Outdoor Holiday Decorating Ideas
During the holidays, we often spend a great deal of time, money, and effort decorating inside our homes, but why not continue outside? There are so many types of beautiful outdoor holiday decorations for you to make the exterior of your home just as distinctive and lovely for the season as the interior.
Containers
Two large matching containers on either side of your driveway, walkway, or front door make an elegant impression. Evergreen shrubs or small trees, gaily festooned with mini-lights, ornaments, and bows and topped with a star, are a welcoming sight for visiting friends and family. Consider holly or winterberry with brightly colored winter berries. There are slow-growing, evergreen shrubs and trees, like the Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Boxwood, and many other specialty evergreens. Uplighting the container with solar-powered lights or wrapping in battery-powered lights are ways to provide light without cords. If your space is smaller or you have a balcony, one container adds a festive touch as well and says welcome winter!
Wreaths and Evergreen Garlands
Wreaths and garlands of fragrant greenery waft a holiday scent into the home every time the door opens. These are sold readymade as well as in bundles of greenery to make your own. Affix them to the front door, an entry banister, or even draped along porch railings or entry columns for more elegance. Use bows, ornaments, pinecones, or whatever you fancy to coordinate the entry decoration with the house décor for a connected theme.
Fences and Gates
Whether you have a quaint picket fence, a rustic split-rail fence, or an elegant wrought iron fence, you can decorate it. Swags of garland and greenery are quick and easy to add, and you can give them more color with strategically placed bows that not only hold up the greenery but accent it as well. Wrap a strand of lights along the garland to shine even in the darkness, or space out unbreakable ornaments to hang between posts. Swags of garland can also go along the top of a gate (be sure to leave an opening so the gate can be used), or opt for wreaths on the gate instead.
Driveways and Paths
Light up the lanes leading to your home by using solar-powered lights in holiday colors, or opt for themed lights to create a cheerful, whimsical holiday path. For a more elegant look, consider simple luminaries spaced regularly along an entry path, garden path, driveway, or up a small staircase leading to your front door. Not only will the extra illumination be an elegant holiday look, but it can help give visitors a better view of the path to prevent slipping or tripping.
From inside to outside, have a happy holiday!
