Deck Your Home: The Essential Outdoor Christmas Decorating Handbook

Since ancient times, humans have felt compelled to decorate their dwelling places. Often, specific occasions warranted special decorations.

For instance, pagans marked the winter solstice by decorating with evergreen branches. That practice was absorbed into Christian Christmas celebrations and is still common today.

Over the decades, most of the ornaments connected to the Christmas season remained inside the home, although a few decorations were meant to be visible from outside. For instance, setting a lighted candle in the window to welcome travelers and the Christ Child is an Irish custom that has been practiced for hundreds of years.

The Victorians’ love of artful excess was in joyful play at Christmas time, when bunting, garlands and evergreen wreaths decorated doors, doorframes, mantels and staircases. 

The Christmas tree was probably the first outdoor Christmas decoration, but it did not begin in the form we know it today. In Medieval times, On December 24, a Paradise Tree decorated with apples and nuts might be displayed in the town square. Rather than a Christmas symbol, however, the tree was a prop for a Paradise Play that depicted the story of Adam and Eve.

Even as the Christmas holiday gained importance, evergreens, holly and mistletoe remained indoor decorations.

The custom of setting out luminarias reportedly dates back more than 300 years in villages in Spanish and New Mexican villages along the Rio Grande River.

During the Victorian Era, as Christmas became a more social and festive occasion, people began hanging “welcome rings” made of evergreens like holly, ivy and pinecones on their front doors to greet visiting family and friends.

The invention of electric lights may have been the single most important event in the evolution of outdoor Christmas decorations.

The first electrically lighted Christmas tree caused a sensation in 1882 when it was placed in the window of a New York City mansion for passers-by to enjoy, but it wasn’t until the early 20th century that lighted trees moved outside.

America’s first community Christmas tree was displayed in Madison Square Park in 1912. The Christmas Eve celebration featured a 70-foot-tall pine ablaze with 2,300 electric lights. According to a newspaper article, word of the event inspired the cities of Boston, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut, to host public Christmas trees of their own and “sparked a public Christmas tree trend across the nation.”

The White House exhibited the first National Christmas Tree in 1923. In 1931, workers constructing Rockefeller Center set up their own tree as a symbol of hope during the depths of the Depression.

As the concept of Christmas lights took hold, they remained an option mainly for wealthy city-dwellers. Even into the 1920s, electric Christmas tree lights were not a possibility for many, as only half of American homes had electrical power.

A Denver, Colorado, electrician may have begun the tradition of decorating the exterior of private homes with Christmas lights. When his ill son was bedridden at Christmas time in 1914, David D. Sturgeon strung red and green Christmas lights on a tree outside the boy’s bedroom window. Within a few years, homes throughout Denver were displaying outdoor Christmas lights and visitors to Denver began taking the Christmas custom home with them.

Altadena, California, is also home to one of the first neighborhood Christmas light displays. The stately cedar trees that have turned Santa Rosa Avenue into Christmas Tree Lane since 1920 survived the 2024 wildfires that decimated the community.

To generate sales of its Christmas lights, General Electric began sponsoring community lighting competitions in the 1920s. However, Christmas outdoor decorations didn’t really catch on until after WWII, when Americans developed a post-war hunger to splurge and a space-age aesthetic for all things modern and shiny. Community-sponsored Christmas decorating competitions became commonplace and homeowners, churches and business owners alike were encouraged to participate.

Up until the post-war era, outdoor decorations primarily consisted of lights, greenery and maybe a tinsel garland or two. But with the American spirit of friendly competition in full form, homeowners were on the search for the newest and most unique decorations. That spurred a number of Christmas decoration innovations and continues to influence decorating trends.

Let’s look at the most popular outdoor Christmas decorations available today.

One of the earliest additions to Christmas outdoor decor was introduced in the 1950s when plastics technology and artistic ingenuity combined to produce the first blow mold decorations. These durable and colorfully painted plastic decorations were often lit from inside, complementing a Christmas light display.

Original blow molds are prized by collectors and can be pricy, but modern versions blend affordability with vintage charm. Look for depictions of Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen, nativity figures and more that are proportioned for a small yard, front porch or apartment balcony.

Lighted outdoor Christmas decorations come in all sizes, shapes and styles. If retro decorations aren’t your look, maybe you’d prefer the bright colors and whimsical motifs available in holographic and tinsel lighted decorations.

Holographic decorations incorporate a reflective, prismatic plastic that gives the colorful designs added shimmer and depth.

Tinsel decorations often have a faintly “fuzzy” look. They are made of short, thin lengths of fine tinsel woven into fabric and stretched over a metal frame. Tinsel decorations are colorful, lightweight and durable.

Lighted outdoor decorations of woven wire or rattan typically complement a traditional Christmas vibe. The classic grazing reindeer or reindeer family is a common rattan Christmas decoration, but you can also find stars, Christmas trees, angels and Christmas balls. Mesh decorations last for years and complement a serene decorating scheme.

Cone Christmas trees and spiral Christmas trees are similar, although their construction is slightly different.

Spiral trees consist of a string of lights attached to a wire that spirals down along a central pole from top to base. Heights, light colors and light styles vary.

With cone trees, the lights suspend straight down from wires attached to the tree’s top and base. Other styles of Christmas cone trees are constructed of metal or woven wire to which lights have been added. Light show cone trees are frequently equipped with LED lights that have multiple light functions.

Call them Christmas lawn stakes, path lights or pathway markers, these whimsical Christmas decorations are meant to light your guest’s way to your front door. Path markers usually consist of three or more lighted decorations strung together that can be staked into the ground to edge a walkway or garden border.

Path lights can take many forms, from candy canes to giant Christmas light bulbs to stars and snowflakes. Although some hug the ground, most Christmas pathway lights tend to be a little taller so they’re still visible after a good snowfall.

Inflatable Christmas decorations first appeared on neighborhood lawns in the early 2000s. Christmas inflatables are made of lightweight, colorful nylon fabric into which air is blown through a small electric pump.

In the past few years, inflatables have become one of the most popular Christmas decorations, because they’re so easy to use and store. Manufacturers have responded with designs that grow more varied and colorful each season.

Another way to express your holiday spirit is with a Christmas sign. The word art of outdoor decorations, garage door Christmas banners, wooden porch signs and lighted lawn signs express your holiday spirit in written form. Whether it says “Merry Christmas,” “Joy,” “Let it Snow” or “Ho Ho Ho,” outdoor Christmas signs can be used alone or incorporated with other decorations.

Homeowners seem to want their Christmas displays to be bigger and better every year and manufacturers have responded. You’ve certainly noticed: That 20-foot Santa on your neighbor’s lawn is hard to ignore.

Giant Christmas decorations are everywhere, inside and out. Look for giant inflatables, oversized ornaments, jumbo Christmas wreaths and human-sized nutcrackers. 

Solid construction and durable finishes have made commercial Christmas decor popular with businesses and homeowners alike. While commercial Christmas decorations can be pricey, they are generally larger and designed to hold up to weather and wear.

Similarly, commercial lights tend to come in longer lengths than standard strings of Christmas lights and commercial Christmas trees come in heights that are proportionate with today’s two-story foyers and expansive family rooms.

There’s at least one in every neighborhood - a flashing, whirling Christmas wonderland of lights and decorations. From Clark Griswold to community displays like Dyker Heights, Americans are captivated by extravagant Christmas decoration displays.

If you’re considering an all-out, no-holds-barred Christmas display with vibrant Christmas lights synchronized to music, be sure of a few things. First, give yourself extra time to construct and coordinate your display, especially if you’ve never built one before.

Also, check the electrical requirements for your lighted Christmas decor and make sure your system can handle the load. Don’t overload outlets and extensions. Really elaborate displays may require their own power supply.

Christmas decorations can be as budget-friendly or as extravagant as you like, with options ranging from pathway lights and small inflatable figures to animated displays.

On the other end of the spectrum, large-scale decorations such as oversized inflatables, lighted wireframe sculptures and commercial-grade displays can be a bigger investment. However, many outdoor decorations are built to last for multiple seasons, making them a worthwhile purchase over time.

Homeowners can gradually build their Christmas decoration collection by adding a few new pieces each year to spread out the cost. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly holiday touch or a dazzling display, there are options for every style and price point.

When putting up outdoor Christmas decorations, several factors ensure a safe and long-lasting display:

1. Proper Anchoring – Secure inflatables, yard decorations and lighted displays with stakes, tethers or weighted bases to keep them secure in strong winds. Using heavier-duty stakes or sandbags for large items can provide extra stability.

2. Electrical Safety – Use outdoor-rated extension cords, lights and timers to protect against moisture and weather damage. Avoid overloading circuits by following wattage recommendations and using power strips with built-in surge protection. Keep connections off the ground and use weatherproof covers to prevent short circuits.

3. Weather Resistance – Choose decorations designed for outdoor use, ensuring they are made from durable, weatherproof materials that can withstand rain, snow and freezing temperatures.

4. Visibility and Placement – Position decorations where they can be enjoyed but won’t block sightlines or walkways. 

Exploring a neighborhood filled with colorful, fanciful and brightly-lit outdoor decorations is one of the delights of the holiday season. Whether you prefer to enjoy the efforts of others or give in to the urge to create a Christmas decoration display of your own, outdoor decorations offer ample variety to express your particular brand of holiday joy.

Check out our Christmas Resource Guide for more on trees, lights and decorations to brighten your holidays.