Outdoor Christmas decorations can transform your home into a magical winter wonderland. With festive lights, inflatables, wreaths, and more, decorating the exterior of your home for Christmas is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit. But with so many options available, where do you even start when buying outdoor Christmas decorations? This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know.
Types of Outdoor Christmas Decorations
There are many different types of outdoor Christmas decorations to choose from. Here are some of the most popular:
Christmas Lights
Christmas lights allow you to decorate trees, bushes, garlands, and more with beautiful colors and twinkling lights. Options include:
- String lights: These classic lights are available in incandescent, LED, or solar-powered varieties. They can be hung on trees, wraps around columns, or lined along rooflines.
- Icicle lights: These dangling lights mimic icicles and create a magical winter effect. They look great hanging from roof eaves.
- Projection lights: These clever lights project images like snowflakes or Santa onto surfaces of your home.
- Net lights: These lights come in a mesh netting that can be wrapped on bushes or draped over plants.
- Strobe lights: Add some flair with these flickering and flashing lights.
Inflatables
Inflatable Christmas decorations have become extremely popular for their instant holiday transformation. Some top options are:
- Inflatable Santa, snowmen, reindeer: These come in all sizes up to giant yard decor.
- Inflatable sleds, sleighs, or carriages: Give Santa a ride on your lawn with these fun options.
- Inflatable character scenes: Find your favorite characters like the Grinch or Charlie Brown gang inflated into cute lawn scenes.
Wreaths
A festive Christmas wreath on your front door is a classic decoration. You can find:
- Artificial wreaths: Choose from plastic, silk, or other artificial materials shaped into a wreath design. These hold up well outdoors.
- Fresh evergreen wreaths: Get an authentic natural wreath made from pine, cedar, fir, or other evergreen boughs.
- Lighted wreaths: Add lights to your artificial or fresh wreath for an extra glow.
- Themed wreaths: Find wreaths with cute motifs like snowmen, plaid patterns, or festive ribbons.
Outdoor Christmas Trees
Deck your yard with festive Christmas trees in small or giant lighted sizes. Options include:
- Artificial trees: Durable and reusable, these come in slim profiles that work well in outdoor spaces.
- Live potted trees: Use a small live tree planted in a pot specifically for outdoor use.
- Tree wraps: Drape net lights over your existing trees to give them a Christmas makeover.
Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Fill in the rest of your yard with these fun decorations:
- Wire frame decor: Wire frames shaped like reindeer, candy canes, and other symbols can be staked into your lawn or flower beds.
- Statues and figurines: Resin, plastic, or concrete statues of Santa, snowmen, carolers, and other characters add whimsical flair.
- Projector decorations: Use projectors to display holiday images and scenes on large surfaces.
- Christmas silhouettes: Metal cut-out silhouette scenes like the nativity or toy soldiers make a bold statement.
- Outdoor tree toppers: Large lighted tree toppers like stars and angels add a big presence to outdoor trees.
- Christmas banners: Hang festive banners on exterior walls, fences, and more.
Where to Buy Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Now that you know the most popular types of outdoor Christmas decorations, here are the best places to shop:
Brick and Mortar Stores
Many traditional retail stores carry options for outdoor Christmas decorations:
- Christmas specialty stores: Stores like The Christmas Store, Christmas Tree Shops, and Seasons Christmas Stores offer a huge selection of holiday decor.
- Craft stores: Shop stores like Michaels, Hobby Lobby, and Joann Fabrics for DIY decor supplies.
- Hardware stores: Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware have lighting, inflatables, and decor for yards.
- Garden centers: Nurseries and garden stores often sell live potted trees and fresh wreaths.
Online Stores
The internet opens up a world of possibilities for unique outdoor decor you may not find locally:
- Amazon: As the largest online retailer, Amazon stocks every type of outdoor Christmas decoration imaginable with quick shipping.
- Etsy: This site offers one-of-a-kind handmade and vintage decorations from independent artisans.
- Wayfair and Overstock: Find huge selections of decorations at discounted prices.
- Oriental Trading: Shop here in bulk for affordable decorations ideal for covering large spaces.
- Target and Walmart: These chains have robust online holiday shops with artificial trees, novelty inflatables, and festive accents.
Manufacturer Websites
Many decoration brands sell direct to consumers online:
- The Holiday Aisle: This brand is sold at Wayfair and offers a huge variety of lights, inflatables, and decorations.
- National Tree Company: Known for their artificial Christmas trees, this site has trees and wreaths.
- Seasons Innovations: This brand makes high-quality personalized and commercial grade decorations.
- Wintergreen Corporation: For authentic fresh holiday wreaths, garlands, and arrangements, shop direct through this company’s site.
- Gemmy Industries: Known for fun novelty inflatables, Gemmy sells many of their items direct to consumers.
Local Shops
Don’t forget about specialized local stores in your community:
- Christmas shops: Look for privately owned stores in your area specializing in holiday goods.
- Nurseries and florists: Local garden centers and florists may sell Christmas trees, poinsettias, garlands, and wreaths.
- Lighting stores: Shops specializing in lighting often sell Christmas lights and may offer installation services.
- Craft fairs: Outdoor holiday markets and craft fairs are great places to find homemade decorations.
When to Buy Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Timing your outdoor decoration shopping right ensures you get the best selection at the lowest prices:
- Early Fall: Keep an eye out starting in September and October for pre-season sales. Retailers are starting to stock up and may offer discounts to move old inventory.
- November: This is the prime shopping season for outdoor Christmas decorations. Shop early while selection is best.
- After Christmas: Post-holiday clearance sales are the best times to score major discounts, often 50-75% off. Stock up for next year.
- Summer: Shop off-season in July or August for deeply discounted previous year stock and cheap inflatables.
Tips for Hanging Outdoor Christmas Lights
Properly hanging outdoor Christmas lights ensures they look great and stand up to the elements:
- Use plastic hooks or clips suitable for outdoors to hang lights along eaves, gutters, and rooflines. Avoid damaging your home.
- Check for any loose or damaged sockets, frayed wires, or broken bulbs and replace them so lights work safely.
- Use a plastic or wooden ladder, not metal, when hanging lights near electrical sources.
- Ensure electrical cords are rated for outdoor use and use plastic covers to protect outlets.
- Hang lights securely on bushes, plants, and trees using insulated staples, clips, or plastic ties. Don’t let them sag.
- Follow the specified spacing on the light strand to evenly space and drape your lights.
- Have an outdoor outlet installed if needed so you don’t have cords running dangerously long distances or through doors.
- Use a timer or photocell switch so your lights turn on automatically at night and off during the day.
Storing Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Proper storage keeps your outdoor Christmas decorations looking their best season after season:
- Carefully pack string lights by taping the ends to cardboard and wrapping them in plastic bags.
- Deflate inflatables fully and store loose rather than boxed tightly to prevent creasing damage.
- Clean any dirt and debris off artificial greenery, trees, and wreaths before storing so they don’t stain.
- Wrap figurines and fragile decorations individually in packing paper or plastic wrap before boxing up.
- Keep stored decorations in a cool, dry place away from dampness and extreme temperatures which can cause deterioration.
- Label storage containers by contents and date to keep organized and rotate stock.
- Check light strands and inflatables for damage and discard any pieces that are worn or broken.
FAQs About Buying Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Where can I buy large inflatable Christmas decorations for my yard?
Your best options for large inflatable Christmas decorations are Home Depot, Lowe’s, Amazon, and Oriendal Trading, which all stock giant character inflatables up to 10 feet tall. Wayfair also has a great selection.
What are the best places to buy cheap outdoor Christmas lights?
Dollar stores like Dollar Tree and Dollar General, Walmart, and Target all offer affordable string lights. Wait to buy until after Christmas and stock up on deep discounts. Big Lots and Ocean State Job Lot also get discounted overstock lighting.
Where can I get fresh Christmas wreaths for outdoors?
The best sources for fresh holiday wreaths are nurseries, garden centers, tree farms, flower shops, and sometimes grocery stores with garden centers like Wegmans and Whole Foods. Or order direct from fresh wreath manufacturers like Wintergreen Corporation.
What are good places to shop for unique vintage style outdoor Christmas decorations?
Try browsing Etsy, antique stores, flea markets, independent Christmas shops, and secondhand stores for one-of-a-kind retro finds. Facebook Marketplace and local buy/sell/trade groups can also yield treasures.
Where can I buy wire frame outdoor Christmas decorations for my yard?
Hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s have basic options. For more variety, check Christmas specialty stores like The Christmas Store or Christmas Tree Shops, or online at Wayfair. Use specific search terms like “wire frame Christmas decorations” or “metal outline Christmas decorations”.
Conclusion
Decking the halls on the exterior of your home helps spread holiday cheer. With so many festive outdoor Christmas decoration options available at various retailers, finding the perfect decor to make your home stand out is easy and fun. Use this guide to decide what types of outdoor decorations you want, where to shop, when to buy, and how to hang lights and care for your treasured decor. With a bit of planning, you can decorate your yard with a beautiful, unique Christmas display that delights your neighborhood. Let your outdoor decor shine bright this season!