The best ways to add outdoor holiday cheer (without getting on a ladder)

There’s something magical about a home lit up with lights for Christmas. It’s a glow that you just don’t see any other time of the year.

But while I love exterior Christmas lights, I also have a new rule when it comes to holiday decorating this year.

No. Ladders. 

Because, my friends, I’m a disaster waiting to happen on a ladder. And after falling from ladders a few too many times, I just can’t even get near a ladder without anxiety.

I mean, I actually fell off a ladder trying to take a photo of Henry on the first day of school. (You are probably asking me why I needed to be on a ladder for this, but that’s a long story that we don’t have time to cover.) I also fell off a very high ladder two years ago trying to hang Christmas lights on the barn.

So, while I love exterior Christmas lights, the “no-ladders” rule meant I had to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground.

And guess what? Our home still has “the glow.”

I’m a happy elf. And I may manage to make it through the year without falling off a ladder. Which is really a gift in itself.

Here are a few spots to focus on if you are taking the no-ladder approach.

 The front door

Guess what? You can totally decorate around the front door without a ladder. And it doesn’t have to be complex.

• A battery-operated wreath (hung on a Command hook)
• A joy sign from Letter2Word
• A red rug
• A few pots of poinsettias (which were actually our alter arrangements at our wedding)
• A battery-operated lantern

If you do nothing else, you can make that front door look fit for Santa.

Lights

Instead of hanging lights on the soffits, I added a few more lights to the porch.

The old screen door needed new lights this year, but they just pop through holes in the screen. (My mom bought this over a decade ago at a craft show, but I think it would be a fairy straightforward DIY.)

The best part is that it looks good in the daytime and lit up at night.

Greenery

I have always loved to see homes with wreaths in the windows and garland on the porch. It’s the perfect mix of festive and classic.

Last year, we brought all those wreath dreams to life. I hung the 24-inch wreaths from INSIDE the house, using red ribbon to secure inside the window.

The best part of the wreaths is that they are battery operated. So no cords and automatic scheduling. They come on every night at 4:30 and go off at 10:30. I did have to change most of the batteries this year, but it’s worth it for the glow every evening.

Finally, I added lit garland to the front porch – we bought that garland in 2008 and it’s still going strong. Then, I stepped back to admire my work.

And, as if to reward me for my Christmas spirit, Mother Nature sent her first snow of the season. That takes the magic up a few hundred degrees.

Have you decorated the outside of your home for Christmas?

 

 

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