The Best Outdoor Christmas Decorations

November 11, 2020

This post may include affiliate links, which means that if you end up buying something, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

I love Christmas, and I love making my home FEEL like Christmas. Going to Hobby Lobby or Michael’s in the months leading up to Christmas is like going to a playground–there are garlands, lights, beautiful colors, and beautiful signs EVERYWHERE! But it doesn’t feel like there are so many options for outdoor Christmas decorations.

Unless you want a bunch of [tacky] inflatable snowmen and reindeer–or you want to spend your life fortune on Christmas lights. I don’t.

(Okay, I’ll admit it, this year I almost considered buying a huge inflatable thing, based purely off of my children’s joy when they saw it in the store. So no judgement–I just won’t include those in this article.)

SO, I went on a mission to find all the best outdoor Christmas decorations that aren’t tacky. That’s a subjective term, of course, but here we go.

Related: Want another way to make your home reflect YOU–for insanely cheap prices? Check out my printable wall art on Etsy in the Black Door Shop. You can even get 20% off your order with the code 20OFF. šŸ™‚

Digital wall prints for decor in Black Door Shop on Etsy
Printable wall art in Black Door Shop

My Criteria for the Best Outdoor Christmas Decorations

  • EASY – I know you don’t want to spend a whole Saturday putting up lights AND other difficult attractions.
  • Unique – I personally think a simple string of lights can have plenty of impact, but it wouldn’t be any fun if I gave you a list of things you already know about, would it?
  • Weatherproof – I may live in Oklahoma now, but I spent the last decade in upstate NY. I’m not about to show you soggy decor ideas.

I also included some lights on this list, even though that seems like the most obvious possible type of outdoor Christmas decorations. But I only included unique ones–pinky promise.

Here’s what to expect:

Santa’s Belt Door Decoration

This is a fabric door cover–it is not a sticker or vinyl or anything. All the reviews for this online are positive.

The only problem I can see this having is if you have a window in your door, like I do. I mean, you could just cover the window, but that choice is up to you.

Snowman Garage Stickers

Make your garage look like a snowman for only $12! This is insanely easy to put up, and seems way to please both kids and adults.

2021 update: I actually ordered these last year when I wrote this post, and it was extremely easy to put up and was SO FUN!

HOWEVER… the adhesive pieces that come with this are an absolute nightmare. I had to order a specialty adhesive remover to get the residue off.

PLUS, there’s really nothing extremely special about this set you can purchase at Walmart. You could honestly get felt pieces and make the same thing in about 15 minutes.

This year I’m going to try to use command strips to hang these and see what happens!

Merry Christmas Door Decal

A perfect example of simple yet so impactful outdoor Christmas decor. This looks like one of the classiest and most minimal pieces on this list so far, and I think it’s beautiful.

I don’t believe this is reusable, but it is only about $15.

Sparkling Golden Christmas Gifts

At the bottom of this article, you’ll see a bunch of inspirational pictures of outdoor Christmas decorations–and you’ll notice that MANY of them have these little presents. They are undeniably beautiful and fun.

You can get these at Walmart or Home Depot, and they are SO cute and sparkly. You can also get the ones that light up!

Wood Slice Snowman

Can you think of a better use for an old tree than making an adordable snowman? I can’t!

Oh… paper? Well, maybe this is the second-best use. šŸ˜‰

Large Yard Sign

These signs are some of my favorites. As a copywriter, words and letters have always attracted me even more than images.

On Etsy, you can also get large yard letters that say JOY or Believe. They are all stunning to me.

These Merry Christmas letters are slightly smaller, but also only $25.

Metal Nativity Yard Sign

This is stunningly beautiful! Make sure you check the size to make sure it will look good in your front yard.

Although it’s not an outdoor Christmas decoration, read 37 Christmas letter board quotes for your indoor letterboards or signs.

Log Reindeer

A few weeks ago, my area had a huge ice storm that knocked down thousands of trees and branches. In fact, the power is still out–14 days later!–for a small portion of the city.

BUT, I ended up with tons of these birch branches in my yard, and I just drooled over them. I have SO many project ideas now!

This is a new one:

SO cute and unique!

If you have some branches and are pretty DIY-savvy, this could be a project. However, I think it would be worth the price–it’s so unique!

Lamp Solar String Lights


These are waterproof and solar-powered! Those are both amazing and very important qualities to have in outdoor Christmas decorations.

Plus, they’re freakin’ cute, man. You can also get these in gold.

Projection lamp

I honestly don’t think projection lamps have the same effect as Christmas lights, but I do think they’re pretty ingenius.

This one is waterproof and has a variety of different lights you can use, which I think is awesome. It’s definitely lower maintenance and much easier to install than Christmas lights, which is pretty fabulous.

Falling rain lights

These are basically tube lights. If you have a tree in the front of your house, like me, this would be a great addition. However, this package only has a certain amount of tubes, so make sure you look into the details before you purchase.

Hanging Starburst Lights

I LOVE these! Have you seen these everywhere?

PROBABLY NOT, which is what makes them unique! I think these would be absolutely beautiful as curb appeal.

Candy Cane lights

I absolutely LOVE seeing these along a sidewalk or path to your front door. These candy cane lights are also solar powered, so you don’t even need to plug them in!

Lighted Mailbox Christmas Swag

Have you ever decorated your mailbox for Christmas? I never even thought of that! There are so many pre-made Christmas decoration pieces for your mailbox on Etsy! This is an affordable way to dress up your exterior.

Other mailbox Christmas decor:

Lighted Snowman
Simple pine – It would be so easy to DIY this with a dollar store garland!
Magnetic Mailbox cover – These covers are only $14!

Merry Christmas Door Mat

This is only a drop in the ocean of custom Christmas doormats! Seriously, click that link and check out the variety.

I tend to like sarcastic ones or movie/TV show quotes–which you may have been able to tell from my giant list of funny letter board quotes. šŸ˜›

A few other favorites:

Merry Christmas You Filthy Animal
Bye Buddy, I Hope You Find Your Dad
We’re Like, Really Into Christmas

Wooden Porch Signs

If you want easy outdoor Christmas decor, you can just prop one of these signs by your door. Two seconds to Christmas festivity, my friend.

An alternative to this is this large wooden sled:

If you like the look of those porch signs, but want something more affordable and easier to store, try these porch banners.

That links gives you two banners for only $22!

Christmas Flag

If you already have a flag stand or any kind of flag pole in your yard, there are a lot of great choices to switch it out for Christmas. These are really affordable–often less than $20.

Okay, I have to show you this one:

It’s 2020 humor. We have to laugh to keep from crying.

Santa’s Belt

Don’t scroll just yet–this is made out of FABRIC.

Athletic fabric, to be exact. That means that this is reusable, because it’s not a sticker or decal.

All the reviews for this product just rave about it, so it would be a super fun addition to your home.

Wooden Merry & Bright Sign

These circle signs are a great alternative to Christmas wreaths. I absolutely love both of them, but this is especially great if you want to be a little bit different.

Other wooden circle signs:

The Jolliest Bunch of A-holes

Natural wood Merry Christmas

Wooden Christmas Tree Triangles

Unique, colorful, easy, and affordable. I think these meet the criteria for the BEST outdoor Christmas decorations.

Jumbo Hanging Snowflakes

These look like paper, but they are actually plastic and made to be outside. If you live in Buffalo NY, like I did, you may not want any more snowflakes than you already get–but in the South, I think it would be a beautiful Christmas decoration.

Wooden Lightbulb Set

Okay, seriously?! I’m obsessed with these. OBSESSED.

How fun and colorful! I can see how this might not be everyone’s style. But that doesn’t matter–if YOU love them, YOU should enjoy them regardless.

More Outdoor Christmas Inspiration

It always helps to look at already beautiful spaces to help you get inspired. For that reason, here are my favorite outdoor Christmas decorations and spaces–which one catches your eye?

@seasons_falling
@seasons_falling
@trulychristmas
@cherryoakmanor
@vartlillagrona
@randilynnblog
@farmhouseluv
@a.little.love.designs
@ourfergusonfarmhouse
@jackieschagendesign
@home_on_the_red
@lilybethshome

Christmas Garlands

It only takes about two seconds to realize that almost all of those outdoor Christmas decorations were made beautiful by using some kind of garland. That didn’t seem to fit in my original list, but here are some beautiful garlands for the outdoors:

Lighted Christmas Garland
Prelit Christmas Garland
Holiday Garland
Pine Garland

Hopefully I’ll be posting something almost as beautiful as these over on my Instagram page.

What’s your favorite product on this list? Make sure you join the Love Your Home Facebook group if you have questions or want more ideas!

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Hi! Iā€™m Kaylee–a mom of 2, business owner, DIY addict, and so much more. You’ll find some fun DIY tutorials, totally honest reviews, and lots of tips for making your home fit YOU. Welcome to Mama and More!

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