For decades, neighbors have been trying to outdo each other with their outdoor displays at Christmas. From Clark Griswold to Darren McGavin, Ralphie’s foul-mouthed father, holiday movies portray a minefield of tactics used to achieve the status of “Best Christmas Decorations on the Block.” This competition has now moved into real life (although it was always based on reality anyway), thanks to frequent news reports and viral videos of decked-out houses dancing to Christmas carols and organized Christmas light tours through towns across America. To join in the fun, even just a little, you’ll need to invest in some of the best outdoor Christmas decorations.
These days, you can buy everything from wreaths to full-blown, music-synced lighting displays online. To keep this article from getting too long, we’re only going to cover Christmas decorations that are not strings of lights you would usually hang from eaves. You can find our list of the best Christmas lights here. Instead, we’re going to focus on 2021’s biggest outdoor Christmas decoration trends, including:
- Inflatable Christmas Figures
- Light-Up Characters
- Projectors
- Signs
- Oversized
- Ornaments
- Garland
- Yard Sculptures
- And, Music
Whether you’re reading this in November or July, it’s time to get ready for the next Christmas season. Read on to discover 16 of your best options for outdoor Christmas displays.
1. Large LED Lighted Holiday Deer Family
BEST OVERALL
With the perfect balance between tasteful and tacky, a family of reindeer is an excellent investment for your outdoor Christmas display. This three-piece set includes a buck, a doe and a fawn, giving you three differently sized pieces to arrange in a way that suits your space best. The 360 LED lights are all break-, fade- and chip-resistant and made to last. Additionally, this set is ideal for indoor or outdoor use and comes supplied with metal ground stakes for easier installation.
Buy: Large LED Lighted Holiday Deer Family $298.99
2. Whaline Christmas Porch Sign
BEST BUDGET
At under $15, these Whaline Christmas Porch Signs are a great way to share your Christmas cheer with anyone passing by. The set includes two banners, one reading “HOLLY” and the other reading “JOLLY.” Each banner measures 72 inches high and 12 inches wide, making them ideal for mounting either side of your front door, any open space between windows, or even on the garage door. Furthermore, they arrive pre-assembled and ready to hang, with eyelets pre-punched in the bottom for more secure fastening.
Buy: Whaline Christmas Porch Sign $12.99
3. Renxin Inc Christmas Projector Lights
BEST PROJECTOR LIGHTS
Forget having to scale your roof to decorate your house this year and instead invest in these easily installed Renxin Inc Christmas Projector Lights. The projector, which projects Christmas-inspired shapes onto your home, comes with a base and a stake, allowing you to choose between the near-instant mounting methods. The IP65 waterproof rating also means you can easily use these lights both inside and outside. What’s best of all is that the lights come with 12 different slides, including Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and other holiday-inspired designs, making this a truly versatile addition to your home decoration arsenal.
Buy: Renxin Inc Christmas Projector Lights
4. Prextex Christmas Candy Cane Pathway Markers
BEST FOR PATHWAYS
There is no better way to guide people to your front door than with a set of these Prextex Christmas Candy Cane Pathway Markers. The collection includes 12 17-inch candy cane markers, which are capable of covering around 18 feet. The canes also sport red and white lights to illuminate your pathway when it’s dark. Additionally, each marker comes with a short stake attached to the bottom for quick and easy installation. Numerous sets can be linked together if you want to cover a greater distance.
Buy: Prextex Christmas Candy Cane Pathway Markers $37.99
5. Vickerman Red Shiny Ball Ornament
BEST BALL
With a six-inch diameter, this set of Vickerman Red Shiny Ball Ornaments is a classy way to add a hard-to-miss Christmassy feel to any indoor or outdoor space. Each pack contains four individual ornaments, which are shatterproof and have been pre-drilled and fitted with a secure cap and six-inch floral wire for easy hanging out of the box. Plus, if red isn’t your favorite Christmas color, there are over 25 other colors and glitter, matte and sequin styles from which to choose.
Buy: Vickerman Red Shiny Ball Ornament $32.99
6. Toodour Outside Christmas Tree Lights
BEST TREE LIGHTS
These Toodour Outside Christmas Tree Lights make it easy to turn any outdoor tree into a Christmas feature. The multi-string of lights contains 317 LEDs to deliver comprehensive coverage. It also comes in either plug-in or solar-powered versions to accommodate the more environmentally or budget-conscious out there. You’ll also be able to choose between white, warm white and multicolor options.
Buy: Toodour Outside Christmas Tree Lights $48.99
7. Home Accents Holiday Norwood Fir Christmas Wreath
BEST WREATH
No outdoor Christmas decoration display is complete without a wreath for the front door. This Home Accents Holiday Norwood Fir Artificial Christmas Wreath measures 48 inches across and includes 200 white LED lights to create a cozy yet relaxing vibe for your home. The 714 tips complete the appearance of this high-quality Christmas decor piece, which you can also use indoors. Furthermore, it’s available in a 60-inch diameter option if you’re looking to cover more space.
Buy: Home Accents Holiday Norwood Fir Christmas Wreath $99.00
8. Home Accents Holiday LED Penguins Slide Yard Sculpture
BEST SCULPTURE
With its four Santa hat and scarf-wearing penguins, this Home Accents Holiday LED Penguins Slide Yard Sculpture oozes Christmas fun. The six-foot sculpture is a fun way to fill your heart with joy every time you pass by. The statue also features 190 LED lights for nighttime illumination to give you a decoration that can be enjoyed all day. Additionally, the set sports a simple design to ensure assembly is quick and easy.
Buy: Home Accents Holiday LED Penguins Slide Yard Sculpture $129.00
9. BZB Goods Inflatable Santa Claus
BEST SANTA
At 12-feet tall, no one is going to be missing the BZB Goods Inflatable Santa Claus in your yard. This polyester decoration comes with everything you need for installation, including the plug-in air blower, stakes and tethers. The inflatable decoration also lights up for better nighttime viewing and can be deflated, folded up and packed away for easy storage outside of the festive period.
Buy: BZB Goods Inflatable Santa Claus $134.99
10. Star Wars Millennium Falcon with Christmas Lights
SCI-FI PICK
If you love Star Wars and Christmas, there’s no better choice of Christmas decoration than this Star Wars Millennium Falcon with Christmas Lights. The nine-foot Falcon model is self-inflating and sports a durable construction, making it ideal for outdoor use. It also comes with a string of Christmas lights attached to its perimeter to complete its festive look. Additionally, the decoration comes with stakes and ropes, so you have everything you need to mount it out of the box.
Buy: Star Wars Millennium Falcon with Christmas Lights $179.00
11. Alpine Christmas Ball Ornaments
BEST ORNAMENTS
The Alpine Christmas Ball Ornaments prove the phrase bigger is better to be true. The two-ball structure sports a durable construction that allows it to display inside or outside and ensures you’ll get plenty of years of use as well. It measures 30 inches tall and is powered by two AA batteries, allowing you to place the piece in remote locations. And you won’t have to worry about turning it on or off every day as the ornaments include a built-in timer for a six hours on and 18 hours off rotation.
Buy: Alpine Christmas Ball Ornaments $195.98
12. Home Accents Holiday Nutcracker Arch Yard Sculpture
BEST ARCH
Balloon arches are so 1990s. But nutcracker arches are so 2021. This Home Accents Holiday Nutcracker Arch Yard Sculpture stands nine feet tall and is an ideal way to give visitors to your home a Christmassy welcome. The piece features a sturdy metal frame covered with fabric to ensure it can endure the windy and rainy conditions of life outside. It also includes built-in LED lighting for nighttime illumination and comes with stakes for easier lawn installation.
Buy: Home Accents Holiday Nutcracker Arch Yard Sculpture $199.00
13. Home Accents Holiday Giant-Sized Christmas Gift Box
MOST COLORFUL
If your Christmas display lacks a little bit of color, you may want to add this Home Accents Holiday Giant-Sized Christmas Gift Box into the mix. This towering holiday tribute comprises five beautifully wrapped gifts in ascending size from top to bottom. Color-wise, the sculpture includes red, blue, gold, green and other eye-catching colors to ensure everyone will be looking into your yard as they pass by. In addition, the decoration lights up for more precise nighttime viewing and comes supplied with ground stakes for more secure lawn mounting.
Buy: Home Accents Holiday Giant-Sized Christmas Gift Box $269.00
14. Christmas in a Box
BEST SPLURGE
If you’re really looking to raise your outdoor decorating game, you need to consider Christmas in a Box. While your typical light controller can deliver on and off-timed displays, this high-tech system allows you to produce advanced shows with fading, twinkling, and perform other perfectly timed effects. In addition to complicated lighting displays, this system lets you choose from a wide variety of Christmas songs, including We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells.
Buy: Christmas in a Box $995.00
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