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The one redeeming quality about daylight savings time? Getting to admire all the festive outdoor lights a little bit longer. The sunset is a signal to throw on your best puffer jacket and jump in the car (or travel by foot) and peruse your neighborhood, letting the twinkly walkways and bulb-dotted roofs guide the way. Dare we say, it’s our favorite tradition of the holiday season—sorry, tree ornaments.
Of course, the best way to indulge in the cheer is to decorate your own house. Luckily, our favorite ways to lend a bright touch to your home’s exterior don’t involve covering every last corner, Clark Griswold–style. You can have the chicest facade on the block without blowing your budget (or a fuse) with these five tips.
Hook It Up, Fast
What if we told you Brooke Christen’s lights went up in less than one hour? Two nails (one in each corner) hold up the 9-foot-long, prelit garland (a Walmart score) around the doorway, while the $35 roofline set went up in a jiffy with easy-to-use gutter clips.
Pepper the Porch With Miniature Trees
Rather than whip out her ladder, Christine Higgs, the blogger behind For the Home, focused her attention on the front steps. After bringing her real plants indoors where they can thrive during the winter, she filled the area with faux trees and lanterns (some featuring faux birch, others candles) from Crate & Barrel for a whimsical forest feel.
Accentuate Any Curves
Just walking up to seasoned DIYer Jenna Sue’s front door is a magical experience, thanks to the warm white LED bulbs that line the path. It’s the small details, like running the cord around the base of the front step and across the top of the turret, that make a big difference. Everything, including the twinkle lights that she added to her bushes, are set on a timer through an outdoor smart switch, so there’s no big surprises when the next energy bill comes.
Garnish With a Single Garland
Elsie Larson has got plenty of curb appeal going with her bubblegum pink front door and white brick facade, but the color combo can feel ultra-summery, even in the depths of December. It only took two lit-up touches to transport the place to the right season: a pair of faux frosted trees and an extra-long garland from Home Depot.
Bring on the Bushes
If your home’s architecture already speaks for itself, make it glow by going heavy on the lights in the bushes below. This Tudor-style house, captured by the neighborhood’s resident design blogger, Pattie Wagner, gets the classic approach right—and the window wreaths with red bows don’t hurt either.