Making Exterior Christmas Décor Fun and Unique

So you think you have seen it all when it comes to exterior Christmas décor?

For those of you out there in Christmas land, here is a sampling of exterior Christmas décor ideas designed to reignite the most jaded and cynical of those who think they have seen everything in their drives down boulevards far and wide.

With the Advent (pardon the pun) of inflatable Christmas Santa’s and Frosties the Snow Men, has come a seemingly corresponding decline of the real, authentic pure chill Guy with the carrot nose and coals for eyes. This is unfortunate. Consider whether or not to introduce Frosty back into your neighborhood watch this year. But don’t just go traditional - think Calvin and Hobbes when it comes to snow men. For those of you too young or old to remember this cartoon strip, create authentic C+H snow men in sitting, headless, horizontal, and bodiless positions just to shake things up a bit!
Are you a Sports Fan? Do you bleed red for the Ottawa Senators? Maybe you live dangerously and cheer on the Canadiens? Live large and go for a Sports Team themed exterior décor. Have lights set to team colors, replete with flags, ornaments with team logos, and perhaps a snow man made to look like a representative sport team player…helmets, hockey sticks, and jerseys come to mind.

Or just to shake up visitors to your door with Holiday jingle, consider singing Christmas lights. Based on motion sensor technology, these lights will flicker to the beat and song of a memorable Christmas carol, when activated by human movement at your door. Bet you did not see that one coming!

Speaking of lights and movement, LED or real candles add an exterior decorative touch that is unsurpassed. Consider puncturing some large metal cans in Christmas motif patterns so as to create a light display from the candle shining inside the can. Place at your doorstep or walkway for a truly ethereal touch.

When was the last time you dusted off Uncle Bob’s old toboggan from 1963? Give it new life with exterior lighting and bows or tinsel, and place it at your front entrance door – a gentle reminder of simpler pleasures or times…not to mention the uncomplicated reality of ploughing into snow banks of old without safety belts!

Add to the toboggan theme old skates or skis, for that retro look that modern plastic just can’t replicate.

Don’t know what to do with old gum boots? With some creativity and forethought, these can be transformed into reindeer with some holly antler accents and presto, you almost have the perfect invitation to the Big Guy himself.

Old benches and pews can also be placed outdoors with Christmas décor accents and a warm blanket, to send a cheery Christmas welcome to those who pass by. You supply the hot chocolate.

Religious themes are another conversation starter and exterior Christmas décor alternative. Hanukah, the Jewish Festival of Lights. can be commemorated by a festive candle menorah placed in a window to be viewed from outside, or outside itself for a unique Holiday statement.
Manger scenes with the Holy Family come in various shapes and sizes, for exterior décor. For those of you who want the ultimate reality, have a real set of parents and baby, and wise men and shepherds in full costume come and spend a few hours in your front yard. Your neighbors will be talking for years. Watch the cows and sheep though!

Want to leave another type of memory? Create an interactive Christmas decoration exterior door that sings, lights, and welcomes visitors. Exterior doors can be bowed, made to look like presents, or your favorite Frosty or Santa. Materials to create such themes are probably already close at hand in your home.

Speaking of close to home, be part of the Buy Local movement when it comes to outside Christmas décor. Consider shopping at old thrift shops and garage sales (if you are really thinking ahead), looking for that perfect retro or like new Christmas ornament or novelty that would look just perfect outside your home. The benefit of such shopping means it is better for your wallet and better for the planet as well.

Should winter weather prevail and snow and cold be in steady abundance, consider the tried and true snow fort or tunnels to build in your own front property. Your kids and the neighbor’s kids will love it! Such winter constructions really prove the point, that sometimes, the best things in life and in Christmas exterior décor are free.

For those who have wood working craftsmen as spouses or in your family tree, consider some decoratively painted wooden images that can be placed out in the snow. Images of carolers, of Santa and his elves and Rudolf, and of the Holy Family, can all evoke images of Christmas present. For those of you who yearn for something less predictable, create festive images of alternative creatures. Has anyone enjoyed the spectacle of Rudolf the red nosed ReinMoose? Or how about Santa and his sled being pulled by a troop of Kangaroos?

And finally, as evidence of your forward and long range thinking, why not plan, prepare, and implement an action plan for exterior Christmas décor that extends far beyond that of December end into the wintry spring of the New Year. You don’t have to be Ukrainian to appreciate this either. Think of it as exterior winter décor, and not just exterior Christmas décor.

For when all is said and done, who says you have to turn off the Christmas lights once December 25th is over? Do you have to take down the Christmas ornaments from your doorways and yard, once the Festive Season is over? Leave those post-Christmas Grinch’s behind, and plan to enjoy the lights, the décor, and ornaments of your Favorite Time of the Year, into the early months of the New Year.

Have a Safe Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2016!