Key Takeaways
- Get inspired by your favorite holiday movies and decorate your yard with mannequins dressed as iconic characters like Clark Griswold or Buddy from Elf.
- Use popular Christmas songs as the theme for your yard decorations, such as placing a blown-up version of Santa with a sign that says "He sees you when you're sleeping."
- Recycle your Halloween decorations by adding Santa Claus hats to skeletons or recreating scenes from Tim Burton's "A Nightmare Before Christmas" in your front yard.
The holiday season is the most wonderful day of the year. Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and spirited yard decorations are just part of what makes the holidays so magical. Hanging lights on fence posts and placing plastic Santas in front yards are the norm, but sometimes it’s fun to go outside the box with decorations.
Creating a unique yard for the holidays will set your yard apart from others. It also breaks up the mundane décor that occurs in neighborhoods. To create a fun and cozy front or backyard, get inspired by unique decorations!
1 Imitate Your Favorite Holiday Movie
From "Home Alone" to "Elf"
Holiday movies are some of the best part of the season. Some classics are rewatched every year and are widely known as they're watched by multiple generations.
- Considering how beloved holiday movies are, decorate your yard with inspiration from your favorite films.
- Whether it's Clark Griswold from Christmas Vacation or Buddy from Elf, add mannequins to your yard and dress them as your favorite characters to create an entertaining yard.
2 Send a Message to Kids Everywhere
Santa has eyes everywhere...
Like movies, holiday songs are another part of Christmas that's routinely passed down to generations. Songs like "Jingle Bells" and "He Sees You When You're Sleeping" are Christmas favorites. Use your favorite Christmas song as the theme for your yard.
- Place a blown-up version of Santa in the yard looking into your window. Add a sign that says, "He sees you when you're sleeping," to follow the popular song.
- You can also add Santa sneaking toward the chimney, dropping presents behind him as he makes his way.
- You can even hang jingle bells from the gutters!
3 Larger Than Life Christmas Ornaments
The bigger the better!
Christmas ornaments don't need to just be hung inside. Hang ornaments on the trees and hedges in your front yard. You can also create your own large Christmas ball ornaments for the front yard. Using weather-protectant paint and rubber balls, make larger-than-life Christmas ornaments.
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Step 1: |
Buy rubber or plastic balls that are mainly aimed at children. |
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Superglue the balls to something heavy or stable so they don't blow away. |
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Paint different designs on the ball, as if they were ornaments going on trees. |
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Place them in groups around the front yard or throughout your garden. |
4 Show Off Frosty the Snowman in All Forms
Unusually warm summers makes one melted Frosty
Frosty the Snowman is a treasured holiday character who has his own movies and songs. As a snowman, he melts when the weather warms, but the magic he spreads is felt by those who believe.
Placing different versions of Frosty in your yard is a fun, unique idea. You can buy different snowmen online or at superstores, but don't forget the melted version of Frosty.
- Place a top hat, a carrot, his rock buttons, and his scarf on top of a piece of white plastic that looks like snow.
- The final result should look like a melted Frosty!
5 Reuse Those Halloween Decorations
A spooky Christmas indeed!
If you have Halloween decorations lying around, recycle them as Christmas decor. Skeletons are a great decoration that could work for both holidays.
- Place those skeletons throughout the yard wearing Santa Claus hats or put them in a sled being pulled by reindeer.
- Stick a skeleton coming out of your chimney with a Santa beard for the full effect!
- Even recreate your favorite scenes from Tim Burton's "A Nightmare Before Christmas."
Keep the combination of Halloween and Christmas alive and create a Nightmare Before Christmas scene in the front yard!
6 How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Stick with the Grinch over Santa for a Christmas twist
While decorating your yard with Santa and his reindeer is a popular choice, choose another famous Christmas character, like the Grinch, as a fun change-up. There are a few ways to make the Grinch a part of your front yard decorations.
- Buy a life-size cut-out of the Grinch and place him by your front door.
- Place the Grinch cut-out by your hedges, pulling Christmas lights off your roof.
- Print out the Grinch's face and stick him in your window, looking out towards the front yard.
The Grinch is just quirky enough to get neighbors talking!
7 Pool Accessories to Christmas Decorations
Upcycle pool noodles as candy canes
If you have a pool in the backyard and have extra pool noodles lying around, transform those into candy canes for the winter season. Candy canes are another festive part of the holidays and are used as decor and an ingredient in baked goods. It only takes a few steps to turn your noodles into candy canes. And even better, it won't ruin them for the next pool season.
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Step 1: |
Bend the top half of your noodle to replicate a candy cane. Keep it in that position for 20 minutes by placing something heavy on top of it (like books) |
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Get a piece of string and tie the bottom hook of the cane to the shaft. The string ensures the candy-cane shape stays in place. |
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Since candy canes are stripped, use different colors of electrical tape and wrap it around the noodle, creating stripes. |
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Attach your noodles to a sturdy base (like PVC pipe) to keep them in place! |
8 Transform Trees into Santa's Little Helpers
The pointy tops of trees can be turned into an elf's hat
Elves are just as important to the Christmas holiday as Santa, since they help Santa create toys for children. Show them some love and turn your trees into elves. Evergreens are a popular tree for Christmas and transform into the perfect elf because of their shape.
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Place a red bow or Santa's hat on the top of the tree. |
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Make a nose by tying a sweet potato or squash to the branches. |
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Create your elf's beard out of a white trash bag or crafting fluff. Cut vertical strips throughout so that it blows in the wind. |
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Admire your elf! Add some presents or toys nearby as quirky accessories. |
9 Go Through the Roof
That's one tall Christmas tree!
Christmas is all the more special when there's a beautifully lit tree. Because of this, show off your Christmas tree by adding it to your front yard decor.
If your Christmas tree can be seen through the front window, tie a smaller Christmas tree to the top of your roof — directly on top of where the indoor tree can be seen. Better yet, cut off the top of your Christmas tree and attach it to your roof!
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Buy a large Christmas tree and cut off the top. The size of the smaller tree can be whatever size you want for your roof. |
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Keep the base of the tree inside near the front window (so it can be seen by bystanders) and attach the smaller tree directly above the base onto the roof. |
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Decorate the top of the tree exactly like the base of the tree inside so that it looks like the tree busted through the roof. |
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Step outside and look at the finished product! |
10 Candles For a Cozy Vibe
Add these floating candles to your front porch
There are plenty of solar-powered yard lights that would make great Christmas decorations, but there are floating LED candle wands that would look magical during the holidays.
Floating candles can be found on e-commerce sites and are battery-operated.
- Hang the lights by a thin fishing line to make it look like candle wands are floating in midair.
- Hang these candle wands by your front entrance for a bewitching yet classy look.
11 Frame Your Window by Evergreen Branches
Who needs a wreathe when you have a window?
If you don't want to add wreaths to windows, transform your windows into wreaths instead.
- Frame the window with fake or real evergreen branches.
- Stay in the Christmas spirit by adding ornaments, bows, and bells to the branches.
Add solar twinkle lights along the branches so that your window wreath can shine at night. You can also take this idea a step further and turn each window into a gift! Wrap the shutters in wrapping paper or add the wrapping paper inside the window with bows hanging on the outside of the glass.
12 Turn Old Planters into Frosty the Snowman
Three different-sized pots would be best
If you want to create an adorable decoration that can be done with family and friends, create a snowman out of old flower pots.
- Reuse old flower pots (plastic or terracotta for instance) and stack them on top of each other. Choose three different-sized pots to mimic a snowman's shape.
- Paint the pots white to look like snow
- Add eyes, a carrot nose, and don't forget his hat!
13 A Magical Garage Door
Grab some felt and create your snowman's face
Turn your garage into a massive snowman with a few materials. If you have a white garage door, cut out some felt to make a snowman's face.
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Cut out the materials needed for the Snowman's face (eyes, nose, mouth, accessories). Make sure the cut-outs are big enough to fill out the garage door. |
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Tape two eyes, a carrot for a nose, and a smile to the garage door. Add the snowman's hat to the wall of the house if there's not enough space on the garage door. |
Paper can be used instead of felt, but it may get too wet and tear depending on the elements.
14 Hang Santa’s Clothes Out To Dry
Santa lives here!
To give the illusion that Santa is warming up at your home and taking a break from his busy schedule!
- Hang his clothes on a clothesline in your front yard.
- Even more in the holiday spirit, hang them on a string of Christmas lights.
- Hang up his hat, shirt, and pants along a fence, some tree branches, or even your front porch.
15 Presents Stacked High
Give the illusion of multiple presents on your front porch
Gift-giving comes with the holidays and is a big part of decorating. Share your love of gifts with the world and create a decoration that looks like a stick of presents piled high.
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Grab a tall crafting post and stick it into a block of floral foam. You'll place the floral foam in a pot at the end. |
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Wrap different-sized cardboard boxes in wrapping paper. Add bows to make them really stand out. |
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Stick the crafting post through each cardboard box, stacking each one on top of each other. |
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In the end, it will look like you have different packages piled high in your flower pot! |
Because you're using cardboard boxes, place them somewhere they won't get wet from rain or snow, like on a covered porch.
From Christmas lights to beloved holiday characters, there's a variety of ways to celebrate the holidays with unusual and quirky front yard decorations.
How do you decorate for the holidays? Share some ideas with others to prepare for the holidays!