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The Ultimate Christmas Decorating Checklist Part 2 – Outdoor Locations

Angela Rogers

You know that Christmas is right around the corner when the lights and decorations start going up. In the first half of our Ultimate Christmas Checklist we focused on getting the inside of the home ready for Santa. Now we can focus on the really fun part: outdoor holiday lighting. Here is our ultimate, and printable, checklist for putting together the best outdoor display.

Roof Lines

Break out your sturdiest ladder. It’s time to attach lights to the roof. C7 and C9 light strings are the traditional lights to use for lining roofs. Due to their larger size, C9s are the top pick if you want your lights seen from farther distances. But don’t stop at just lights. Use roof props that match your outdoor decorations. Just be careful not to overload your roof with too much weight.

Helpful Tip – Uncut rope light is suitable for outdoor use. If cut, you must use silicone glue and shrink wrap any connections to protect them from water. Also keep in mind that the UL listing is voided once the rope light is cut.

Patios, Decks, and Gazebos

Spruce up your patio, deck, or gazebo. Wrap lights around deck railings. Hang garland or icicle lights from the eves of gazebos. You can even place an outdoor rated Christmas palm tree in the corner of your patio.

Fun DIY – An often overlooked spot to decorate is the mailbox. Get ready-made covers at stores or make your own with cloth, garland, and ornaments.

Pathways, Walkways, and Driveways

Use lights and smaller props to create stunning driveways, paths, and walkways. Illuminate the edges with rope light or light strings. Hang ornaments and snowflakes from overhanging tree branches. Add in some wire frame reindeer for a classic feel or have a cutout of the Grinch stealing your lights.

  • Props

    • Nutcracker and Toy Soldier Props

    • Light Up 3D Silhouettes

      • Reindeer

      • Snowmen

      • Angels

      • Trees

      • Snowflakes

    • Cardboard Cutouts

      • The Grinch and Max

      • Peanuts and Snoopy

      • Rudolph the Red nose Reindeer

      • Nutcrackers

      • Christmas Tree and Presents

      • Words

    • Large Candy Canes or Lollipops

    • Light Up Present Boxes

  • Lights

    • Pathway Lighted Markers

    • LED or Incandescent Mini Lights

    • C6, C7, and C9 Christmas Light Strings

    • Commercial Stringers or Spools

      • LED or Incandescent C7 and C9 Replacement Bulbs

    • Rope Light

Helpful Tip - Need a good way to spotlight your cutouts and other decorations? Install a few solar spot light fixtures if you’re in an area that gets enough light during the day to charge them.

Trees and Bushes

Putting lights in trees and bushes can be a bit tricky, but there are many ways to make decorating a breeze. Avoid overwhelming bushes by using mini lights instead light with larger bulbs. To create a full look, lay the mini lights in a zigzag pattern. When decorating tress, roll your individual lights strands into balls first to help make installation easier.

  • Props

  • Lights

    • Tree Wrap Lights

    • Net Lights

    • Rope Light

    • LED or Incandescent Mini Lights

    • LED Meteor Shower or Rain Lights

    • C6, C7, and C9 Christmas Light Strings

    • Commercial Stringers or Spools

      • LED or Incandescent C7 and C9 Replacement Bulbs

    • Commercial LED Christmas Lights

    • Spheres

Fun Weekend DIY – Extremely versatile, net lights can be used for more than lighting bushes. Create a lit tunnel down your drive way by suspending LED net lights between arches made from PVC pipes.

Yards

The biggest focal point of your outdoor Christmas decorations is the yard display. Let your inner Clark Griswold come out to play. Build off of last year’s display or put together something completely different that will outshine the most Martha Stewart-like neighbors on your street.

  • Props

    • Christmas Inflatables

    • Light Up Flat Silhouette Yard Decorations

    • Light Up 3D Silhouette

    • Lit Bows

    • Giant Snowflakes

    • Giant Ornaments

    • Cardboard Cutouts

    • LED Spiral Outdoor Trees

    • DIY Giant Christmas Light Balls

    • DIY Tomato Cage Christmas Trees

  • Lights

    • LED or Incandescent Mini Lights

    • C6, C7, and C9 Christmas Light Strings

    • Commercial Stringers or Spools

      • LED or Incandescent C7 and C9 Replacement Bulbs

    • Rope Light

    • Spheres

Helpful Tip – Running a lot of extension cords for your impressive displays? Make sure your cord connections are protected from water with power cord protectors. And make sure you don’t run too many lights on the same circuit. Spread the load over multiple circuits to prevent tripping the breaker.

Gates, Fences, and Walls

Don’t forget about adding some decorations to fences, gates, and walls. Nestle garland and ribbon between gate pickets. Mount large wreaths, Christmas teardrops swag, or lanterns to posts. Shine pictures of snowflakes, reindeer, and other wintery images on wall with laser light projectors.  If you have a chain link fence, you can hang ornaments in link openings.

  • Greenery

    • Wreaths

    • Christmas Garland

    • Christmas Teardrops Swag

  • Props

    • Nutcracker and Toy Soldier Props

    • Christmas Bows

    • Flat Silhouette Yard Decorations

    • Lanterns

  • Lights

    • Laser Light Projectors

    • Rope Lights

    • LED or Incandescent Mini Lights

    • C6, C7, and C9 Christmas Light Strings

    • Commercial Stringers or Spools

      • LED or Incandescent C7 and C9 Replacement Bulbs

    • Commercial LED Christmas Lights

    • Spheres

Helpful Tip – Make avoiding electrical shorts and tripped breakers a priority this holiday season. Stay under the recommend wattage or maximum number of connections for your lights. Also unplug any infrequently used appliances as they can still draw power.

Accessories

Make sure that your decorations go up and operate with no problems with these accessories. Items such as mounting clips and replacement bulbs can sell out quickly, so you will need to buy them as soon as possible. 

Did we miss something? Share your best decorating tips and all-time favorite decorations in the comments below. Make sure to visit our Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest pages to see more decorating tips!