How to Decorate Outdoors for Christmas on a Budget? Here are the 11 Best Tips

Christmas is a yearly event embarking on the birth of Jesus Christ and is held on December 25.

It is a festival of joy and happiness and no celebration is complete without good Christmas decor. This article is an answer to your query on how to decorate outdoors for Christmas on a budget.

To welcome this holiday season you need good holiday decor. When we think about the word decoration instantly the word budget pops up in our mind. But getting your home to look festive and celebratory doesn’t have to cost you a fortune.

Decorations can be made in a low-budget and pocket-friendly way without compromising on the overall feel and look of the Christmas cheer all you need is a bit of imagination and a knack for making it.

1. How to Decorate Outdoors for Christmas on a Budget

It is easy to save money for one to decorate indoors with varied options to choose from but when it comes to outdoor Christmas decorating ideas it can get a bit tricky. Here are some of the suggestions:

1.1. DIY Easy and Cheap Garlands

The cheapest Christmas decorations are garlands, it is also an easy way of changing the overall feel and it instantly changes the vibe into festive mode.

This is one of the easiest decorations that can be hung anywhere in the outdoors when the holiday season rolls around. Here are a few items with which one can make affordable yet attractive garlands

1.1.1. Flower Garland

Nothing beats fresh flower garland, all you need is a bunch of preferred flowers, a needle, and string to combine it all.

Fresh flower garland has a bit of maintenance to do so one can also opt for artificial flower garland which can be used again and again for years.

1.1.2. Cloth Garland

Making garland with pieces of scarves, stoles, dupattas or even fabric scraps can turn out to be very unique and can be hung in the patio or yard or wrapped around a branch of a tree.

All you need to do is tie these pieces of fabric with one another to make them look like garland.

1.1.3. Food Garland

You can use your creative side and make a garland of popcorn, cotton candy, or any other hard candy. You can also make a centerpiece from apples and pinecones for your garden table.

1.1.4 Paper Garland

You can create a lovely Christmas garland with minimal materials. All you need is pair of scissors, some colorful craft papers, a string, a stapler, and a hot glue gun.

Cut the paper in any preferred shape like that of a leaf or Christmas tree and glue it to string, continue till the length you want, and ta-da your homemade paper garland is ready which will cost just pennies.

The quick and simple solution to your question of how to decorate outdoors for Christmas on a budget is garlands.

1.2. Christmas Lights

No other outdoor space or Christmas decorations are ever complete without outdoor lights. Christmas lights altogether bring positive vibes and can turn any boring place into a wonderland.

• There are various options for lights available in the market right from fairy lights to disco lights and LED lights.
• You can simply hang the lighting on the patio wall, on your porch, on lawn chairs, or on any piece of furniture that you have in your outdoors.
• To evaluate the overall look, you can place hanging light on the tree branches, which are replicated as stars falling from the sky.
• You can fill your lawn or garden with lights by placing them on and around the plant pots and vases. The whole house can be decked up with Christmas lights in creative ways.

1.3. LED Outdoor Christmas Trees

Is it even a Christmas celebration if no Christmas trees are hanging around? Well, the obvious answer is NO. Getting an actual Christmas tree can cost you, but building your LED outdoor Christmas tree can be cheap.

This is one of the best DIY outdoor Christmas decorations which can be fun to make with family members.

1.3.1. Procedure to Make DIY Outdoor Christmas Tree

You’re going to need PVC Cap, PVC pipe, PVC tubing, Drywall Screws, Small Zipties, and Multicolored LED.

• The first thing you got to do is to drill holes, a hole in each of the PVC caps and a hole on one side of the PVC cross. You can use a 1, 16-inch drill bit to get this done to use 1-inch drywall screws to mount everything together.
• Once all the holes are drilled on all of the caps put a one-inch drywall screw on the end of each cap.
• Once you have that cap mounted on top of the PVC cross and all the screws on the outside of the other caps you need to cut a piece of 24-inch three-quarter PVC pipe. You also need to cut four pieces of eight-inch PVC pipe.
• Now these four pieces are going to be the base part that sticks out on the bottom of the tree. To cut the PVC just used a pair of PVC cutters it makes the job quick and easy.
• After all the pieces are cut put a cap on one end of each of the PVC pieces and then take the two-foot tall PVC and put it into the upside-down cap that’s screwed on top of the cross.
• Then put the four 8-inch pieces of PVC into the top center of the cross and that’s the frame of the Christmas tree.
• If you want to you can leave the pipes just like they come or chose to white spray paint them.
• Now all we got to do is wrap the Christmas tree with LED lights and Volia here is your budget-friendly, quick, and easy LED outdoor Christmas tree.

1.4. Homemade Christmas Wreaths

An integral part of the Christmas festival is Holiday Wreath, which symbolizes eternal life.

You can make wreaths with multiple objects and not stick to traditional Christmas holiday wreaths made with green and red ribbons.

You can place these on the railing of your patio or the doors and windows. You can also hang it out on the trees on your lawn. These are fun DIY outdoor Christmas decorations that can be made involving kids.

Here are a few illustrations of several varieties of wreaths:

1.4.1. DIY Paper Wreath

All you need is chart papers, scissors, and a hot glue gun. You will have to cut the paper according to the desired shape preferably leaf shape and start sticking them to a foam circle. This will produce a charming and touching wreath. Newspapers or old magazine pages can also be used to create a distinctive newspaper wreath.

1.4.2. DIY Cotton Wreath

You need cardboard, cotton balls, a glue stick and a pair of scissors.

Cut the cardboard into a circle shape with the width of your choice and then start gluing the cotton balls on the cardboard, keep filling it until the cardboard disappears.

It should look like a wreath drenched in cotton. Complete the look of this wreath by adding a few husks (corn husk, wheat husk) in the middle.

1.4.3. DIY Fruit Wreath

What better than a wreath which you can feast upon? All you need is a choice of fresh fruit and a round serving plate or a board. Start by arranging the fruits in a circular pattern and keep on going until a full-fledged wreath is formed.

1.4.4. DIY Light Wreath

This will instantly add a festive flair to the outdoor Christmas decorations. All you need is a bundle of lights wrapped around in a circle on an aluminum wire. This can be placed on the walkway or any corner to brighten it up. It can also be hung up on the trees in your yard.

1.5 Redecorating Old Glass Jars or Bottles

One of the best do-it-yourself outdoor Christmas decorations is redecorating vintage glass bottles and jars.

It is fast, easy, and affordable to make. It can be set up on the sidewalk, in any garden nook, on a lawn table, or in the entranceway.

Here are a few ways to upcycle glass bottles or Jars-

1.5.1. With Lights

All you need is an old glass bottle or any glass jar (empty jam jars, sauce jars, baby food jars) and lights. It is readily available in the dollar tree, or any other convenience store with various options to choose from and is also pocket friendly.

You will have to arrange these bottles according to their length and height in a crisscross manner. Now, simply place the fairy lights in and around these bottles and ta-da your masterpiece is ready.

I prefer this over any other piece of decoration because it spreads tranquility wherever it is placed.

1.5.2. With Jute Wire

The bottles only need to be covered in jute wire. It might be fully or partially wrapped. Once finished, you can finish by adding decorative pieces, Christmas ornaments, pine cones, or stickers.

You can simply paint it and add the finishing touches to it, this can be a fun activity for the whole family.

1.6. Handmade Paper Decorations

How to decorate outdoors for Christmas on a budget? Well, here’s a simple answer to it. Decorating your outdoors for Christmas doesn’t have to break the bank and decorating can be enjoyable for the entire family with a little creativity and handiwork.

• For outdoor Christmas decorations, you can make stars, snowflakes, and paper chandeliers with colorful craft papers that can be hung on your porch for a festive look.
• All you need is colorful craft papers, a pencil, glue, and a pair of scissors.
• You will have to start by cutting the craft papers into desired shapes and gluing them on a sting so that they can be easily hung up.

Below is a detailed video that will guide you through.

1.7. Decorating Front Door

How can Christmas decor be complete without decorating the main entrance of the house?

Festive front door decoration is a wonderful way to greet visitors during the holiday season and spread Christmas cheer to your neighbors.

If your front door is all that is available to decorate, you may still spread festive cheer even if your porch is little. Don’t limit your Christmas decoration to the front door only, extend it to your mailbox as well.

Here are a few fresh ideas for transforming your outdoor space for the holidays.

1.7.1. Oversized Vases or Pots

Place Christmas balls, small Christmas tree ornaments, and other holiday decorations, easily available in bulk in Christmas sales, in large vases or pots.

Place these pots or vases on the porch, patio, or even in the corner of the lawn. If necessary, partially fill the pots with additional materials like newspaper, pine needles, pine cones, etc.

1.7.2. Wrap Your Front Door With Ribbon

This is the traditional way but an evergreen one. All you need is a red ribbon preferably big-sized and wrap it around the door.

Additionally, you have the option of centering the entrance with a wreath of your choice. Also, add Santa hats for this holiday season.

1.7.3. Wind Chain for the Door

• First, use a drill to create two tiny holes in each spoon. One is at the top and one is at the end.
• Then paint the spoons with the desired color. Also, paint the scrap piece of wood you’ll use to hang them.
• Then, paint a letter of your liking on each spoon for instance holiday, make sure you have that many spoons.
• The cup holder hooks should be evenly spaced apart and screwed into the scrap piece of wood. Then insert a jump ring into each spoon’s top hole.
• Finally, attach a bell to the end of each spoon using a jump ring.
• If you have a front porch, hang this Christmas wind chime ornament there or anywhere in the house. The sound of the spoons banging together with the bells on the ends of the spoons is pretty enjoyable.

1.7.4. PVC Candy Canes

You need 2” PVC pipe cut to 30” length (for the body) and 4” length (for the tip of the candy cane), 2” ABS Bend P-Trap return bend (looks like a “u” shape pipe), 3” x 2” ABS Reducer (round base) gue, white paint, and red tape.

• Start by attaching the P-Trap to the top of your straight, 30” PVC pipe. Additionally, clean and sand this.
• At the PVC pipe’s base, affix the reducer. To make the candy cane’s tip, fasten the 4″ PVC piece to the other side of the p-trap.
• Next white spray paints the entire candy cane and set it apart for drying.
• After that, begin using your red tape to wrap the PVC pipe and the P-trap, working your way up. Keep the strips spaced away from one another at a consistent width.
• You can place this PVC candy cane either in the front yard or near the mailbox.

1.8. Snowman Made up of Reusable Paper or Plastic Cups

A snowman is a must-have for any Christmas celebration. Even though snow is generally used to make snowmen, what if there isn’t any? No snow? No issue.

A snowman can be built from reusable paper cups. You only need a bunch of white paper or plastic reusable cups, a stapler, to put everything together, and little patience to slowly build it up.

• Using the plastic cups, you will need to create two big balls: one for the body and one for the head. Just staple plastic cups in a circle.
• Use a large plastic cup for the body and a smaller one for the head. Make eyes and nose from cardboard and paint it black.
• Then you can style it in any manner and include whatever accessories you want. Don’t forget to add LED lighting underneath it as well.

This is undoubtedly one of the simplest and least expensive Christmas decorations that can be made with fun at home.

1.9. Revamp Old Bicycle to Make Outdoor Christmas Decorations

I’m sure everyone once in their lifetime has purchased a bicycle it can be a proper adult bicycle or kids tricycle or kids scooter, if you have any of these it can be put to great use for any outdoor Christmas decorations.

1.9.1. Decorate it with Light

Simply wrap the bicycle in light and place it at the entrance or any outdoor place. It will instantly brighten up the space.

1.9.2. Decorate it with Flowers

Here either fresh flowers can be used or artificial flowers can be opted for.

Fresh flowers are perishable and hence they will fade out soon. But investing in artificial flowers will be a smart choice to make as they can be used for several years.

The bicycle only needs to be covered in flowers. You can either glue it directly or put it in a string and then wrap it around the bicycle.

This Christmas decorating idea will be like a fresh breeze of air in outdoor Christmas decorations.

1.9.3. Wreath from Wheels

It will not only look unique but is super cheap and easy to make.

• Create this masterpiece by removing the wheels from the bicycle.
• Then remove the rubber tire.
• Apply paint to the wheel. Once it has dried finish by adding your preferred embellishments to the wheel.
• Place this wreath in your yard or anywhere in the garden area.

1.10. Deck up the Outdoor Staircase

Old, uninteresting staircases are so passé. To bring in a festive vibe, give a makeover to your outdoor staircase that is cheap and easy.

All you need are pool noodles which can be easily found at dollar tree, some zip ties, and decorative items. You can also use pine cones and candy canes.

• Cut the pool noodles from between and tie them with zip ties on the railing of the staircase.
• Now glue decorative items like balls of different sizes, Christmas ornaments, some ribbons and greens, pine cones, and holiday ornaments onto the pool noodle.
• You can also add some Christmas lights.

1.11. Carton to the Rescue as Christmas Gifts

This is one of the easiest diy outdoor Christmas decorations. We all have spare carton boxes in our backyard. This is a great chance to put them to use.

• You will need some nice Christmassy gift wrappers, glue sticks, and ribbons.
• You have to wrap these cartons and add ribbon alongside other decorative items.
• You can personalize it by writing the names of your loved ones on it.
• Arrange these boxes accordingly and voila your gift corner is ready.
• You can also make mini gift boxes that can be hung on outdoor trees or plants.
• You can also place some Christmas cards around the gift boxes.

Conclusion

So, to sum up, this post will undoubtedly answer your query regarding how to decorate outdoors for Christmas on a budget. Numerous DIY outdoor Christmas decorations are fun to make and can bring the whole house together during the holiday season.