Deck the Halls – Outside!'s featured image

The holidays are a wonderful time of year, and decorating outside is a great place to start the celebrating! It's nice for friends and family who visit, but it's also nice to share the spirit of the season with passers-by.  

Here are six ways to decorate the outside of your home. The professional house cleaners at MOLLY MAID remind everyone to keep the packaging, boxes or bins in a storage area, so the clean-up in the New Year is easy too!

1. Hang a Wreath: Nothing says 'holidays' more clearly than a fresh or dried wreath hanging on the front door. Today, many stores sell ready-to-hang holiday wreaths. If you're feeling creative and have the time, wrap a florist wire around the wreath and add your own baubles, ornaments, ribbons and other decorations.

2. Decorate a Tree: It has become popular – and festive – to decorate a shrub or bare tree in the yard with ornaments and bulbs. Use a single colour for effect, or find inexpensive and shatterproof ornaments and decorations at the dollar store. Best to use a tree or shrub that is protected from strong gusts of wind.

3. Sweet Planter: Fill a white planter with decorative (plastic) candy canes from the dollar store for a neat outdoor holiday decoration.  Or fill it up with real candy canes, if the weather is appropriate to do so that day.

4. Classic Greenery: Dress up your front door with festive garland. Run garland along the outside of the door frame and secure it with self-adhesive hooks or brick clips. Add a few bows and baubles, and the holidays have begun!

5. Welcome Bench: Have you got a front porch bench? Add some holiday spirit with an arrangement of greenery, pinecones and ornaments. Spray the arrangement with a light dusting of fake snow for a little winter flair.

6. Ice Baubles: Here's a unique decoration idea; if it's cold enough where you live, fill balloons with water and add food colouring, then put them outside to freeze. When frozen, cut the balloons off – and you'll have giant 'ice baubles' that you can use along the walkway or to decorate the lawn.