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Decorating The Outside Of Our House For Christmas

This holiday season is full of firsts for us. It’s the first time Clara can shout things like “I love you Santa!” to the inflatables at Home Depot (this actually happens quite often). It’s also the first time we got a real tree (even if it’s of the tabletop variety). And it’s our first real Christmas in this house (we moved last December but were still living out of boxes then). But perhaps our biggest first is actually decorating the outside of our house. We’ve never done that. Isn’t that crazy? What the heck were we waiting for? There’s definitely some magic to waiting until it gets dark, plugging everything in, and stepping back to see things glow. We should have done this years ago!

Front Mid Yard1

Since it’s our first outdoor decorating foray, it’s hardly one of those amazing every-inch-of-the-house-is-lit-up things. But we had some fun dipping our feet into the outdoor decorating pond by:

  • adding white candle lights in every window (from Ben Franklin)
  • hanging three glowing stars from the porch at varied heights (from amazon.com)
  • turning an outdoor evergreen next to our driveway into an outdoor Christmas tree with red and white lights (from Target last year on clearance after Christmas)
  • tossing more of those “candy cane lights” (aka: red and white lights) over the bushes that lead to the front door
  • stuffing three red over-sized metal lanterns with white lights on the porch (from Ikea)
  • adding two glossy red reindeer to the window (from Ben Franklin and altered with spray paint)
  • making a square wreath with four sticks from the yard (and a faux boxwood garland from Ben Franklin)

Here’s a close shot of the porch so you can see the glossy red reindeer flanking a candle in the window with the tree glowing in the background and the hanging stars on the porch reflecting in the window:

In Window Shot

Let’s step back a little so you an see a bit more of those hanging stars on the porch and some of the red & white lights in those bushes. The cool thing about hanging the stars at varied heights in front of the picture window is that their reflection doubles them- so from certain angles it looks like we have six glittering oversized stars floating over the porch instead of three.

Porch Cropped1

Oh and although in person the whole red & white thing is clear, for some reason the white lights all look green in these pics (probably because they’re picking up the green in the bushes). So pretend everything is bright white and shiny red- it’s a really fun outdoor palette since so many houses are doing the all white thing- sort of looks retro and bold with our little ranch.

Here’s a super far shot from the curb where you can see our cute little evergreen-turned-Christmas-tree next to the carport. Wasn’t he just dying for some lights? And adding more red and white lights to the bushes leading to the front door sort of balanced things out.

Outside Far

Here’s a closer Christmas tree shot…

Tree Close Up

And here’s our little tree from the side (man do those white lights look green- so funny):

Side Of Porch Far

As you walk closer to the porch you can see the three red over-sized lanterns that we got from Ikea for $11 a pop.

Side Of Porch2

At first we chatted about using real white pillar candles (or battery operated ones) in each lantern, but then came up with the idea of shoving a ton of white lights in each one for a festive glowing effect. So glad we did.

Lanterns Close

We just ran an extension cord to get power over to them, and each lantern has a string of white lights in it (so there are three total, that are joined together in a chain, and powered by the extension cord).

Lanterns Closer

Oh and get this: apparently our neighborhood has “Secret Neighborhood Spirit Elves” who left a thank you note in our mailbox for decorating. How cute is that? Seriously, we were smitten by that unexpected little note of appreciation.

Here’s a good shot of the three hanging stars (we used plant hooks to hang them from the inside of the porch’s scalloped header).

Vertical Window

We got these guys on amazon.com a few months back on sale (I think they’re called Moravian stars if that helps you hunt them down):

Stars Close

They’re actually made of hard plastic and you assemble them by snapping each of the spikes into place.

Stars Close2

Here’s a close up shot of our red and white lights… which again look red and green. Haha. We learned that these guys are called “candy-cane lights” – charming name, right? We thought that was cute.

Lights Detail

Oh and I mentioned that I made a little square wreath with sticks from the yard, so here’s the scoop…

Wreath 1 After

I just collected four sticks that were pretty straight and broke them over my knee so they were all the same length. Then I grabbed a faux boxwood garland at a local craft store (Ben Franklin) which was 50% off (down from twelve bucks to $6). I already had green floral wire at home, so those were all the materials that I used (pardon the bad iPhone pic, John was using the good camera to photograph kitchen stuff for yesterday’s post):

Wreath Before

As you can probably guess, I just used the floral wire to connect the four twigs in each corner to make a rough-but-charmingly-rustic square wreath shape with the sticks. Then I just wrapped the faux boxwood garland around it. Here’s a shot of the corner of the wreath that’s connected with wire (this detail is covered by the garland, but I pulled it away for this shot to show you how it’s all held together):

Wreath Wire

Oh and I already had that red “kissing ball” from a few years back (it was a sweet gift from John’s mom) which I thought looked fun in the middle of the wreath. I didn’t even have to hang a hook since it rests over the base of the door knocker. And the square wreath itself rests on the top of the door knocker, so no 3M hooks were harmed in the making of this wreath. Haha.

Wreath Front After

Oh and for anyone wondering how our oil-rubbed bronze door knocker and handle and deadbolt are holding up (more on that project here), as you can see from the pic above, they’re all still looking mint!

So yes, we are thoroughly enjoying the festive outside stuff we hung, set out, and strung up for the first time! I even named our $6 wreath Charlie because he’s kinda minimal and sparse, like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree…

Wreath Side

And now back to those red reindeer. I found these guys at Ben Franklin when I was buying the clearance faux boxwood garland to make Charlie. At $4 a pop I couldn’t resist (they’re giant – maybe two feet tall each). They were sort of a flat brown bag color when I got them and looked to be made of paper mache. So I thought making them super shiny and bright could be fun. So one $3.50 can of high-glossy “Sunrise Red” spray paint later…

Reindeer Before

… and those babies were glossy and ceramic-animal-esque. Clara is obsessed. She can now say “red reindeer” and usually looks outside beyond them and shouts “Santa’s coming!” Not kidding. This kid is excited with a capital E.

In Window Shot

Have you guys decorated the outside of your house? Have you ever made a wreath from sticks? Are you as crazy about square wreaths as I am? Might just be me, but I love how different they feel. Sorta modern and angular. And how about them reindeer? Are you surprised I tried my hand at bright red spray paint? I must admit, I kind of surprised myself with that choice. But I love the super bright color – so festive!

Update: You can check out all of our favorite holiday decor finds here – many of which are under $15! 

Comments

    • JennyB says

      Winston-Salem, NC, were I live, also has a large Moravian population, so Moravian stars are very popular here as well. We also have a part of town that’s been preserved as the old Moravian settlement called Old Salem–circa late 18th, early 19th century–period houses, cobblestone streets, a bakery, a cobbler, etc. It’s really cool. If you’re ever traveling I-40 through Winston-Salem, check it out! http://www.oldsalem.com/ (No, I don’t work for the chamber of commerce:).

    • becca says

      PS….that bookstore sells the stars, the glass ones are BEAUTIFUL. (people keep them up year round here.) check it out!

  6. Elaine says

    I LOVE IT!!! I want those stars.

    Not only did I light up my outdoor evergreen, but he got decorated too. Sometimes after it’s been windy, I have a little ornament maintenance to do, but it’s worth it.

    Ikea has THE best lanterns..hands down.

    Reply

  9. Melissa @ Mitchell House says

    I love your Moravian stars!! (the spikey ones) They actually have a pretty cool history in Winston Salem, NC where Old Salem still does a Moravian Christmas thing- you sing carols and eat sweet bread. They also have a gift shop with so many unique stars. I have one made of metal and it has all of these little cutout details on it (I spied it online at http://www.oldsalem.com/category/moravian_stars) – I absolutely love to pull it out around Christmastime! Love love love it all! <3

    Reply

  10. meganleiann says

    Those stars are beautiful! I’m going to have to hunt for those on sale! Question: are you guys buying time while you’re painting cabinets? (fingers crossed!)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, did you read our last kitchen post? We sadly have a lot of things we must do before we can primer and paint our cabinets (like build doors for many of the new cabinets that we added to match the existing doors, and add a toe kick and trim/molding). So we can’t break out the paint and primer until the cabinets are fully finished! There’s no one who wants to get those painted and hang the backplash more than we do though – it’s just one of those takes-time things since we’re doing it all ourselves!

      xo,
      s

    • meganleiann says

      I get that! I’m just hoping to live vicariously through you! I have to paint my cabinets before I paint the rest of my great room area just because the colors need to match. I don’t want to (can’t) paint cabinets in 30 degree weather so I’m stalling til spring and a bit restless!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw man, well I hope we can get to them in a few weeks for ya! We’re on track to get to them right around Christmas, so we’re not sure with family coming into town (and staying with us) when we’ll actually complete things! Should be nice and crazy though, haha.

      xo,
      s

  11. Ellen says

    I’ve never been an outside decorator… last year we did the candle in each window and the lit Christmas tree you could see through the door. I’d love to add a wreath with lights, though. That might happen this year. Maybe. We’ve barely gotten our tree up at this point, what with working on the nursery (there’s a deadline!) and always being exhausted-pregnant.

    Reply

  12. annabelvita says

    I’m normally not a huge fan of anything other than very subtle outdoor decoration but your house looks STUNNING. I love those reindeers and I’ve got to find me some candy cane lights. Did you use real candles in the window or fakies?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks! Those are the plug in kind since we thought they were safer (and they burned brighter than the battery operated ones we tried and then returned since they were so dim).

      xo,
      s

  15. RA says

    Thought you might like to know that those stars are known as Moravian Stars. Here is a bit about them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moravian_star I’m sure you can find more if you Google. They are all over North Carolina, especially the Winston-Salem area where there was a large Moravian settlement. There is still a strong Moravian presence in NC today.

    Reply

  17. erin says

    I think this is one of my favorite posts ever. I love love love holiday decorating and everything about this is so neat and classy and modern/traditional/fun.

    I picked up those candy cane lights at Target a few years back and get lots of compliments on them too – love them!

    Reply

  18. Heather W says

    Love the outside decorations so cute! Are the lights you have in your laterns battery powered or plug in and if so how do you do that? Just curious. Also, we decorate the outside of our house every year and I love coming home to my lit up house on cold nights so homey and cheery. We use a timer outside to turn the lights on at dusk and to turn off before we go to bed makes it so easy. You may want to check that out.

    Reply

  20. Jules says

    Do you know the official title for the stars? I’m trying to find them online….googling “star lights” is just not working. LOL

    Reply

  21. Regan @ RenovatingRothenbergers says

    Love those red reindeer – adorable!! And the secret neighborhood santa elves sound amazing! We didn’t decorate outside this year because we’re just starting to amass our Christmas decorations because it’s our first Christmas in our home. I’m hoping to get some nice stuff on sale after Christmas for next year though!!

    Reply

  24. Wendy says

    Looks so adorably festive! I especially love the red reindeer.

    I went all out this year and hand made door and window swags from fresh magnolia leaves, frasier fir branches, and boxwood, and then fancied them up a bit with ribbon and glittered sprays from a local craft store. Between the swags and white candles in the windows, I’d call this year a success. http://www.oldtownhome.com/2011/12/6/Exterior-Christmas-Decorations-Were-Going-Green/index.aspx

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We just ran an extension cord to get power over to them, and each lantern has a string of white lights in it (so there are three total, that are joined together in a chain, and powered by the extension cord). Hope it helps!

      xo,
      s

  26. Ashley says

    The lights and decorations look fantastic. That’s what I look forward to the most every year…decorating the outside of the house. It just feels like Christmas to me – pulling up in the driveway after work to a house all lit up and welcoming. Sigh…

    On a side note, I know John runs/jogs and that you all like to do local Richmond things. Has John ever looked into running the Ukrop’s Monument Ave 10k? I have run it the last two years and it is lots of fun (for runners and spectators alike). I mention it now because registration just opened and the price goes up at the end of the month. Just a thought. The race will be March 31, 2012.

    Have a great day!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, he has run that ten years in a row and loves it! I cheer him on like crazy, so you might see me and Clara and some of the extended family there as well!

      xo,
      s

  27. Lindsay says

    Oh I love everything about this! Especially the hanging stars and the red lanterns full of lights. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the lights!

    Reply

  29. Janelle D says

    Let’s play $herdogs “What’s your favorite part?” game a la House Crashing! The wreath wins for me. I LOVE how it’s so simple, but the square shape is very unique. If I did my own version of it I’d add some tiny red berry bunches among the greenery just for fun. Love it!

    Reply

    • T.D. says

      If this were facebook, I would ‘like’ the Janelle’s comment. I hope this becomes a new comment fad and spreads wildfire. I’m totally on board. $herdog needs to catch-on too.

      My favorite part- the glowing stars from the front porch. Love the fact that they look doubled from certain angles and bring attention to the Christmas décor focal point.

      I also love the out door Christmas Tree. Which sort of remind me of this neat-o bare maple tree I saw this weekend. The tree had extra-large christmas ornaments (found maybe from Hobby Lobby). The simple idea is so beautiful and spruces up ‘ugly’ dead winter looking trees. If they would have had some lighting technique to make them stand out at night I would steal that idea quicker than Winona Ryder’s shoplifting spree.

  30. Karen F says

    gorgeous! seriously inspired. i love the stars, and the reindeer, and the outdoor tree, and the lanterns…I guess I love all of it!

    Reply

  32. Lisa says

    Looks awesome! I may have to “steal” several of these ideas for myself, if you don’t mind! I’ve had the same outdoor decor for years and I just realized that it’s grown stale – thanks for the motivation to change things up!

    Have you taken Clara to sit on Santa’s lap, yet? You MUST post pictures on YoungHouseLife when you do!

    Reply

  35. jen says

    Hey, on baby enter is wouldn’t let me post :[ so I figure I’d just write it over here…i think every mom struggles with “me time”…but I heard some great advice and it is this…above everything, your job, your chores, your friends…your baby and husband need you to be the best you you can be…and it really is unreal what a thirty minute, alone, trip to get a bagel or a light lunch by yourself will do…to the point where I just leave my phone in the car for thirty minutes while I go sit in Barnes and noble or walk around target…or just the library…because it’s hard to break away at home so I dont stay there leaving myself the opportunity to still keep working or clean…but included in that…is this…i take my time getting ready to go out…not gussied up..just showering, light makeup, comfy cute outfit…uninterrupted…its crazy…treat yourself…and go on more dates with your husband…not that the spark is gone or anything haha…but forget you are parents with a full time job…be young. :] Love love love the house decorations…so sweet…im looking forward to Clara’s Xmas morning reaction.

    Reply

  37. Teresa says

    OH I love it!! I am obsessed with lots and lots of lights.. and seriously the reindeer??? CUTE! I don’t think there is a part of this that I don’t like… and the square wreath is a very nice touch. Bring on the holiday cheer!!

    Reply

  38. Andrea says

    Looks terrific! I feel like I can practically hear Clara’s excitement for Santa all the way up in NH! I bet she’s making this quite a magical time of year! =)

    Reply

  39. Jill says

    LOVE your Moravian stars!
    Being originally from Bethlehem, PA, which was settled by Moravians, they are VERY commonplace there (you should go visit the Christmas City!!). We hang our Moravian star proudly here in Delaware (I brought a little bit of ‘home’ down here). :)
    Everything looks beautiful!

    Reply

  40. Kristen says

    You guys did such an awesome job and it looks amazing! We didn’t decorate outside for years and then recently we starting just putting white lights here and there (on a timer) and I love them so much! I’m actually kind of sad when we have to take them down. :-( I love the red and white theme…it says “candycane” to some but to me, of course, it says “IKEA Swedish Christmas” which could be the best thing I ever heard! I’m a little obsessed, hahaha! :)

    Reply

    • kate says

      Hear hear! I’m really digging all of your decorating ideas for the outside….going to bookmark it and copycat for next year :) And sigh, how I miss Ben Franklin! We haven’t had one in our area since I was a kid.

  44. Caity says

    I love how excited Clara is this year :) It must be fun to really have her involved for the first time!

    Great color choices! This year was our first year with a house, so we decorated outside also! It was so much fun :)

    Reply

  47. Sheila says

    Love the Christmas tree evergreen lit up outside. Are you planning to keep it when you do your landscape renovations? We had a tree like that at our last house that we put lights on every year. It was so fun to look back at pictures from our first years there and see how much smaller the tree was. Also, a little hint… if you are planning to keep it, look for more lights on clearance. We had to add another strand or two almost every year since the tree just kept growing! Ours was a blue spruce.

    Reply

  48. r8chel says

    Very nice! Moravian stars are one of my favorite Christmas decorations. Ours is actually hanging INSIDE our house this year. We don’t really have a porch, so I’m not quite sure where else to hang it!

    Reply

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