Decorating is often the true mark of a house owner. It shows you care; it shows you know; it shows you feel. So, why should this year be any different? And why use the same ideas and the same decorations as last year? Especially when that pesky neighbor Ron keeps showing you up with his new toys.
(Pixabay / PublicDomainPictures)
If you want to take your place on the throne as the Turbo Man of holiday décor, do it. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Add to the tradition
Tradition is often a good place to start. If you really do love that nativity you’ve had for 20 years, keep using it. That’s okay. But, there are other traditions you could explore.
For example, try putting a lamp shaped like a leg in your window. Bet that Ron doesn’t have one of those. Or wrap a strand of lights around your potted plants and bushes. There is no reason you should stop doing what you love and know looks good. But why stop there?
Reuse and recycle
A few years ago, one of our team members made the switch to fake Christmas trees. The following holiday season, they found out a rat had chewed all the electrical outlets off their plastic evergreen while it was in storage. What did they do next? They bought a new one. But instead of throwing it out and letting it sit in a landfill, they put the old one on their porch. Now they have two trees to decorate.
If something similar has happened to you, don’t just throw it in the trash, reuse it. Not only is it safer for the environment, it’s a boost to your holiday pride.
Another thing you can recycle if you want your custom Colorado deck to be really special is old socks. For this, all you need is that stinky footwear, a metal can lid and dry rice. (Stay with us here.) From there, just put the lid in the bottom of the sock, fill it with rice and tie it up. Now you can decorate it. Sew on some buttons, draw on a face, get a tiny hat and scarf and you’ve made a snowman—that won’t melt! You could even make a snow family if you have enough socks. Why not make a snow village and really deck out that porch?
(Image Credit: RepeatCrafterMe.com)
There are so many ways you can recycle everyday items into decorations. You can turn drinking cans into wreaths, plates into snowmen, pinecones into trees or lightbulbs into snowflakes. The only limit is imagination. And space if you have a small porch.
Get the family in on it
If you’ve seen “Jingle All the Way,” then you know that the best way to truly become Turbo Man (other than stealing the suit) is to be there for your kids. So, set aside some time to have fun making decorations together.
There are tons of things you could make as a family. Consider creating wreaths together. Start with pine or straw wreaths, which are available at most popular stores. Buy a few picks or save some money with homemade embellishments—cut poinsettia leaves from felt or string popcorn with a needle and thread.
And here’s another idea. You know those old wood boards you were going to use to repair your deck, until your spouse convinced you to hire professional Denver porch builders? Turn them into snowmen. Each family member gets a board, and they can decorate it how they want. Your cowboy kid could paint it to look like John Wayne and put a Stetson on it, while your sci-fi-loving kid could paint it to look like Spock with the blue shirt and hand salute. Or go traditional with a typical carrot-nosed snowman. Your creativity is your only limit.
(Image courtesy of painting with a twist)
Make it famous
If you spend any time on Facebook during the holidays, then you’ve likely seen those houses with lights that dance to the radio. You can do the same. It will take a lot of time and likely to cost a bit of cash, but boy, do they they look cool.
Need some inspiration? Check out this house in Lebanon, Oregon. They have a giant snowman that acts as the emcee, short videos in the windows that show Santa walking by, over 60,000 LED lights, and tons of other decorations that move and light up to the beat.
You can even show that you’re magnanimous by taking donations for charities like they do. Bet you Ron doesn’t do that, now does he? And if you really want to annoy him, the neighbors will park right in front of his house to watch the show, and he won’t be able to do anything about it except vainly put up markers blocking his driveway, all while you look like the cool person on the block.
If your ho ho ho is getting a little ho-hum, level up this season with some fresh new holiday décor. It’s been quite a year, so why not work extra hard to give it a jolly finish?
