Before your guests ever enter the house, you want to greet them with festive cheer, whether it’s Halloween, Christmas, or even Easter.
One thing that might make you hesitant is the exterior conditions that can mess with your decor - wind, rain, and the cold take its toll. But don’t worry, it’s not as bad as you think.
Our holiday decorating ideas for outdoors below cover Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and a few spring and summer celebrations, along with simple safety basics for anything that plugs in.
Key Takeaways
- Start each season with a simple porch base of a rug, planters and lanterns, then layer in holiday-specific pieces.
- For Halloween, pumpkins, topiaries and a dressed-up front door make a big impact without much money.
- Fall and Thanksgiving displays can stay up from October through November with a few swaps.
- At Christmas, garland, lanterns and a weather-ready porch tree go a long way.
- Easter, spring and the Fourth of July deserve a little outdoor love, too.
- Use only lights and cords marked for outdoor use, and plug them into GFCI-protected outlets.
Halloween Outdoor Decorating Ideas
1. Build a Porch Base First
Trick-or-treaters may never step inside, but they'll definitely see your porch. Give it a festive feel with a colorful rug, lanterns, mums and piles of pumpkins.
That combination works through all of fall, so you only need to add the layer of Halloween in October.
2. Plant Spooky Topiaries
Once summer annuals fade, put those empty planters to work. Fill them with topiaries covered in moss and skulls, which make a bigger statement when displayed as a matching pair on either side of the door (Add some candles into pumpkins or even skull eye sockets for additional spooky).
3. Mummify the Front Door
A wrapped "mummy" door is quick to craft and just as quick to remove after Halloween. This is a fun activity to get your kids involved in, as it doesn’t take much in the way of material or steps.
Add a pair of googly eyes near the top and you have an instant crowd-pleaser for kids.
4. Boo on a Budget
You don't need expensive animatronics to make an impression. For finishing touches with a vintage feel, browse our Halloween Decorations collection. Keep delicate pieces under a covered porch so they stay protected from the weather.
Thanksgiving and Fall Porch Ideas
5. Pull the Spooky, Keep the Harvest
On November 1, remove skeletons, spiderwebs and anything with fangs. Leave the pumpkins, mums and lanterns in place. Swap carved jack-o'-lanterns for whole heirloom pumpkins or white gourds for a more traditional harvest look.
6. Set a Gratitude Welcome
Add a harvest wreath of wheat, dried leaves or berries to the door, then set a bench or pair of chairs with plaid throws for a cozy porch vignette. A basket of firewood, an old barrel, or a crate of fruit adds rustic texture without extra cost.
Christmas Outdoor Decorating Ideas
Christmas is the season when outdoor displays really go big. These ideas scale from a small stoop to a wraparound porch.
7. Drape Garland Everywhere
Fluffy greenery garland is a holiday decorating staple, whether it's draped around the front door, beams, or hung from fence posts. Run it along porch railings with a few bows, or hang a length over a front window to frame the tree lights glowing inside.
8. Line the Steps With Lanterns
Lanterns guide guests to the door and glow beautifully at night with a soft glow that welcomes people warmly. Battery-operated candles are a practical choice for outdoor lanterns.
9. Dress a Porch Tree for the Weather
A small tree in a planter instantly says "holiday." To make it last outdoors, we recommend decorations sturdy enough to handle the elements: burlap garland, shatterproof ornaments, pinecones and handmade twig stars.
10. Make Ice Lanterns
If you live somewhere cold, let the weather help. HGTV shows how to freeze water in plastic cartons to create glowing ice lanterns for the porch or walkway. They cost almost nothing and look magical with a candle inside.
11. Add Classic Characters
Nutcrackers flanking the door, reindeer on the lawn or a sledding Santa on a porch table bring storybook charm. Pair them with your garland and lanterns for a complete scene. Explore our Holiday Decor collection for festive pieces, and keep anything not rated for the elements under cover.
And More: Easter, Spring and the Fourth of July
12. Hop Into Easter
Hang a pastel wreath, set out a basket of faux eggs by the door, or tuck a pair of bunny figures into your planters. Our Easter Decorations collection makes it simple to pull together a cheerful spring welcome.
13. Refresh the Planters for Spring
Replace winter evergreens with tulips, daffodils or a mix of spring annuals. A new doormat and a lighter wreath of greenery or blooms finish the look. For more ideas, see our Spring Decorations collection.
14. Go Red, White and Blue
For the Fourth of July, hang patriotic bunting from porch railings or windows, and add a flag-inspired wreath to the door. Small galvanized buckets filled with red and white flowers make easy accents for steps.
15. Keep a Year-Round Outdoor Base
The easiest way to decorate for every holiday is to start from a porch you already love. Comfortable seating, a durable rug and a pair of planters give each season something to build on. Browse our Outdoor and Garden Decor collection for pieces that work all year.
Outdoor Decorating Safety Basics
Lights and inflatables add plenty of fun, but anything electrical outdoors needs extra care. The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) shares these outdoor decoration safety tips:
- Use only extension cords and electrical decorations marked for outdoor use.
- Plug outdoor lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs). Portable outdoor GFCIs are available where electrical supplies are sold.
- Inspect lights, decorations and cords for damage before putting them up.
- Fasten lights securely to trees, the house or other firm supports to protect them from wind, without damaging the cord's insulation.
- Keep cords and light strings clear of snow and standing water.
- Use wooden or fiberglass ladders, since metal ladders conduct electricity.
- Turn off all electrical decorations before leaving home or going to sleep.
A timer makes that last step easy, and it means your display glows on schedule every evening.
Decorate Every Holiday for Less With Decor Steals
Putting these holiday decorating ideas for outdoors into action is much easier when your budget stretches further. Every morning at 10 AM ET, we launch three new steals. Each one is available for 24 hours or until it sells out, so it's worth checking in often as each holiday approaches. Missed a favorite? Join the waitlist on the sold-out item's page to hear first if it returns.
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Shop today's daily deals and give your porch a welcome worth celebrating.
