How to Choose the Perfect Exterior Holiday Decor

The holidays are here and that means decorating the house. The inside of the house has a different set of rules than the outside. When decorating the interior of your home, your décor style and family lifestyle take the front seat in decision making. While, when you decorate the outside of your home, the neighbors and your curb appeal become factors. Decorating the exterior of your home should be fun and festive, and with these helpful tips, they will help you choose the right holiday décor for your home.

Walk around the neighborhood: When choosing holiday décor for the exterior, walk around the neighborhood to see the consensus of the neighbors. Are families competing against each other to see who can have the brightest and most interactive displays? OR Are the neighbors displaying holiday lights in a more simple and traditional format and leaving the decorations only to adorn the porch? Take a walk in the evening and the daytime to see what your neighborhood mood looks like. Use natural exterior elements: Holly, evergreen, spruce and many evergreen trees are perfect for adding natural décor to the exterior of your home. Consider using wheat straw, raffia, and sea grass to bring a more rustic touch to your décor. Don’t forget your mailbox, picket fences, and outdoor window panes are perfect for hanging greenery, wreaths, lights and ribbon. Use rattan wood animals to decorate your lawn or your porch!

Assess what amenities your home has: Depending on if you live in a rural area with a sprawling lawn or if you are in an urban townhouse with a small front porch. Choose lighting, evergreen garland, wreaths, and ribbon to adorn your front door. If you like a lot of colors choose multi-color twinkling lights, and varying colors of ribbon and ornaments to dress up the greenery. For those with large yards, determine how much to decorate. Remember the more lights, the more electricity! Look at the finished product in the night and day: When choosing exterior décor, determine if your efforts are to enjoy during the day, night or both. This will help you decide how much time and energy you need to put into decorating. A tree that is only going to be looked at during the night with lights may not need ribbon and daytime decoration.  Your holiday style and budget may help you make up your mind.

Decorate and be eco-conscious: Determine how much you have to spend on exterior holiday décor. One cost is the actual decorations, another is lighting them in the evening. Consider using more cost efficient lighting such as LED lights and keeping them on for a shorter amount of time. Saving money will help you stay happier this holiday season.

Before choosing your holiday exterior décor, use these simple tips for your home. We all look forward to this time of year, and decorating your home should be part of the fun. If you have a neighborhood that is engaging, how about setting up a time that you all decorate at the same time? Bring some hot chocolate and holiday music and make it an event!

Freshome readers how do you decorate the exterior of your home for the holidays?  Share with us in the comments section.