Bright lights, candles in windows, wreaths, and lawn ornaments are the typical components of an exterior holiday decor formula. While the traditionally decorated home is warm and welcoming, you can achieve the same effect while putting a unique spin on your decor. The list below offers a few creative theme ideas for you to consider.

Ready, set, action!

If your household has a favorite holiday film, you can take inspiration from elements of the movie and bring them right to your front yard. People driving by will delight in the nostalgia and humor of your home’s decor. The films below are full of simple elements you can replicate.

A Christmas Story 

Take your home through a time machine with these whimsical touches. Purchase a replica of the leg lamp to place on your porch or in a front window, and make your own 1940s inspired wreath with vintage ornaments and bows.

Home Alone

Copy Kevin’s genius contraptions to deter any holiday mischief in your home. Create a mock “Little Nero’s Pizza” box, and sit it on your porch with the label facing out. Fashion a fake getaway zip line made from rope, hang it from a window, and attach the other end to a nearby tree. Purchase a small Christmas lawn statue, and angle it toward one side like it’s falling over.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Take a cue from the Grinch and steal the show by creating a Whoville-inspired scene. Make a sign that says, “Welcome to Whoville” to hang on your front door. Buy a Grinch cutout online, and connect it to a string of lights on your home so that it looks like he’s pulling them down. Hang oversized striped stockings from your porch railing or below your windows.

A work of art

If traditional or eclectic decor isn’t your style, try a modern and minimalistic approach this season. The sky’s the limit to what you and your loved ones can create.

Monochrome 

Decorate with items in different shades and finishes of a single color, such as green, white, blue, silver, or gold. For example, if you choose green, use garland without any added ornaments or colored lights, and then incorporate a few elegant green wreaths and a welcome sign with light green letters.

Abstract 

There are no rules for what counts as a holiday pattern or color, so choose any that bring you joy. You can place a tree on your porch, and decorate it with yellow and pink ornaments in mismatched patterns. For a less is more approach, focus on a few bold statement pieces in bright colors or big patterns, and leave the rest of your home lightly decorated.

Cozy getaway

Are you craving a vacation away for the holidays, but you’re staying home to visit or host loved ones? Try transporting your home to the beach or the mountains with vacation-themed decor.

By the ocean 

Cowabunga! Celebrate the season in beachy fashion, even if you don’t live by the sea. Coordinate traditional elements, such as lights, with elements of the beach like shells and sunglasses. Buy plain shells from a craft store, paint them in your favorite holiday colors, and then glue them to an undecorated wreath, alternating between the colors. At the center of the wreath, hang a pair of inexpensive sunglasses. String some fake coconuts, and purchase a blow-up or a fake palm tree, if there aren’t native to your area, to wrap in lights. Now you’ve brought the feeling of the islands right to your home!

In the mountains 

Create the ambiance of a mountain getaway by incorporating lanterns, a plaid blanket draped over a porch chair, a bundle of firewood, and an old-fashioned wooden sled to create a lodge entryway aesthetic. Use a blank wood sign from a craft store, and decorate it with your family’s name. You and your guests will feel like you’re in a five-star ski resort.

Whatever way you choose to decorate the exterior of your home, make sure it brings you joy. Don’t feel pressure to stick to any traditional decor. There are plenty of creative opportunities for you to explore this season. Happy decorating!