Thanksgiving and Christmas are wonderful times of the year. Families are reunited, memories are made, and great home cooked meals are served. One of the most memorable things about the holidays are the decorations! People invest hours into putting things up when they know they’ll have to tear them down, all because it helps themselves (and others) get into the holiday spirit. This week I wanted to jump into the festivities of Thanksgiving and Christmas by discussing ways you can decorate the outside of your house for the holidays! This article will discuss various ways you can decorate with different types of lights, inflatables, and other items.

One of the simplest and in my opinion, the prettiest ways to decorate for the holidays is with fall plants and decor. My mom and I recently went to a local farm and purchased a bale of hay, three mums, and various mini pumpkins and gourds. We then proceeded to arrange them how we wanted in the corner of our front porch. The angle they’re set at makes it a unique display, plus it prevents anything from being in the way of those needing in the front door. My mom also had a wreath she uses every fall and hung that up to accent our door and play off the color scheme of the mums. This only costed about $50 (including some apples), which is amazing for as much as we purchased. Not to mention, the smile on my mom’s face as we shopped around was priceless.

Another way you can decorate for the holidays is by decorating and/or carving your own pumpkin. Most people think of this as being a Halloween tradition (which it definitely is). However, you can choose to carve designs related to the Thanksgiving season, such as a turkey, silverware, and leaves. These designs, when done properly, can create an elegant centerpiece or outdoor decoration for your house. If you don’t feel like carving a pumpkin, you can always paint it, add glitter, or even decorate it using ribbon.

The most popular ways you can decorate the outside of your home for the holidays include hanging lights from your gutters and from trees. There are multiple kinds of lights. These include (but aren’t limited to) icicle lights, fairy lights, net lights, laser lights, garland lights, and twinkle lights. Colors generally include white, off white, multi-color, red, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, and purple. Icicle lights give the appearance that icicles are slowly dripping and melting off of your house. Fairy lights are tiny and are usually utilized indoors. I happen to have some in my room that have multiple brightness settings, multiple patterns they can flash in, and a battery operated remote. Net lights are great for fences and other places that require a large amount of area to be covered. Laser lights display an image or multiple images onto the surface you point them at. These are not my personal favorite (I think they look kind of tacky), but they have gained popularity in recent years. Garland lights are thick, interwoven strands of lights that are typically used in the place of garland around poles, porches, and staircase handrails. They, like garland, are typically hung in a woven, cyclical pattern.

Lastly, twinkle lights give the appearance that the lights are slightly twinkling. This is usually done by multiple strands of lights being woven together, connected on different circuits, and by having these lights fade in and out. The lights that fade in and out are either every other or every third, depending on the complexity of the lights. Additionally, the speed of these may be altered, depending on the type of lights you purchase. I personally prefer the slowest setting, as it is not rushed and is, as a result, very soothing. You can choose the color of lights that make you happiest. I definitely prefer the traditional off white. I feel the white is too blinding and synthetic-looking, while the off-white better resembles snow. Many people decide to stick with a multi-colored theme with lights, and this is definitely okay. My only recommendation is to make sure you purchase the same type of multi-color lights, rather than mixing and matching. Doing the latter can result in a yard that looks tacky and amateur.

Another traditional way you can decorate the outside of your house is by placing lights, ornaments, and ribbon on trees, and by utilizing store-bought decorations. Things of the sort include lit stars for the outside of your house, wreaths, reindeer, and inflatables. I am not a huge fan of inflatables. Again, I believe they look tacky, and their upkeep almost definitely causes and increase in one’s electric bill. If you were to decide on placing inflatables in your yard, please limit it to one or two. Too many and your house begins to look like the inside of Menard’s. I do, however, love the ascetic of a couple of hallow wicker reindeer with lights woven around them. I find it so relaxing and traditional.

As you can tell, I prefer more traditional decorations. If you don’t, that’s perfectly okay. It’s your house, so you should definitely feel free to decorate it how you want. Thank you so much for reading! Stay tuned for more posts from TheGreatOutdoors!

-Taylor