Everyone is familiar with the longstanding practice of putting up outdoor Christmas lights. That's still a great way to decorate the exterior of a home. But go beyond the usual and add some delightful twists to your decorating efforts.
A string of colored lights wrapped around the pine tree in the front yard is fine. But take advantage of modern technology. Add a holographic snowman to your lawn and delight the neighbors and yourself. These simple devices will project a snowman image in 3-D anywhere you want. You can walk all around the display and see a snowman in Christmas colors.
Take the next step and add motion to the scene. Moving light shows that project Christmas-themed images can be anything from simple colored lights to complete video. You can light up an outdoor bush or project a scene onto the garage door. You can make the shadows dance under the eaves or twinkle the angel decoration on the top of the house.
Add real objects to the light display and flesh out the decorations.
The Nativity scene is a holiday favorite and still works well in many decorating schemes. Spruce it up a little by adding some spray-on snow if you don't live in a climate that provides the real thing. Add some realistic touches by putting down small clumps of straw inside and outside the manger.
Sadly, though, sometimes a person will get the idea to ruin the scene. So, you may want to invest in some security. Devices such as a buried-in-the-lawn wire alarm system can alert you to unwanted visitors in the night.
Mailboxes provide the perfect opportunity to exercise your creativity. You can go for traditional ribbons and bows or spruce it up with decorative red and gold-colored paints. Or, you can go a little more abstract and design a decorative wreath made from non-traditional materials. An icy-crystal look can be achieved by using white wire hangers and shiny translucent plastic.
Place a white or colored light in the center of the wreath and hang it from the mailbox. You can run the wire down the pole and along a thin extension cord to the lawn lights. Or, use a solar-powered light that stores up energy during the day and releases it at night.
If you have trees and/or bushes in the yard they give you plenty of objects to decorate in traditional or unusual ways. Strings of lights work fine. Faux-icicles are still a great favorite. But be creative and use some miniature figurines to make your design unique. Tiny figures from the Grinch Who Stole Christmas are an idea. Or, sprinkle the foliage with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs carrying out their characteristic actions.
Even the lawn itself can be a huge canvas. Light strings, solar lights in the shape of a wreath, some special glow-in-the-dark paint of the type that washes away after a few weeks.... The list of possibilities is bound only by your imagination.
"Little Kid Christmas Crafts"
Fun Crafts To Get Little Kids In The Spirit Too!
At last! A Christmas craft book truly aimed at younger children!