When decorating for Christmas, your front porch is one of the first things your guest will see.
It should be beautiful and festive, but also be decorated in a style that complements your home's architecture as well as the inside of your home.
Having the exact same or very similar design elements outside your home as you have inside creates a wonderful design cohesion.
Here are some interior designer tips & tricks for how to decorate a front porch for Christmas.
Wreath
Most front porch Christmas decorations include a wreath, usually hung on the front door.
Your Christmas wreath can be artificial, or it can be a natural wreath that will not only greet your guests with its beauty but also its Christmas aroma.
Wreaths can also hang in windows, especially if you have an oversized window over your front door.
Some homes also have wreaths hung in front of every window on the front of the house.
Consider adding battery powered lights t#ad o your wreath to make it glow. Many battery powered string lights include remote controls so it is easy to turn on and off the lights.
The most common Christmas wreaths are an evergreen wreath with a red bow, but you can use a more unique wreath that showcases your own design style using different materials and colors.
Lights
When decorating your front porch for Christmas, you must consider how it will look during the daytime but also at night.
If using string lights, white or clear Christmas lights are most popular, however some people prefer multi-colored lights for a more colorful and nostalgic Christmas display.
Make sure to consider the color of the string light wire to make it nearly disappear into wherever it is hung. For example, lights hung in a green garland should have a green wire, but lights hung in a white garland should have a white wire.
When purchasing white or clear lights, make sure to select lights that are all the same warmth - either all warm lights that give off a yellow glow or all cool lights that give off a blue glow. Designers typically prefer warm white lights but might use cool white lights if decorating with blue or silver.
In addition to string lights, also consider battery powered or solar powered candle lanterns #ad, which are very popular for lining the sidewalk or driveway.
Garland
Wrapping Christmas garland #ad around your porch railing, hand rails, front door, windows, or columns is a nice touch to add a little green when decorating for Christmas.
You can use real greenery or artificial greenery, but make sure your artificial greenery is approved for use outdoors.
Consider using multiple types of garland in different colors and leaf shapes stacked on top of each other for a unique texture and high end look.
You can add lights to your garland to help it glow.
Decorate your garland with Christmas ornaments, pine cones, and any other decorations that complement your style and color scheme, or feel free to leave it just greenery for a more minimal and natural look.
Most people prefer a more traditional symmetrical garland, however asymmetrical garlands can be very interesting and modern.
Ribbons and Bows
If style appropriate, you can decorate your front porch with a wired ribbon that is the same or very similar to your interior Christmas decorations.
Feel free to weave ribbon in and out of most any stationary object to add color and decor to your porch.
You can add bows to other items, such as wall mounted wall sconce lights, flower pots, statues, or lanterns.
Popular styles of Christmas ribbon and bows include solid red, solid gold. solid silver, solid green, red tartan, blue & green tartan, snow flakes, tan burlap, red & black plaid, and Christmas tree.
Poinsettias
Poinsettias seem to be the official plant of Christmas, so decorating your front porch with them will set a festive holiday mood.
The most popular poinsettia color is red, followed by white, but they also come in pink and yellow.
You can use artificial poinsettia stems in wreaths or garlands, or you can use living potted poinsettias.
Be cautious when decorating with poinsettias because they can be toxic if ingested by people or pets.
Some people like to glitter their poinsettia flowers for extra Christmas sparkle with either red or clear glitter.
Christmas Tree
If you have room, you can decorate using one or more Christmas trees on your front porch.
Your Christmas tree can be a living Christmas tree in a pot, a cut fresh Christmas tree, an artificial Christmas tree, or lights shaped into a Christmas tree form.
Consider whether you want your Christmas tree to be green, flocked, or a different color.
Decorate the Christmas tree on your front porch with ornaments that complement your indoor Christmas decorations. If your porch is covered, you might be able to use indoor decorations that are securely fastened to the tree so they don't move in the wind. If your porch is uncovered, decorate your Christmas tree with outdoor decorations.
Accessories
You can add or switch out your current front porch accessories for ones that are more festive for the Christmas season.
Consider changing out your welcome mat for one that is a Christmas color or has a Christmas theme.
If you have a bench or swing with pillows, switch out your existing pillow for ones that have a Christmas theme #ad.
Consider exchanging the decorative exterior pot of a potted plant with a Christmas one.
You can add Christmas and winter accessories such as vintage sleds, a Santa statue, life sized nutcrackers, or ice skates.
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