Christmas is fast upon us, and it’s time to think about festive holiday décor. With the anticipation of family gatherings and friends coming to your house, it’s fun to decorate your porch, deck, and outdoor space this holiday season. We’ll help you get your house looking holiday-ready (and Santa-ready) with these fun and often simple DIY decorating suggestions.

Assess the space

Knowing what kind of space you have and the size is important to determine how you decorate. Obviously, you can have a huge winter wonderland if your area is big enough, but if you have a more modest space, you can transform it by adding some Christmas cheer.

Choose a Theme

Here’s where the creativity comes in! Whether the traditional colors of red and green appeal to you, or you prefer glittery metallics, or maybe you’re partial to more neutral décor, this is when you can decide the theme. It could be wintry, with snowflakes and pine cones, festive with poinsettias and garlands, or it could be in anticipation of St. Nick and his trusty team of reindeer!

Christmas Trees

Gather ’round the tree! This holiday home décor focal point doesn’t have to be only inside. You can put a tree – or several – outside, too! Decorate your Christmas tree with string lights, tinsel, and weatherproof ornaments. Lights make for a bright and eye-catching scene.

Christmas Lights

Speaking of Christmas lights, adorning your entryway, porch, deck railings, and tree with Christmas lights truly adds a celebratory factor. In addition, you can use the natural elements to your advantage by placing lights on bushes, planters, and border hedges. Even your mailbox or birdbath will do!

Create a Cozy Nook Underneath

We love this! If you have a deck that comes out from the second story of your house, then this is an opportunity to decorate underneath. Put up holiday lights and wintry Christmas décor to make your own Christmas landscape. Bring out hot chocolate or your favorite Yuletide beverage to keep warm.

Keep it Old School

Not much is more nostalgic than making use of family Christmas decorations – ones that have been with you and your loved ones ever since you were little and likely long before that. Wagons, old wooden sleds, and used ice skates add a lot to the mix. If you have antique wood skis or snowshoes, even better!

Use Your Plants

Your yard is a valuable resource. More than likely, you have plants and greenery, like holly, fir, balsam, or a similar evergreen. These would do wonderfully as garlands, swaths, or wreaths. Adorn your front door, entry area, or entryway steps with a bit of this fragrant and lush holiday décor.

Christmas Centerpiece

Speaking of plants, comb your yard for more greenery, like spruce, balsam, or Douglas fir. Maybe a pine cone or two? Twigs can be cut and coiled into a beautiful, clear vase; add some festive holiday ribbon and battery-operated lights, and – voila! You have a gorgeous and easy DIY centerpiece.

Christmas Ornaments and Branches

This idea is where the best of the two worlds meet. You don’t have to look far, just go outside to your yard and check out your trees and land. Then prune a few branches off your trees and shrubs. Finally, pick a few ornaments from inside your house to accentuate this easy and creative holiday décor idea.

Utilizing Poinsettias

We all know that winter is the perfect time for poinsettias. They are available in various colors ranging from creamy white to deep red. Often the pink ones stand out and can accentuate and balance the red and white ones. So pick up a few from your local store and add color to your doorway!

Wooden Decorations

Using wooden props is an original way to decorate your house, porch, and deck. They give your home a down-home, farmstead feel. Mix in antiques, too. The more rustic the decoration is, the better! Reclaimed wood is perfect for this. There are many DIY tutorials on these types of decorations.

Create a Wonderland

One of our favorite ideas is to bring in your own winter! Wire reindeer, a snowman or two, and winter-themed decorations, including white lights, are ideal for a “snowy” effect. In fact, make this a DIY Christmas holiday. Enlist family and friends to help you cut paper snowflakes. How fun is that?

Symmetrical Trees

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder – and often, symmetry is regarded as attractive. If you have two Christmas trees, two large planters, or twin shrubs, use Christmas lights to adorn them. Dress up your front door and porch. These porch decorating ideas will add brightness to your holiday.

Black and White Christmas

One of our favorite décor themes is to use black and white. It’s simple, and clean, and the two shades go with just about any holiday color to create a fantastic wintertime display that’s super inviting to guests (and Santa)! Another nice thing about black and white décor is that it’s classic and timeless.

Outdoor Living Room

This option is inspiring if you live in a temperate climate and/or have the luck of having warmer days on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Enjoy the outdoors by “moving” your living room onto the deck, porch, patio, or outdoor area. Enjoy opening presents against the backdrop of nature while breathing in the crisp fresh outdoor air.

Appetizers and Cocktails

You can’t help but think about eating amazing food while celebrating the holidays. Everyone has their favorite Christmas dish, appetizer, or drink. Wow, your guests by setting up a makeshift cocktail bar on your front porch. Bring out some favorite holiday snacks and appetizers as well. There’s truly no limit to what you can make and offer!

Vintage Christmas Décor  

Are you someone who appreciates antiques? Or perhaps somebody who misses the old days? Decorations like an old train set, a Tinker Toy set, or perhaps some wooden vintage collectors’ boxes will make your house stand apart. Old-style vintage decorations are fun to add, and you’ll be able to tell a story with your home décor.

Vintage-style Christmas Lights

Nowadays, you don’t see it as much, but you may remember the string lights with the larger, colorful cone-shaped bulbs which would bring a bit of Christmas joy to the outside of people’s homes – including their porches and trees, and sometimes even their bushes. These lights are excellent for adding many colors to the holiday spirit.

Seasonal Railing Planter

Do you like to be creative with plants? Does your house have railings? Use a railing planter to make a beautiful DIY Christmas planter decoration. You can add sprigs of seasonal evergreens, and pine cones and add in winter fruits, such as clementines and pomegranates.

Classic Christmas Candy Canes

Everyone’s favorite Christmas candy is candy canes, right? They’re now available in many colors and flavors. You can use these for your decorations. However, if you want to use something other than real candy canes, you can use plenty of artificial ones. Just pop them in a white vase for contrast and watch your décor get an artistic boost!

Christmas Light ‘Burning Bush’

This particular suggestion is a real eye-catcher. Take a seasonal planter, put in some soil, and then lay down light strands directly on the soil. You can even use the twisted-up Christmas lights that you don’t like untangling! Then, take sprigs of pine and twigs to plant vertically in the soil. Watch the branches light up into a dramatically illuminated “bush.”

Wintry Candles on the Deck

Enlighten and enliven your holiday décor – and spread the Christmas cheer by placing pillar candles in glass cylinders. Red candles look great, mixed with moss and other greenery. Use ornaments to enhance the seasonal feel. Place the greenery and ornaments outside the glass, of course! You can use this on your deck, porch, or house as your holiday tablescape.

Make Ice Lanterns

Wouldn’t this be counterintuitive? No, it’s easier than you think! While keeping the pathway to your home (or front door) lit, these little lanterns will protect the candle from ice and snow and gently light the way for you, your family, and Santa! They spread the cheer with their gentle light. Alternatively, you can use light-filled orbs made from rattan wood or plastic to shine the way.

Oversized Outdoor Advent Calendars

Advent calendars are an exciting way to count down the days until Christmas. The calendar is rooted in a German tradition from the late 1800s. Families would mark the days until the big holiday! They’re available in many festive forms. Although we like the cheese and chocolate ones, an outdoor oversized advent calendar is a great way to show friends and neighbors you’re eagerly awaiting Saint Nick’s arrival.

Construct a Twig Garland

Garlands and wreaths are attractive ways to enhance your Christmas porch decorating ideas. You can construct a garland from evergreen, eucalyptus, and skinny twigs. Besides making garlands, you can bend twigs into a wreath shape and add ribbons, ornaments, and berries. There are many projects online. Our favorite is the natural wreath with a splash of color from a big bow.

Build a Snowman From Craft Store Supplies

Snowmen and, of course, snowwomen are synonymous with the coming of winter and the holiday season. So after you deck the halls, make sure to add a crafty snowman or two (or three)! There are many DIY Christmas project tutorials for creating snow-people using various materials.

Holiday Bench on the deck

After all the preparation with your indoor and outdoor Christmas decorating, let’s sit down and relax for a few, shall we? Maybe on a holiday bench that will grace your deck or patio with its festive makeover? A Christmas bench or rocking chair is easy to design – use throw pillows and a Christmas blanket, and you can place some holiday plants, like poinsettias, around, making it all the more inviting.