DIY Outdoor Christmas Decorations: 20 Porch and Yard Ideas

This post is for anyone who wants a decorated porch and yard without buying a truckload of inflatables. Every idea is a project you can finish in an afternoon from greenery, ribbon, wood, jars and string lights, with sizes, counts and the weatherproofing that keeps it looking good through December.

This is a make-it post, so there are no shopping lists. If you are decorating the door itself, see our Christmas door decorating contest ideas. More holiday projects are collected in our Christmas hub.

Before you start

Outdoor decor fails in predictable ways: wind, wet and cold. A few habits prevent most of it.

• Choose outdoor-rated materials where it matters. Wired polyester ribbon holds a bow shape in damp air; paper and cheap satin do not.
• Check light packaging. Only strings marked for outdoor or wet-location use belong outside, and the maker's instructions say how many strands can be linked. Follow them rather than guessing, and ask a licensed electrician about your outlets if you are unsure. Local rules vary, so check yours.
• Use a plug in an outdoor-rated extension cord, and keep connections off wet ground, for example raised on a brick or in a covered box.
• Fasten with zip ties, floral wire or removable clips, never staples through a light cord.
• Prefer flameless candles in anything near greenery. Dry evergreens burn easily.
• Test a plan on a dry weekend. Putting up lights in sleet is miserable and slippery.

1. Drape a railing with garland, a bow and warm lights

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The photo shows a black metal railing carrying green garland, one big red bow, scattered red ornaments and warm white string lights. Start with a 9-foot garland per 8 feet of railing so it can sag a little between posts. Zip-tie it every 12 inches, flipping the ties to the back. Weave the light strand through next, working from one end and fluffing branches over the wire.

Add the bow last, wired to the garland at one end, and tuck ornaments into the gaps in a loose zigzag. On a wooden railing, use floral wire instead of ties so you do not mark the paint.

2. Wrap an iron fence or gate with a garland and baubles

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This version stays plain on purpose: a thick evergreen garland winding along a black iron fence, with three glossy red baubles hung at even gaps. Cut each ornament a 6-inch loop of floral wire and twist it to a branch so wind cannot drop it. Space the baubles about 18 inches apart, or group them in threes for a heavier look.

For a gate, split the garland so the latch still works and the gate swings freely. Plastic or shatterproof ornaments are safer where kids and dogs walk past.

3. Add candy canes to a snowy railing

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The photo shows a dark wooden railing dusted with snow, a few green branches laid along the top and just two red and white candy canes. It is the smallest idea here, and it works because the colors are limited. Cut 2-foot branches of cedar or fir, lay them along the rail and bind each end with wire.

Make the candy canes yourself from stiff plastic tubing or a 3/4-inch PVC pipe bent with a heat gun, wrapped in red tape. Real candy softens in rain and attracts wildlife, so keep it for indoors.

4. Spiral garland and big bows up porch columns

This idea has two white porch columns wrapped in a loose spiral of evergreen garland, each topped with a large red bow. Count on one 9-foot garland per 8-foot column, wrapping about 4 to 5 turns from top to bottom. Start under the bow so the join is hidden, and tuck the bottom end into the planter at the base if you have one.

For a bow that survives wind, use 4-inch wired outdoor ribbon, about 3 yards per bow, with a floral-wire loop at the back for hanging. Let the tails hang free and trim them at an angle.

5. Hang a matching wreath on each door leaf

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A brown double door inside a gray stone frame carries one green wreath and one red ribbon on each leaf. Matching pairs make a plain entrance look intentional. Buy two 24-inch faux wreaths of the same fullness, then hang each from an over-the-door hook with a wire-wrapped ribbon loop so you never drill into the wood.

Set the wreath height by eye at about 60 inches from the floor to its center, and match both. Hang ribbon tails the same length. Keep real greenery away from anything that gets hot.

6. Build a pinecone wreath with berries and a bow

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The wreath here is green, trimmed with pinecones, red berries and white accents, and finished with a large red bow against a pale stone wall. Start with a 20-inch faux base. Wire 8 to 10 pinecones in a cluster at the lower left, add three berry stems on either side and a 4-inch wired bow at the cluster's center.

Pinecones vary in shape, so wire through the bottom scales, not the middle. Foraged cones are often baked in a low oven (many guides say about 200 degrees for 30 minutes) to dry them and drive out bugs; keep an eye on them.

7. Fill a terracotta pot with branches, cones and ornaments

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The photo shows a large terracotta pot holding frosted branches, pinecones, green and gold ornaments and two red knitted tassels, with a smaller pot underneath. You can copy the layered look in 20 minutes. Fill the pot two thirds with sand or gravel for weight, push in 5 or 6 branches at different heights, then wire in 4 pinecones and 6 shatterproof ornaments.

Spray the branches with white spray paint for the frosted effect, or leave them natural. Raise pots on feet so drainage holes do not freeze shut and crack the clay.

8. Dress a ceramic pot with a small live evergreen

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A tall green evergreen shrub in a colorful blue, white, orange and yellow glazed pot beside a brick wall is the simplest planter idea. The color comes from the pot, not trim. For a copy, pick a 2 to 3-foot dwarf conifer in a pot at least 14 inches wide, and water it before the ground freezes.

Hot glue can let go in cold, so wire things on. If you want ornaments, hang 3 to 5 shatterproof balls with wire loops and add a plaid ribbon around the pot's rim. Move the plant to a sheltered spot in a hard freeze if your climate demands it.

9. Make a window box from cut greens

This window box sits under a white-framed window on a brick wall and holds snowy evergreens, five pinecones, red berries and one red bow. Fill the box with floral foam or wet sand, then cut 10 to 14 stems of fir, cedar and boxwood about 10 inches long and push them in from the back forward. Leave the front row shortest.

Wire the pinecones onto picks and push them in at spaced intervals. Mist the greens weekly if they dry out. The whole box takes about 30 minutes and uses fewer than three bunches of greenery.

10. Set lanterns and old sleds under the eaves

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Here two black lanterns with cream candles stand with two wooden sleds, among evergreen branches and warm lights on gray stone paving. Group one tall and one short lantern on each side of a doorway, and lean a sled behind each pair. Use flameless pillar candles with a timer; they will not blow out and they stay safe next to the branches.

If you do not own a vintage sled, thrift stores often have old ones for a few dollars. A sled wiped down with a damp cloth and sealed with a clear exterior spray looks fine for a season.

11. Line a walk with jar luminaries

At dusk this concrete walk is lined with three glass jars per side, each holding a warm LED tea light, with evergreen sprigs at their bases. For about 5 feet of path, set a jar every 20 inches. Choose wide-mouth quart jars that will not tip, and put a flameless tea light in each. Many are battery powered and made for outdoor use, but check the label.

To keep jars from sliding, press them into a thin layer of gravel. Take the tea lights out and store the batteries when the season ends.

12. Plant a row of candy cane stakes

Six tall red and white candy canes, three on each side, line a walk to a brick house, hooks curving toward the path. Cut 1/2-inch PVC into 30-inch lengths, heat the top 6 inches to bend a hook, then wrap with 1-inch red tape on a diagonal every 2 inches. Push a 12-inch rebar stake through the base so wind cannot lift them.

Space them about 3 feet apart, matching on both sides. Paint with exterior spray paint in place of tape if you like clean, glossy stripes.

13. Make twig reindeer from branches and log slices

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Two wooden reindeer with branch antlers and log bodies stand on gray paving beside a brick wall and a glass door. To build one, cut a 14-inch log for the body, four 18-inch branch legs and a 6-inch branch for the neck. Drill pilot holes and join them with 2-inch exterior wood screws. Add antlers from forked twigs and a small head log.

Weight matters: a wide stance resists wind. Seal any cut ends with outdoor sealer, and put a small red bow on the neck in place of paint.

14. Build a five-board plank tree

This plank tree is made of five green painted boards that grow longer toward the bottom, with a wooden star on top and a string of lights wound through. It leans against brick next to a door. For the copy, cut five 1x4 boards in lengths of 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 inches, paint them with exterior green paint and screw them onto a 4-foot spine.

Add a base board across the bottom so it stands, or lean it against a wall. Distress the paint lightly with sandpaper for a worn look.

15. Wrap a bare tree with string lights

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The photo shows a bare tree wrapped in multicolored string lights in front of a dark house with three lit windows at night. For a trunk and the first 6 feet of branches, plan on about 100 to 150 lights, wrapping spirally about 4 inches apart. Use outdoor-rated strings, and unplug them when you climb or adjust.

Start at the trunk base and keep the plug end near an outdoor outlet. Be careful on ladders and ask a helper to hold it. Remove the strings after the season so they do not girdle growing branches.

16. Hang stars and baubles from branches

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Five white stars, two gold ornaments and a red bauble hang from bare branches next to a cream house with an orange roof. It is a ten-minute job. Cut stars from a 12 by 12-inch sheet of craft foam or metal-look plastic, thread each with clear fishing line and tie them at different heights from 4 to 7 feet.

Use nylon fishing line since it holds up in wet weather. Keep ornaments shatterproof if wind is common. Bring them in before a big wind if you can.

17. Wrap a mailbox post in garland and lights

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A black mailbox on a wooden post wrapped in green garland and warm lights stands before a blue house at night. For a standard post, a 6-foot garland and a 25-foot light strand cover it. Zip-tie the garland at four points and spiral the lights through it. Leave the mailbox door and flag clear.

Keep the cord low and plugged into a weather-protected outlet. If your mailbox is near the street, check local postal rules about attachments before adding anything to the box itself. Battery-powered strings avoid the cord problem.

18. Run warm white lights along the roofline

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The house here has warm white lights along the roofline, a yellow wall lamp and a tree in colored lights, all at night. For an 8-foot run of eave, buy about 100 lights and clip every 6 to 8 inches with gutter or shingle clips; avoid nails and staples. Run the first test of the strand on the ground, before climbing.

Keep to one color on the house and let a single tree carry the color, as in the photo. This reads as organized rather than busy. If you are not comfortable on a ladder, hire help, or keep lights below the second story.

19. Prop a sled and two small trees by the steps

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Two small snowy evergreens with red ornaments stand beside a brown door and snowy steps, with a black sled leaning nearby. You can copy it with two 3-foot potted trees, one plaid ribbon on each, and a sled propped upright against the rail, tied with wire so it will not fall. Group the trees at different heights to avoid a stiff look.

If you do not have a sled, a wooden crate on its side works as a shelf for a lantern. Shovel around the display so the steps stay clear.

20. Stack fake gift boxes in weatherproof wrap

Three stacked gift boxes in red, kraft brown and white paper with ribbons sit beside a green door. Empty boxes make a generous-looking stack at no cost. Cover three nested boxes, about 12, 9 and 6 inches wide, in plastic-coated wrapping paper or a thin layer of clear contact paper over regular paper, and tape the seams.

Add a 2-inch ribbon in a bow and secure the top box to the bottom with a screw from the inside. Set the stack on a mat and under a roof, or inside a plastic tub, to keep rain off.

Final tips

• Pick one color and one metal, such as red with gold, and repeat them from railing to pot to bow.
• Keep a 3-foot walking path clear for visitors, and light steps so people see them.
• Use one outdoor-rated timer for every light strand so you are not unplugging at midnight.
• Lay out each project indoors first, then count your zip ties, wire and ribbon before you head out.
• Store garland and ribbon flat in labeled bins to keep the shape for next year.
• For more ways to decorate for the holiday, see Christmas ideas, or compare with spooky season in our outdoor Halloween decorations.