Adding Christmas Kerb Appeal in 2022

Christmas, the snow’s comin’ down, Christmas, we’re watching it fall, Christmas, lots of people around, lots of neighbours to outdo! OK, we jest (a little). Christmasifying your home and garden is not about outdoing the neighbours. It’s about creating and sharing in the festive spirit. With the unprecedented year we’ve all experienced and continue to, the festive spirit something we could all benefit from in abundance this year.

So, whether you just want to wrap some string or icicle lights around the guttering, have an inflatable Santa cheerfully occupying the front garden, or go the whole-hog with all of that and a fantastic set of outdoor reindeer, snowman, and tree displays, rest assured we have everything you need here for ideas (and in-store) to decorate the garden and celebrate Christmas in true comfort and style.

Christmas décor arguably starts with the perfect tree, real or artificial (just make sure it’s suitable for outdoor use). Today, there’s an increasingly versatile range of ‘feel-real’ artificial trees available in many different shapes and styles, alongside beautifully scented real trees. So, if you’re looking for a classic conifer, a space-saving ‘slim shape’ tree, or a beautiful snowy spruce, the perfect tree is available.

Consider a larger tree to act as a statement piece and draw the eye to an area of the garden. Decorate as you would indoors and really go for it! Or, why not have two smaller Christmas trees adorned with some subtle lighting for each side of the door or path and create a welcoming feel for guests before they enter your home.

Go ready-made or for some extra fun and uniqueness do it yourself. A classic pine wreath always looks effortlessly elegant, and you can spruce it up a bit by incorporating some embellishments like ribbons, florals, dried fruit, attach some microlights and ornaments to give it that extra sparkle.

Also, why have one wreath when you can have two? Or more. Place two wreaths on the door one above the other and connect with a lovely ribbon tied in a bow. You could even put other wreaths on the windows of your home. Don’t worry though, one really lovely looking one on your door will be more than enough.

Leafy garlands are another easy way to add some curb appeal to complement any wreaths and lighting. Use them to wrap around gates, drape over railings, and frame around your doorways.

Some might say this is where the real magic is. Whether on the Christmas tree or around your guttering, outdoor Christmas lights are often the favourite decoration because of the magic they instil on a crisp winters evening. It’s the first thing people will see outside your home so make that first impression count. Here’s some ideas to do just that:

Around the exterior

You can place simple LED lights around your exterior guttering to illuminate your home. Use single strands to outline door and window frames, columns, railings, or even pipes. Or get more creative and suspend them from a porch ceiling to provide a welcoming, magical glow. Opt for the icicle type for that extra wintery effect or stick with the simple but elegant cool or warm LED types. The great thing is these types of lights can be manoeuvred into almost any position or shape.

On bushes, hedges and trees

We just said these lights can be manoeuvred almost anywhere, so think about how you can incorporate existing hedges, bushes and trees into your outdoor Christmas decorations. Wrap some lights around in a symmetrical fashion so it’s not out of balance and adds to the more prominent areas of your outdoor displays.

Railings and fences

Can you include some lights on your railings and fences too? Just remember balance is key as you can easily overdo it. Complementary lighting like that you would put on these and your bushes, hedges and trees should be there to support your overall display. Less is more.

Garlands and wreaths

Intertwine or lace some fairy lights through your garlands and wreaths to add some more festive sparkle to them. The soft white glow from fairy lights are perfect not to overpower the overall look of your wreaths and garlands. Less is most definitely more here too.

Staggered Lanterns

Lanterns in a staggered line of different sizes are functional and beautiful as an extra welcoming feature along walkways or on the porch, regardless of the season. But used at Christmas on the longer darker nights will create a lovely guide into your home for guests and passers-by to admire. To create more visual interest, you could fill some lanterns with lots of silver, red and golden baubles, and carefully snake some battery powered LED lights throughout to create a lovely sparkling and colourful looking festive scene.

Consider some amazing outdoor illuminations to top it all off. You can purchase themed light decorations in the shape of snowmen, Christmas trees and reindeer, each with wonderful lighting effects and colours to create a magical scene in your garden. Perfect for a centrepiece to the whole display!

Appeal to the other senses by filling the air with nice smelling ingredients to evoke a seasonal, jolly mood. Some ideas include bringing the beauty and fresh scent of evergreens to the door by filling an oversized clay pot with cut evergreen boughs and pinecones. You can also add sweet orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and berries to your wreaths. Give it the old one-two by adorning with a strand of miniature lights and let your arrangement sparkle while smelling divine.

Is your door looking a bit dreary and worse for wear? Chances are the door itself is still solid, so give it new life with a fresh coat of paint. It might be a little more work for you, but do you really want to hang that lovely wreath, lights and garland around a door that’s a bit drab? Your door is a focal point for your front exterior so it’s worth doing.

Refreshing handles, numbers, knobs, knockers and letterboxes provides an instant lift to your front door. Make sure that your door shines by cleaning it with a simple soap and warm water solution. Use a gentle wood cleaner to remove grime and then buff with a clean cloth. For varnished wood a mild washing up liquid will do the trick. Oh, and lastly give the garden a general tidy so nothing detracts from your display.

Outdoor Christmas decorations can certainly a create cheerful and festive ambience during the festive season. If you have drawn inspiration from our guide then you will be well on your way to creating some serious kerb appeal this Christmas. Just be wary about raising the bar for Christmas 2023.