Maximize your curb appeal and add timeless character to your home’s exterior just in time for the holidays. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, decorate your property with seasonal decorations that have universal appeal rather than ones with specific religious or personal meaning. Breathe new life into your front yard with these budget-friendly holiday curb appeal tips.
Pre-Holiday Prep
Rake the leaves; trim hedges; cleanup the flowerbeds. Wash the siding, the outside of the gutters if needed, and power wash the pathway and driveway (at the front of house).
Finish any home maintenance projects such as repainting the trim, installing a fence, or adding a new light over the garage doors.
Elevate Your Entry
One of the simplest ways to increase your holiday curb appeal is to elevate the main entry to your home.
- Replace old light fixtures
- Add an oversized holiday or seasonal doormat
- Place a seasonal wreath on the entry door
- Position container gardens on the porch
- Put potted firs on one or both sides of the steps
- Switch out worn house numbers with large, stylish ones that have a matte or metallic sheen
- Be bold – paint the front door navy, teal, jade, a warm green, a bright warm toned yellow, predicted front door colour trends for 2026
If you have a porch, it’s a perfect place to help spread holiday cheer. Put a small, decorated Christmas tree near the front door. Place seasonal patterned blankets and pillows on benches and chairs.
Create a Focal Point
Budget-friendly ideas to create a focal point in your front yard include:
- Plant poinsettias in window boxes or planters to brighten up your home’s exterior or draw attention to the porch or front steps
- Redo the pathway to the front door with stepping stones, bricks, or textured pavers
- Hang an oversized seasonal or holiday wreath on the front door
- Decorate the fence with large bows or wreaths
- Light up the pathway with decorative lanterns
Creating a focal point as part of landscaping your front yard will help make your home’s exterior more appealing and festive.
Put the Focus on Windows
An inexpensive way to create curb appeal for the holidays is to put the focus on the windows of your home. Some decorating window ideas are:
- Clean them – sparkling window panes create a perfect canvas for reflecting festive lights
- Hang wreaths in each window of the front of the house
- Hang strings of ornaments (inside)
- Place battery-operated candles on sills (inside/outside)
- Frame windows with garlands – use non-evasive methods when attaching to trim
- Use easy-to-apply decals – snowflakes, stars, ornaments, fir trees – to create some holiday magic
- Fill window boxes with evergreen boughs, holly branches, clusters of pine cones, and sprigs of mistletoe (use artificial)
Light Up Your Home’s Exterior
Lights can transform your property into a magical wonderland. Here’s how to light up your home’s exterior:
- Replace or upgrade worn fixtures
- Line the driveway with solar lights
- String fairy lights around the windows
- Spotlight a favourite tree
- Hang colour changing rope lights in one or two trees
- Add string or fairy lights to garlands wrapped around porch pillars or railings
Motif lights in the shape of stars, Christmas trees, or snowflakes can add a soft, festive glow to your home’s exterior.
