Outdoor Winter Decorating Ideas

Take advantage of the winter weather and prepare yourself for holiday cheer with some of these outdoor winter decorating ideas.

Late autumn and the beginning of winter can be a dreary time for homes and lawns, but it doesn't have to be; you can prevent your home from looking dull and bland with certain outdoor winter decorations. Take advantage of the winter weather and prepare yourself for holiday cheer with some of these outdoor winter decorating ideas.

Dress Up Your Door
Since the front door of your house is the first thing that people notice when they pass by, why not adorn it with a winter decoration or two? Adding wreaths, swags and small displays to your front door are easy ways to add some winter charm to your house.

Admiring Autumn If you're not ready to accept the winter weather yet, trim your house with warm colored decorations instead. Wreaths like the 18" Berry Wreath (280-9513) and 20" Mum Mix Wreath (280-9505) embody the spirit of fall, which is expressed through the vibrant autumn colors and natural looking twig bases. Welcoming Winter If you do want to start celebrating winter, as well as Christmas, a traditional Christmas wreath is one of the easiest ways to bring holiday spirit to your home. For a simple, yet chic door deck, look no further than the traditional Christmas wreath. This simple evergreen wreath is timeless and a simple door decoration that really pops against a blanket of clean snow. Want to personalize it? Integrate colored artificial plants and various ornaments to your wreath, like tinsel bows, ribbon and/or artificial picks. Choose colors and styles that will offset your front door so no one will go by without noticing your house. Well-placed Accessories With a few well-placed accessories, you can personalize the outside of your home and transform it into a winter wonderland. Garlands tied with small red or blue ribbons draped over the frame of your front door gives your entryway a sophisticated look with a festive air. If you want to have a more nostalgic winter display for your front door, prop an old pair of ice skates or a once used sled near the door. Finish it off by garnishing the items with a big red or plaid bow and some pine cones. With well-placed and subtle outdoor accessories, you can turn your house into a piece of winter art. Wonderful Winter Windows Decorating your front windows for winter is a great way to get into the holiday spirit and make your home look idyllic in the cold weather. By adding some greenery, lights and even garland to your windows, your house will look great during the day and shine throughout the night. What to do With Window Boxes Many people have window boxes filled with a colorful garden of plants to dress up plain, somber windows, but what do they do with them when winter comes? Transition your home from fall to winter by layering some Cedar Chips (180-3008) with a variety of faux poinsettias and berry sprigs in your window boxes. However, if you prefer decorating with live plants, layer freshly cut evergreen branches, pinecones and abandoned bird nests in the boxes. For a more eye-catching, avant-garde display, substitute vegetation for cool-colored jars, bottles and candle holders. With these winter window displays, your house will have a great outdoor look that will last through the winter season. Add a Little Sparkle A window with a little sparkle and light will not go unnoticed during winter. Deck your windows with easy to install snowflake decorations, like the Snowflake Shimmer Lit Window Decoration (286-0302) and the 12" White Rope Snowflake (286-0102). With these items, you can create a fun and festive winter ambiance. If you want to make your display more elegant, trim your window frames with garland and sets of white or multi lights (284-0540, 0541), as well as a combination of the two colors (284-0566). Use adhesive clips (285-0531) for every 3-4 light bulbs on a stand to secure your chosen decorations to your windows. Riveting Front Porch Rails When winter decorating, most people focus their attention on the front door and inside of their house, leaving their front porch rails and posts undecorated. However, outdoor railings and posts offer you the opportunity to create a beautiful winter setting that will set your house apart from your neighbors'. Highlight the Rails One of the more popular decorations for front porch railings is the combination of greenery and light wrapped around an entire railing. Holly and pine garlands are synonymous with winter so why not use them to decorate your rails? In fact, this combination has become so popular that stores now sell white and multicolor lights that are fixed in artificial garland strands (287-0045, 0046). Consider decorating your railing with this method because when it starts snowing, the flakes of fresh snow bring out the color of your lights and greenery, making your house anything but a barren view. Another way to decorate your rails is with snowflake-inspired lights. Just as flowers go with spring, snowflakes go with winter. Trim your railing with white and/or blue icicle lights (284-0429, 0430) so your house will sparkle and shine in the sunlight and illuminate at night. To complete the look, tie some light up 3-D snowflakes (284-0549) at the ends of your rails.

Tip: When decorating the outside of your house for winter or Christmas, don't overdo it with the decorations. Less is more, and too many decorations can make your house look incredibly cluttered and messy. If you begin to question your decoration choices, stand at the end of your driveway or from across the road for a new perspective. Then, you can identify which decorations need to be removed.