11 Simple Outdoor Christmas Decorating Ideas for Your Porch, Door and Garden

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Quick and easy outdoor Christmas decorating ideas for your porch, front door, and backyard, from wreaths and garlands to lanterns and garden benches.

Looking for outdoor Christmas decorating ideas that won’t eat your whole weekend? Christmas can be a bit much, can’t it? Especially the decorating part. I’ve been there. Hauling all those totes down from the attic, going all in, adding something Christmasy to just about every room in the house. And then, when I’m tired and out of steam, I realize I forgot the outside completely.

Can you relate?

That’s exactly why I put together these 7 simple outdoor Christmas decorating ideas. Each one takes minutes (or an hour or two), but definitely not whole weekends of your time, and your porch, front door, and garden will look like you hired a stylist. Stick around to the end, because I’m answering the questions everyone asks me about outdoor decorating (like when to start and how to keep it all from toppling over in the wind).

Come on, let’s take a peek…

Just one more thing before I show you my 7 best-kept secrets for simple and quick outdoor Christmas decor. There are a whole lot more Christmas decorating ideas at the end of the post. My friends from The Thrifty Style Team have once more been busy coming up with inexpensive but beautiful DIY home decor ideas. And this week is the special Christmas edition.

Okay after that service announcement it is back to fun and relaxed outdoor Christmas decorating.

These simple Christmas outdoor decorating ideas I have for you today are super easy, and quick but they will make your garden look like it was decorated with style and pazazz.

Simple Outdoor Decorating Ideas for Christmas

1. Create an Easy Front Door Christmas Wreath

Did I say easy?

Well, I meant so simple it almost feels like cheating.

This luscious Christmas wreath is a quick and dirty DIY project that took all but 10 minutes to make and it looks so pretty.

Start with a nice ready-made wreath and simply add some real greenery and (mini) pine cones to create this effect. You can read all about how I created this front-door Christmas Wreath in 10 minutes in the post I linked.

2. Make a Statement Centerpiece

Oh, I love a good centerpiece. Take fifteen minutes of extra time, create a proper centerpiece and the rest just falls into place easily.

Creating a beautiful, show stopping centerpiece for your garden table is really so much easier than it looks. This one is a classic beauty that added so much Christmas flair to my patio.

Start with something unexpected like a big branch from your garden and then add lots of evergreens and natural decorations.

The wonderful thing is that outdoors any centerpiece with real greenery will easily last all through the holiday season. Check out the full how-to for making this Christmas outdoor centerpiece in the post.

If creating a Christmas statement centerpiece like that seems a bit daunting then know that you can also create lovely and easy centerpieces for your garden table by planting fresh plants and bulbs in pretty containers. Simply stick to a wintery color scheme, add an ornament or two here and there and you are basically done. This outdoor Christmas table in white with rustic white planters is still one of the favorite Christmas garden decorations I ever did.

3. Use These Christmas Outdoor Wreath Hacks

Oh I love wreaths so much, especially for Christmas decorating.

I have a couple of pretty green wreaths in my stash (bought in the after-Christmas sales) that have been with me for well over 10 years now. They come out in one way or another each Christmas (this year they even teamed up and formed a Christmas wreath wall).

But don’t think you have to hang your wreaths. Oh no!

Use your wreath to create an instant centerpiece that decorates your garden table in the easiest but prettiest way.

I have placed a wreath around a faux Christmas bouquet on an urn for a five minute outdoor Christmas decoration. Or layered several wreaths together around a hurricane candle for a super easy wreath centerpiece. Spray painted a DIY pinecone wreath white and simply balanced a small reindeer inside. The possibilities are endless.

4. Make Some DIY Outdoor Christmas Ornaments

Ornaments don’t have to stay on the tree. Some of my favorite outdoor decorations are just ornaments that went outside for the season.

The trick is to skip the real glass and go for shatterproof or vintage ornaments. Outside, everything eventually meets a storm, and sweeping up tiny glass shards off the porch is not my idea of holiday cheer. Fabric ornaments work especially well. My red and white fabric ornaments where previously used in my red and white Christmas kitchen.

Tuck a few into the wreath on your urn. Nestle them into your centerpiece branch. Or fill a weatherproof bowl with a little pile of ornaments and call it a display. Five minutes, and it looks like you planned it for weeks.

5. Whip Up an Outdoor Christmas Garland

I never knew how easy it is to create a super luscious and impactful Christmas garland until I created this one.

This Christmas garland looked like it belonged in a magazine they way it was hanging from my lamp next to the front door. It made a big impact with the large pinecones, hydrangea heads and the burlap ribbon and bark decorations. But it was so easy to make. Go see the video for how to make this Christmas garland.

6. Find Some Twinkle Lights for Outdoor Christmas Displays

If you ask me, twinkle lights are the fastest way to make any of these ideas look twice as magical. One little strand, and suddenly the whole porch glows.

I like to keep it simple. Weave a strand of battery fairy lights through the garland on your front door lamp. Tuck them inside a lantern instead of a candle. Or loop them through the greenery in your centerpiece and let them do all the talking.

Battery operated is the way to go outdoors, by the way. No cords snaking across the porch, no hunting for an outlet. Just switch them on at dusk and enjoy the show from inside with your feet up.

7. Do a Bit of Outdoor Christmas Decor With Lanterns

I have already testified to my love for decorating with lanterns. And a bit of lantern decor for Christmas is a must in my book.

You can keep it super simple when using a lantern in your decor. Just add a candle and you are good to go. Or use outdoor Christmas lights inside the lantern for an even easier way to add some Christmas cheer to your outdoor space.

Or do a bit more and turn the candle into a Christmas winter wonderland, add lots of fairy lights or use them on your garden table. (for creative candle holders ideas that work perfectly for Christmas check out the link to all my ideas)

This garden table decorated for Christmas featured not one but two lanterns. it was so pretty and it was so ridiculously easy to create.

8. Don’t Forget About Outdoor Candle Holders for Christmas

Candles and the outdoors were made for each other. There is something about a little flame flickering on a dark winter evening that makes a porch feel like a scene from a Christmas movie.

You don’t need anything fancy either. A candle in a glass jar on the steps. A hurricane lamp on the garden table. Or take one of those wreaths from your stash and place a candle right in the middle of it (like I did when I decorated a 15 minute Christmas outdoor table). Instant Christmas, done.

One thing I learned the hard way: real candles outdoors need watching, and the wind out here has opinions. On windy nights (or when nobody is home) I use battery-operated flameless candles instead. Same glow, zero drama.

9. Make Fresh Christmas Centerpieces (the easy way)

I have been making fresh Christmas centerpieces since I was eight. I love them. But since I started decorating for Christmas earlier every year, the fresh centerpieces have moved outside.

Inside a fresh centerpiece doesn’t last that long (even if you water it regularly). But outside these centerpieces stay fresh for weeks if not months.

That’s why one year I went all out and created a series of (all different) fresh Christmas centerpieces for my garden table. Together they made me smile every time I walked past them and making them took no effort. Once you get going you don’t want to stop. So check out my tutorial for creating fresh Christmas centerpieces here.

10. Decorate your Garden Bench for Christmas

Now if you are really strapped for time, this is the idea for you. If you have a bench and access to some faux or real greenery this one takes five minutes tops.

I remember that year when I went outside for five minutes in between rain showers and decorated our bench in our front yard for Christmas. It looked good enough for the neighbours to notice and it was so quick to pull together while lasting the whole season. Check out these Christmas bench decorations here.

11. Incorporate Outdoor Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas

Now, if you have a little room and want one bigger moment, bring a tree outside.

It doesn’t have to be a giant one. A small potted tree or even a rosemary “tree” by the front door, dressed with a few ornaments or lights, makes the sweetest outdoor Christmas statement. And you can use those mini ones in a centerpiece on your garden table.

See? Outdoor Christmas tree decorating can be just as quick and simple as everything else on this list.

Frequently Asked Questions About Outdoor Christmas Decorating

When should you decorate outside for Christmas?

Whenever it makes you happy, honestly. Most people decorate outdoors in late November or the first week of December. If you are using fresh greenery, wait until closer to the season, because outside it will stay fresh for weeks but not for months. That is the beauty of the fresh centerpieces idea above. I usually do my porch the same weekend the tree comes inside.

How do you keep outdoor Christmas decorations from falling over or blowing away?

Wind is the real boss of outdoor decorating. Use heavy urns or add a layer of gravel or stones inside your containers. Stick wreaths to doors with a weatherproof hook or ribbon instead of relying on a flimsy suction cup. And battery-operated flameless candles instead of real ones mean no more chasing glass around the porch after a storm. Ask me how I know.

What are the most popular outdoor Christmas decorations?

Wreaths, garlands, lanterns, and lights top the list year after year. The good news? Every single one of them is on this page. A simple wreath on the front door plus a lantern or two and a strand of twinkle lights will make your whole porch look festive without buying a single inflatable.

How do you decorate your living room for Christmas?

Outdoor decorating is my favorite, but I do not skip the inside of the house. If you are decorating indoors too, come see my simple Christmas decorating ideas for every room.

I hope you like my DIY Outdoor Christmas Decorations. Feel free to pin, share or tweet all about it.

More Christmas Decorating Ideas

This month the Thrifty Style Team has Christmas in mind. We are sharing our best budget-friendly Christmas decor ideas.

Be sure to visit my friends and be inspired!

Redhead Can Decorate – 10 Christmas Decorating Ideas That Are Almost Free

Our Crafty Mom – 17 Easy to Make DIY Ornament Ideas

I Should Be Mopping the Floor – 7 Christmas Coffee Bars

The How to Home – Last Minute Christmas Crafts and Decor DIY’s

DIY Beautify – 6 Thrifty Christmas DIY’s Using Wood

2 Bees in a Pod – 40 Thrifty Christmas Ideas

The Tattered Pew – 3 Natural Christmas Decorations You Can Make

Cottage on Bunker Hill – DIY A Beautiful Christmas – My Best DIY Ideas to Try

Amy Sadler Designs – 7 Easy Homemade Gifts to Give at Christmas

Songbird – Simple Ideas for Outdoor Christmas Decorations

My Family Thyme – Simple DIY Christmas Crafts

Simple Nature Decor – DIY Christmas Mason Jar Snow Globe

Zucchini Sisters – 9 Christmas Craft Ideas for Adults

Sonya Burgess – Budget Crafts From Christmas Past

Thank you for sharing my content!