How to Spark Joy with Your Holiday Display

Let’s spread amazing joy throughout the neighbourhood with holiday lights this year! It’s beginning to look a lot…different than holidays of the past. But if there’s one tradition that can brighten a socially distanced celebration, it’s decorating a house with lights. Even the smallest display can go far in lifting spirits and in lighting up this holiday!

To help 2020 end on a lighter note, Here are top design tips for decorating this holiday season.

#1 – Don’t forget to decorate your backyard

You don’t only have to show love to the front porch! Bring the cozy vibes to the backyard with plenty of cushions and plush throws around a fire pit. Then hang cafe string lights. This look is stylish and understated enough to keep up throughout the season. You don’t have to have the most lights on the block (but if you want to, go for it—we’re not stopping you) to have the best-dressed house in the neighbourhood on Christmas. Get up and decorate to spread the cheer, even if it’s four bushes in your yard.

Clean Up Your Landscaping

You don’t need to go all out with Christmas decorations to make your front porch look pretty and inviting… With clean, simple landscaping and lantern scones, your front porch will look dressed up, but you won’t be dreading the day you have to throw out the holiday wreath.

Decorate Your Outdoor Fireplace

Your outdoor fireplace deserves the same treatment as your indoor mantel. Deck it out with a garland, then place a bowl of red fruits near it for a color pop.

Make Your Gifts Glow

Garland and wreaths strung with lights are standard, but colorful green presents are a bit more unexpected. This set adds color to a classic white bench.

DIY Lights

For something especially festive, considering DIYing some oversized felt Christmas lights. If your door is painted a bright color, match some of the “lights” with it, but keep the others on-theme for Christmas.

Make A Snowman

It won’t cost you anything, and it’s actually fun to make. The only downside? We can’t guarantee Frosty will last until Christmas day.

Get Lit!

And of course, for a classic outdoor Christmas decoration scheme, you can’t forget your lights. Avoid tangled extension cords (and extreme electricity bills) by unraveling a strand of sun-powered lights instead. After charging all day, they’ll automatically light up at night.

#2 – Use artificial foliage for greens that stays full all season long

Don’t skimp on foliage. Inexpensive wreaths and garlands may look fine at night when they’re illuminated, but during the day they can appear flat. If you want a home to look elegant, then you want three-dimensional wreaths and garland. Bows can also be beautiful and really pop, It’s important to consider the placement as well as the quality of the décor. Homeowners must take care to make sure garland is uniformly wrapped around columns, and wreaths should be large enough to fill an entire window. When purchasing decorations, artificial greens is recommended over real wreaths or garland. Pre-lit, artificial decorations stay full all season long, whereas ‘live’ plants can go limp or are not as robust.

#3 – Make sure your lighting is symmetrical and balanced

Be strategic in the placement of lights, which can be used to highlight a home’s features and hide imperfections. Wherever you install lights, that’s where the eyes will go. So if you have a tree that is too large or you really just want to focus on your home, use the lights to support that design. Maintaining a balance is also important. One common mistake is homeowners lighting up some bushes on the right and not the left. Make sure you have symmetry in your design. Avoiding getting too experimental with your display, there’s certainly a place for creativity. 

Decorating with white lights offers a warm nostalgic look. But there’s a place for multicolored lights too – especially for families that want to involve kids in the decorating process. Outlining the home in white and using crimson bows, or wrapping bushes and trees in red lights is one option. When a compromise can’t be reached with the kiddos, you can always give them free reign of the backyard – one of the most overlooked spots for lights.

Skip the stress and stay safe – consider hiring a pro!

It’s all fun and reindeer games until you discover the string of lights are – astoundingly – even more tangled than last year. With the new work-from-home hustle and virtual student wrangling, homebuyers may want to have someone else check hanging holiday lights off their list.

Hiring a professional service to install lights not only saves time, but many designers also know installation secrets for a magical display that can’t be replicated on your own.

Nothing ruins the holiday like an unexpected injury – which is why safety is another important consideration when deciding if it’s time to call in the pros. Hanging holiday lights often involves ladders and working with electricity – two areas many professional installers have special training in.

Looking for the perfect family home in Vaughan? Get in touch—we know the local market, inside and out!