Outdoor Christmas Decorating Ideas: Creating a Magical Christmas Display

There’s something so special about decorating the outside of your house for Christmas.

Of course, I love the decorating itself - choosing the lights, adding greenery, finding those little festive touches and slowly watching everything come together. But I think the best part is seeing the joy it brings to everyone who goes by, especially little kids.

I’ve been slowly adding decorations and growing my display for a few years now, and have learned a lot through trial and error. So if you’re thinking about decorating the outside of your own home this Christmas, here are some of my favourite ways to make your home feel festive, welcoming and just a little bit magical... 

Choose a Christmas Decorating Theme 

If you’ve read my other blog posts, you’re probably tired of hearing about themes. But they really do simplify things and give you direction. The theme I chose for my own house is a bright, colourful, candyland vibe. When I shop for outdoor Christmas decorations, I try to keep an eye out for red and white peppermint colour schemes and colourful, cute figures like elves and gingerbread characters. 

Outdoor Christmas Decorating Supplies 

Put together an outdoor Christmas decorating toolkit before you start. It can save you from having to make multiple trips to the store once you're halfway through decorating. 

• Gutter hooks
• Light clips
• Outdoor-rated extension cords, multibox
• Weatherproof safety box
• Ladder
• LED light extension cords
• Magnetic hooks
• Pliers
• Twisty Ties, cable ties
  

Choosing Outdoor Christmas Lights 

When you’re buying lights, always make sure you check that they are rated for outdoor use. Outdoor lights are designed to withstand exposure to the elements, while lights intended for indoor use may not be suitable for damp or wet conditions.

It’s also worth thinking about where you’ll be putting them and how you’ll power them before you buy. Consider the length of the area you want to decorate, whether you have access to a suitable power point, and whether you want your lights to be a permanent part of your display or something you’ll put up and take down each year.

Solar Christmas lights

Solar lights have a small solar panel that charges a battery during the day, then automatically switches the lights on when it gets dark.

Pros:

• No power outlet needed
• No extension cords running through the garden
• Easy to put almost anywhere
• Automatically turn on at night
• Great for areas away from the house

Cons:

• Brightness depends on how much sunlight they receive
• Shorter run times after cloudy or rainy days
• Generally not as bright as plug-in lights
• Can be less reliable during a long run of gloomy weather
• Battery performance can decline over time

Solar is particularly good for smaller trees, garden beds, fences, pathways and decorations where running a power cord would be awkward.

Plug-in Christmas lights

Plug-in lights connect to mains power, either directly into an outdoor socket or through a suitable outdoor-rated extension lead.

Pros:

• Much brighter and more consistent
• Stay on for as long as you want
• Not affected by cloudy weather
• Better for large displays
• More suitable when you want lots of lights or a really dramatic effect

Cons:

• You need access to power
• Extension cords may be needed
• More planning is required to keep cables safely protected outdoors
• They can use more electricity, depending on the type and number of lights

Plug-in lights are usually the better choice for large Christmas displays, rooflines, big trees and anywhere you want guaranteed brightness throughout the evening.

If you're decorating your house for maximum Christmas magic, I'd probably use plug-in lights for the main display and solar lights to fill in the garden and areas further away from the house. That way you get the best of both worlds.

Warm White vs Cool White Christmas Lights

One thing I’ve learned is that it’s worth checking the colour of your lights before you start. Warm white can look quite different from another brand’s warm white, and mixing different shades can make a display look a little mismatched. If you’re adding to a display you already have, take one of your existing sets with you when you shop so you can compare them. 

Warm White 

These lights have a more yellow or orange tone and give a more cosy, nostalgic look. 

Cool White

These lights are white/blue toned and usually have a brighter, more contemporary look.

Build Your Outdoor Christmas Display Around Your House Features

One of the easiest ways to make your Christmas display look intentional is to work with the features you already have rather than trying to add lights everywhere.

Create a Focal Point

Before you start hanging lights, decide what you want people to notice first. It might be your front door, a big tree, a window or a particularly pretty part of your garden. Once you've chosen your focal point, you can build the rest of your display around it.

From there, look at the other features around your home — windows, doors, arches, trees, bushes, fences and pathways — and think about how you can use lights to frame or highlight them.

Framing a window with lights instantly draws attention to it, while outlining your front door creates a warm and welcoming entrance. Arches look beautiful when you follow their shape with lights, and wrapping trees or bushes can add depth and sparkle throughout the garden. You can also use lights along fences, rooflines and pathways to help connect all of these elements.

The trick is to follow the natural lines of your home and garden. You don't need to cover every surface. Sometimes a simple outline is all it takes to make a feature stand out and turn your house into a Christmas wonderland.

Layer Your Christmas Display

One of my favourite ways to make an outdoor Christmas display feel full and interesting is to use different heights. Think about your display in layers - lights along the roofline and windows, decorations around the front door and verandah, then trees, bushes and pathway lights at ground level.

Using different heights helps draw the eye around your display instead of everything competing for attention in one area. It also means you can create a really full-looking display without needing to decorate every single surface.

Decorate for the Magic

Not everything has to be about making the biggest or most impressive display. Think about what people see when they walk or drive past your house… the glow through the windows, a brightly lit tree, a pathway leading to the door. Sometimes it’s the simplest little touches that create the most Christmas magic, and those are the moments people remember.