white" Christmas lights have yellow undertones, which help to create a welcoming, soft appearance. Use warm white Christmas lights for all parts of your outdoor display. Add an element of enchantment with a light-up reindeer display and hanging cascading snowflake icicle lights from a tree.
Tip!
Learn more about outdoor holiday light options in our Types of Christmas Lights guide.
4. … Or Create an Icy Winter Wonderland
Cool white Christmas lighting adds a fresh, icy twist to your exteriors that's perfect for achieving a winter wonderland theme. Keep everything cool blue or add a decorative touch with a pair of warm white lighted garden stakes. Cool white lights also make your interior lights appear more warm and inviting from the outside (perfect for window candles or a Christmas tree window display!)
There's nothing better than DIY outdoor Christmas decorations to set your house apart from the rest of the block. Repurpose your outdoor candle lanterns for a fresh Christmas display that you can put together in minutes. Choose ball Christmas ornaments in whichever holiday colors you prefer. The above lanterns have a mix of red, gold, and white glitter ornaments, but you can easily revise the look to include classic red and green, red and white, green and gold, or blue and silver. Top off the display with decorative bows. Place these Christmas ornament lanterns by your front door or along your walkway.
You can't go wrong with classic outdoor Christmas decorations to outfit your home's exterior. You can easily reuse them and add to them over the years thanks to their timeless look and design. Classic outdoor staples for Christmas include evergreen garlands, miniature faux evergreen trees, and a simple, buildable wreath, all outfitted in light decorative accents (think: pine cones and winter berries). Then all you need to do is add warm white Christmas lights – unless you go pre-lit of course! The best part about this outdoor holiday scheme is you can keep it pared back or add ribbon, bows, ornaments, or any trendy decorative accents of the season for extra festiveness.
Change things up with an outdoor Christmas scene that bursts with color and energy. The matching garland and wreath above are just one example of using nontraditional holiday colors in conventional forms. Rich purples, pinks, reds, oranges, and vibrant greens take these otherwise basic decorations to a whole new level. Recreate the look above or delve into your favorite color schemes with wreaths, garlands, and decorative accents in pinks, bright blues, yellows, or fun purples.
Tip!
Filter for a specific color when browsing outdoor Christmas decor by referencing the color filtration tab to the left-hand side of the page.
8. Think Big
Ensure everyone can see your decor from the road with large statement Christmas decorations. The oversized ornament pictured above serves as a showstopping addition to your doorstep while simplifying your job as a decorator. Draw inspiration from this idea with multiple oversized ornaments or another statement piece like a life-size nutcracker.
Transform your hanging planters into a creative festive arrangement. All you need? An outdoor hanging planter, outdoor Christmas lights, and faux evergreen plants with flocked/frosted branches. You can also swap in holiday floral arrangements to make the process seamless and simple.
Tip!
Enhance the planter display above with a few faux poinsettias in rich red hues.
Repurpose teardrop holiday swags to give your front porch or portico columns a Christmas upgrade. Teardrop swags are a great alternative to garlands because you don't have to spend time wrapping them around each column. Not to mention swags have a fuller appearance for added decorative flair. Keep things classic with an evergreen teardrop swag featuring winter berries or have some fun with more elaborate designs and colors.
Consider outdoor holiday decoration ideas that will wow your neighbors and bring a new layer to your go-to outdoor decor. Create an ice-sculpture effect using solar-powered gazing balls with a cracked glass finish and outdoor candle holders with cracked/bubbled glass outlines. Have fun with placement by lining them up the stairs or walkway, and spacing them throughout the yard. Add to the icy effect with icicle-style lights above the door frame.
Use exterior stairs to your advantage this holiday season by making them your focus for outdoor decorating. Allow icicle lights to cascade along the railings and along balconies/raised porches. This creates a stunning look that’s still incredibly simple to achieve. Bump this display up a bit with elaborate Christmas bows secured to each baluster or railing corner.
Tip!
Get more inspiration for decorating outdoor stairways with 8 Christmas Staircase Decor Ideas to Try This Holiday Season.
13. Reimagine the Way You Do Christmas Lights
Forget everything you thought you knew about hanging Christmas lights and start fresh. First, hang curtain-style string lights between each pair of columns on your front porch/portico. Next, split the lights into two equal sections and tie each section loosely to the columns for a cool draped effect. The result? A fun and festive way to frame windows and doorways.
Tip!
Check out Christmas Lights 101: How to Hang Christmas Lights for everything you need to light up your outdoor space for the holidays.
14. Provide a Sweet Welcome
Opt for a Candy Land theme with festive outdoor decorations that feature festive treats (think: peppermint, candy canes, sugar plums, and gingerbread). Set up a few cone displays on your front porch for a fun peppermint twist. Or go all-out with candy cane pathway markers and light-up gingerbread figurines.
Who said anything about one door wreath? Change up tradition with a fresh twist on Christmas outdoor decor. Start with two identical wreaths that speak to your aesthetic. Use a strong wire to suspend the bottom wreath from the top wreath, and adjust until you achieve the desired look. Now cover the wire with some festive ribbon and bows and add the finishing touches. Consider using hot glue to secure the ribbons and bows to the wreath with ease.
We love a good Christmas wreath, but there are so many other ways to deck out your door for the holidays! Take the rustic snowman above, for example. Swap out the snowman for a festive tin sign. Or create a welcoming entrance with a light-up sign to convey the mood of the season.
Spread holiday cheer with a festive mailbox for everyone to see. Frame your mailbox with a mailbox swag of winter greenery, or spiral a Christmas garland around the base. Fasten a large bow to the top of the post if you really want to go all out with your mailbox decor. Add some character by swapping the bow for a Santa Claus hat instead.
Transform your front porch with an abundance of snowflake decorations that you can keep up well after the holiday season is over. Don't have a porch? Hang snowflake lights from tree branches for an equally striking arrangement. You can also convey falling snow by hanging snowflake lights on the inside of your windows. Then cover the windows with curtains at night so the snowflake lights can really shine.
Inflatables are a fun and festive way to spruce up your front yard during the holiday season. Choose from a variety of Christmas themes, including reindeer, snowmen, nativity scenes, or even Santa himself. You will need an outlet or a heavy-duty extension cord if you purchase a plug-in inflatable. These statement pieces can be inflated and deflated in the span of a few minutes, so they are easy to take down and store away once the holiday season is over.
Grab some outdoor Christmas ornaments and let the tree in your front yard do the rest! Try oversized Christmas lights in vibrant colors or switch things up with a collection of North Star ornaments to light up the night. Go for another Christmas design altogether with lighted bow decorations on your tree. The ornaments above are plug-in. However you can also tailor your search for battery-powered options.
Transform unlikely spaces into decor fit for the season with mural outdoor holiday decoration ideas. Use your garage door as a blank canvas for a holiday scene with a door mural. Choose from a variety of murals with seasonal symbols (as pictured above) to Christmas phrases. The best part? These door murals can last multiple seasons, so you can reuse them each year.
Use Christmas lights to outline doorways and windows on the front of your house. Not only is this super easy to accomplish, but it's also a great way to light up your home without using a ton of Christmas lights! Provide a festive scene by framing the windows of your Christmas tree room and lining the windowsill with candles for added interest.
If you're looking for an outdoor Christmas color scheme, you can't go wrong with red and gold combos. Cement your red and gold outdoor decorations with an elaborate Christmas wreath featuring red and gold ornaments and ribbons. Fashion a matching garland directly above the door for red and gold hues all-around.
Use the classic Christmas song for inspiration for your outdoor Christmas decor ideas. A silver and gold aesthetic plays on holiday themes perfectly! Together, these two colors exude Christmas while staying more neutral than red and green color schemes. Start with a silver Christmas wreath or swag in a fun teardrop shape to mount on your door. Frame your door with a silver and gold garland. Opt for warm white Christmas lights to add a golden glow to glistening silver details.
Spread Christmas cheer with comedic Christmas decorations for your yard. Depict hanging Christmas lights gone wrong with a tangled up elf. Bring out an inflatable Santa Clause on a motorcycle with Rudolph riding in a sidecar, or replace reindeer with flamingos for your sleigh display.
Christmas light projectors provide easy outdoor Christmas decorations that have a big impact – without the need to get on a ladder or fiddle with Christmas lights! Connect the projector to an exterior power source and hide it from view. Most light projectors come with multiple slides, so you can choose and change-up your Christmas light display whenever you want. Once turned on, the projector provides all the interest of conventional Christmas lights without the work.
We couldn't make a list of outdoor Christmas decorating ideas without mentioning the back patio/yard space! Whether you have a patio, deck, or small green space, there's no reason not to deck it out for the holidays! Dress up your topiaries with Christmas lights and rich green ornaments for a fun fusion of green hues. Hang a Christmas wreath on a window overlooking your patio space. Then, swap in some outdoor Christmas pillows to make cold nights around the firepit all the more festive.
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