The Best Of Outdoor Christmas Decorations
New ideas for your outdoor Christmas decorations
I don't know anyone as obsessed with outdoor Christmas decorations as I am. The day after Halloween, I start bugging my husband about taking down our scary stuff and breaking out the cute Christmas decorations. He usually manages to delay me a few weeks, but if I had my way, the Christmas decor would go up November 1 and stay up until February!
You might not be quite as ridiculous as me, but you probably love your Christmas decor, too. That said, you might be ready to move beyond the ordinary. Do your outdoor Christmas decorations consist of a string of lights and -- maybe -- a glowing Santa from the department store? Do you want to get more creative without spending thousands of dollars? Well read on -- Christmas decoration ideas are here!
Original outdoor Christmas decorations
Being original sometimes starts with the basics, and the basics give you a great way to build on traditional Christmas decor and infuse it with your own personality. So here are some twists on classics you're sure to love.
1. Have a front yard Christmas tree
If you're lucky enough to have a pine tree in the front yard, don't stop at lights. Get a light up star for the top, and invest in blow up ornaments in the shapes of gifts to spread underneath. If you can't find or afford those, wrap huge boxes in plastic using outdoor tablecloths in Christmas colors, and make bows and ribbons from the same. It's waterproof, inexpensive, and looks great.
Don't stop with lights, either -- adding inexpensive ornaments to your tree is a great way to make it look like home outside.
2. Use silhouettes
Want beautiful and inexpensive outdoor Christmas decorations? Cut out a Christmas shape from a piece of plywood (most hardware stores can do this for you if you don't have the equipment, and quite inexpensively). Use screws or wood glue to attach it to a spike you can drive into the ground. Position a spotlight in front of it and project the silhouette onto your home! (This works best on a large blank wall without windows -- perhaps the garage door).
3. Frozen lights
Fill similarly sized containers (I use empty milk cartons with the tops cut off) with water mixed with a few drops of food coloring. Red and green are traditional, but blue creates a winter wonderland. When frozen, line the edge of your yard with the blocks of ice. At night, position a row of small clear Christmas lights on the ground behind them, or a series of spotlights to make them glow.
Here are three ideas to get you started, but if you use your imagination, you'll find so many Christmas decorating ideas you won't be able to decide which to use! If you're stuck on where to begin, a color scheme is always a good idea. You can use very simple Christmas decor and still make a big impact if you stick to one or two colors.
I hope you're as excited as I am. In fact, I can't wait to get started. Outdoor Christmas decorations, here I come!