Deck Out Your Porch or Patio for the Festive Season

The merriest time of the year is near, so now’s the time to start preparing to make your home welcoming and festive. This year more than ever, we all seem especially anxious to celebrate and lighten hearts. So, as you organize your decorations for the holidays, don’t forget to include the exterior in your plans.

There are so many outdoor living areas to consider! This article covers porch, patio, deck, garden and under-deck patio ideas. Some you might buy, and others are DIY decorating ideas such as Festive Bunting or Jam Jar Table Decorations.

Choose a theme
First, choose a theme to bring together all the pieces and make the outdoor decor feel cohesive. If you have an older home, go for classics such as fresh wreaths on the windows and garland around the door; topiaries with fairy lights can frame the front door. If you have a country home, add gingham ribbons in red or green, lanterns, and a stack of logs with white bark. Finally, if you have a modern home, you might like to turn it into a winter wonderland with white lights, snowy trimmings, silver ribbons and sleek styling.

Nostalgia
Nothing elicits nostalgia more than Christmases and Boxing Days of old. So, incorporate some elements that hearken back to simpler times, such as an old-fashioned wooden sled or wagon, into your decorations.

Tree
Adding a Christmas tree to the porch, patio or under the deck allows you to decorate it in any theme. If you buy a live tree in a container, you can plant it in the spring in your garden to enjoy a holiday tree for years to come. Across the UK, the Nordmann Fir remains quite popular. LED twig trees can be used year after year and brighten any outdoor space. So, if you have a Christmas tree indoors and out, does Father Christmas visit twice? Let’s hope so!

Garland
While you’re breaking out the greens, add natural or artificial garlands to the deck railing, porch columns or around the door. Garlands look lovely in the daylight and magical if interwoven with lights at night.

Natural décor
One of the beautiful benefits of winter trimmings is the ability to use natural objects. If you have access to boughs of greenery, pinecones, or sprigs of holly, make the most of them. Fill baskets and vases with these elements. Arrange them along railings or around windows and doors. If you have a green wall, make it more festive with string lights and shiny baubles.

Lights
Lights can be dramatic or subtle. You don’t have to trip the light fantastic to add some magic to your outdoor décor. Fairy lights in jam jars make a lovely centrepiece for outdoor tables or along the stairs. Use solar lights if you want to avoid often changing batteries. String up Edison lights beneath the deck, along with some artificial greenery.

Silver and gold
Metallic accents will brighten the season in 2021. Silver is most popular, then gold—darker shades of green and blue look especially sharp against the metallics. Add little silver or gold ornaments to greenery to add some sparkle.

Bows
Fasten coordinating bows to any trees or shrubs you have around your outdoor space. Silver or gold looks sharp, but bows can match any theme. You can make your own bows with some wired ribbon, floral wire and a bit of creativity. Go for a simple blow or something more complicated — check out these bowmakers.

Wreaths
Another mainstay for outdoor décor is a beautiful Christmas wreath. Follow these steps to DIY your own wreath:

Collect your favourite foliage such as birch branches, holly and ivy.
Use a moss sheet to wrap around a wreath ring. Florists’ wire wrapped clockwise around the moss will help hold it in place.
Lay the cuttings in groups of 2 to 3 stems. Stagger them down, so the tips lay just a bit below each other and bunch together with wire.
Trim the edges. You’ll need about 18 bunches to fill the wreath.
Personalize with tiny ornaments, bows, lights, pinecones and other decorative items.

Inflatables
For a bit of whimsy, add some inflatables to your outdoor décor. Choose a theme or just create a hodgepodge of joy.

Entertaining spaces
With your beautiful outdoor décor in place, host a cosy gathering around a fire pit or next to a patio heater. Be sure to have plaid blankets on hand to cover your guests as they sit on your comfy outdoor furniture. When finished, be sure to put away the cushions to keep them in tip-top shape in the winter weather.