*AD: This post is sponsored by Very.co.uk and contains gifted items.
Since having a child, one of my favourite things to do at Christmas time is to go on a Christmas Light walk – not the kind you pay £££ to go to, but just walking the neighbourhood and looking at all the different lit-up houses, big or small. It’s almost like a free version, you can take the dog – and perhaps even a travel mug of hot chocolate (or mulled wine) too.
Last year was the first time we’ve ever put lights up on the exterior of the house ourselves and we even went a step further and decorated our very old and rusty car as part of it too. Sadly the car had become decoration anyway and was heading to the scrap yard in the new year so it seemed like the perfect idea!
We had loads of nice comments, people took photos and we even had a lovely note through the door! It was a bit of fun and on the whole, seemed to put a smile on people’s faces as they walked by.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which allows me to receive a small commission if you visit a link and buy something on my recommendation. Purchasing via an affiliate link doesn’t cost you any extra, and I only recommend products I have bought or used myself.
This blog is part of the eBay partner network and the Amazon Associate Programme. All affiliate links to these sites are clearly marked with an asterisk (*). Click here to read more about how affiliate links work on this blog.
This year, the car is of course no more, but I knew I wanted to decorate the front again, in a different way, with some new additions. So, to add a bit of interest, I searched through Very’s online catalogue of outdoor Christmas decorations and picked two ‘feature’ lights to hang on the exterior of our house; a snowflake and a colour-changing Christmas tree.
We positioned these quite low, partly for ease of installation, but also so they didn’t appear too distantly spaced on the house and get lost. Being lower down against the plant pots felt more purposefully placed and I also thought they would be more visible, particularly as our street is quite narrow – meaning you don’t tend to look up at the house as a whole so much.
Both lights look absolutely gorgeous lit up, the snowflake light looks even better than I imagined and I think would look great in a pair. The colour-changing tree has added a lovely punch of colour to this space and it also has several different modes and colour combinations to pick from to suit each decor style. The solid multi-coloured look is probably my favourite and I even think this light would look great indoors too!
On the front door, we’ve added a new red berry wreath. Unlike last year, this one is artificial but looks incredibly realistic. Its large size feels like a real statement piece on the door and feels rather elegant! I absolutely love it – a perfect investment to use year after year.
Around the door, we’ve added some holly fairy lights, and on the door of the inner porch some snowball pom-pom fairy lights. These were actually really long so have been doubled up all over, though they’d be perfect for a larger opening. In the flower pots outside, you might have spotted some little robbins too.
I personally love the whole look – it’s a bit of fun, it’s festive, it’s colourful and I think it looks lovely whether day or night. It’s certainly lit up the street and my son especially loved seeing the display on his walk home from nursery the day we hung them.
I think next year I’d love to potentially add some more greenery to the windows, whether that’s window boxes or a Christmas garland to the bottom. Like any decor, I find trial and error is the best way to find your true style, so I’m sure we’ll either be switching things up and/or adding even more in future years. But, for our second year of exterior decorating, I’m really pleased with how it looks and I’m so ready for the festive season!
If you’re looking to add to your Christmas decorations this year, whether it’s a new Christmas tree, outdoor lights, or interior decor, make sure to check out Very and their Christmas range!
How To: Hanging Christmas Decorations on Your House
As this is a DIY blog, it’s only fair I share a few tips and products we’ve used for hanging these outdoor Christmas decorations up. So, on the uPVC of our windows, we use outdoor-rated self-adhesive hooks* which work perfectly. As we have sash windows, we can even install them (and the lights) from inside the house, meaning no need for ladders! On the bricks, we’ve used these q hanger hooks* drilled onto the exterior. They’re quite small and discreet so can be left up for the following years without being particularly noticeable on the house. We’ve also installed these into mortar rather than the brick font, this causes less damage to the brick, and should we ever remove them entirely, won’t leave a noticeable hole.
If you prefer a no-drill method, you can try brick hook clips*, though you’ll need to check the size of your bricks as often these are best suited for more modern bricks. For installing lights against a gutter, gutter clips are great too. Finally, I also recommend clear waterproof duct tape* for uPVC / wood frames and even blue tack works outside for sticking certain things too!
As for dealing with the electrics, we haven’t needed to install anything externally – as all the wires are so thin, we’ve been able to simply shut them through either the windows or through the front door (with a bit of tape to keep the cables in place). No effort is required!
I hope this post gives you a bit of inspiration for the exterior of your home if you enjoy lighting up the street too. We won’t officially turn the lights on until December, but they are up and ready! And we’ll be bringing the mulled wine out soon for our festive light walks.
Happy Decorating!
*This post was sponsored by Very.co.uk and includes gifted items.
*This post contains affiliate links where an asterisk (*) is used.
No Comments