Photo: Xerxes

It’s that time of year again where twinkle lights, giant red bows, and wreaths are all we can think about when it comes to home decorating! Decorating for the holidays is fun, cheerful, and is a great way to make your home stand out from the rest in the neighbourhood. To really amp up your holiday curb appeal, here are some unique ways to make your home shine this holiday season:

Get Down to Curb Appeal Basics

Before you get started on your outdoor holiday decorating, make sure to do a full clean-up of your home. There is nothing more ugly that hanging decorations when your windows are muddy and your porch is looking run down. If necessary, hire curb appeal professionals to do a full clean up including pressure washing your driveway, roof, and walls, as well as trimming your grass, bushes, and removing dead trees. Here are some quick ways to increase your home’s curb appeal this holiday season:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#ff0055″ class=”” size=””]Find a perfect day and then get down to your holiday cleaning. On a sunny day, it will be easier to tell what needs cleaning and what doesn’t. You’ll also want to make sure to do a full blow cleaning before the temperatures drop even further to prevent your washing from freezing over.[/perfectpullquote]

Turn Everyday Decorating into Holiday Themed

We all know how trendy large lanterns have become for outdoor decorating, and you probably already have some outside. A smart way to decorate your home for the holidays is to use what you already have. Fill up your lanterns with extra Christmas ornaments you may have and then tie a ribbon at the top of the lantern. To add some extra cheer, take a few evergreen clippings and tie them at the top as well. There you have some instant holiday decor, literally for free!

Photo: Elle Decor

[otw_shortcode_quote border_style=”bordered” background_color_class=”otw-pink-background” color=”#ffffff”]Suzy’s Tip: Stocking up on holiday decorations is a no-no for me. I try to use what I already have around my home. For example, my tomato cages from this summer’s harvest make great mini trees wrapped in garland. Try to get creative with what you already have to save money, and reduce your carbon footprint.[/otw_shortcode_quote]

Make a Statement with Oversized Pieces

Wreaths have long been a holiday staple, but why not take them to the next level and oversize them? If you have large gates in front of your home, cheer them up with huge hanging wreaths tied with a red bow and beautiful pinecones. You won’t need any other additional decor since your huge wreaths will already be making a beautiful statement.

Photo: Nesting with Grace

Create Easy Christmas Signs

Signs with joyful sayings are easy to make and are a big holiday mood booster for guests and those passing by. You can easily use old wooden pallets, use a belt sander to sand them smooth, paint them white, and finally purchase large letters from your local Michaels store. Give them a few coats of red paint and you’ve got yourself a cheerful sign ready to kick start the holiday season!

Photo: Golden Boys and Me

Photo: NightVision Outdoor Lighting

Twinkle lights have been voted as the most favorite Christmas decoration of the season. These festive lights are a staple to holiday décor, but there is definitely more than one way to decorate with them!

1. Wrap Up Tree Trunks

Most people think when decorating a tree with twinkle lights, you need to drape the lights over the branches. Well, just wrapping the trunks in lights looks just as good! If you are in a warmer climate and have palm trees, this is a look that can actually pass all year round!

2. Use Incandescent Lights

It’s Christmas after all, and that means you should definitely have a real pine tree set up and decorated. The only trick to getting the most out of your real tree is to decorate it with incandescent lights. These lights come in a variety of sizes and colors, and they also warm up the branches, releasing the scent of pine into the room.

3. Winter Wonderland Windows

If you have a large window on the main floor of your home, light up the border of the window in lights. On the inside, make a winter wonderland display with little light up Christmas village houses. Get creative and use all kinds of decorations and lights to make your village come to life. Baytree Interiors have a nice selection of decorations that you can use to make your village stand out and look like a Santa’s workshop window display!

4. Create a Winter Fence

Make your fence, or hedge light up by wrapping it up in string lights to accentuate the curves, and create a lined walkway. Making the walkway light up will create a welcoming look for friends, family, and other guests coming over for the holidays.

5. Red Berry Garland

I personally never liked red lights but this idea is ingenious! To create some extra holiday sparkle, just wrap an evergreen garland with red lights to create a red berry garland. Your garland dotted with red “berries” made of Christmas lights is a new and interesting way to use twinkle lights.

6. Get Crafty with Tomato Cages

Using tomato cages to create your own light-up outdoor Christmas trees is a fun and easy project just about anyone can do. Tie the top of the tomato cage together to create a triangular shape and wrap up the whole cage with twinkle lights. Set it up outside and flick on the switch!

7. Make Your Own Glowing Gift Boxes

Great your own gift boxes using thin cardboard and wrap each one of with nice colorful ribbons. Place some lights inside the box and get ready to see some big presents lit up in the snow!