51 Outdoor Christmas Lights Ideas That Are Sure to Impress

Illuminating the outside of your home with Christmas lights is a fun way to send some festive vibes out into the world. But if competitive, over-the-top holiday light displays are an American tradition that has long served as fodder for holiday comedies and local news stories, there's no reason to go over the top when designing a Christmas lighting display.

For safety reasons, always opt to use string lights and bulbs specifically rated for the outdoors—this will ensure that they can withstand the elements in your area (think: snow, rain, or ice). Remember that in a rolling climate emergency, it's important to switch to LEDs to save energy (and money). And for the sake of the planet—and the neighbors—keep them up just long enough to celebrate the season before putting them away until next year.

These tasteful Christmas light displays offer simple, stylish ideas for how to add warmth and holiday curb appeal to your front yard or front porch while keeping it chic.

The 9 Best Outdoor Christmas Lights of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

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Space Them Out

Design by AHG Interiors / Photo by Nick Glimenakis

AHG Interiors lit the facade of this 1960s A-frame cabin in the Catskills of New York State that makes it glow like a life-sized gingerbread house nestled in the woods. Simple large warm bulbs spaced widely apart follow the roofline and the path to the house, making a big impact with a clean, simple gesture. This is the kind of outdoor lighting scheme that looks like magic at Christmas with snow on the ground, but is neutral enough to work at any time of year to send a welcoming beacon in the rural setting.

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Make It Golden

Design by Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

This charming front entry from Emily Henderson Design features a ready-made holiday red door. Warm Christmas string lights complement the golden-toned ball ornaments on the potted Christmas tree, creating a soft and inviting glow that is the definition of old-fashioned holiday curb appeal. The lighted garlands are draped around the front door and spill onto the path to the door, adding nonchalant charm.

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Let It Glow

Design and Photo by Sandra Foster

Sandra Foster's snowy cottage in the Catskills of New York doesn't need much embellishment to look like a romantic Christmas movie come to life. The Victorian-style tiny house is decorated with natural greenery lit with twinkly string lights and tied with bright red bows.

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Add Some Starlight

Modern Glam

Large DIY paper snowflake lanterns suspended from the ceiling illuminate this whimsical but understated Scandinavian-inspired Christmas porch from Modern Glam.

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Wrap the Porch Columns

Photo by dszc / Getty Images

If your front porch has large columns, wrapping them with chunky green garlands, tying them with bright red bows, and stringing them with large bright white string lights will add a welcoming and festive glow. Even better if your front steps and porch are covered in a pristine pile of fresh white snow.

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Add Twinkle Lights

A Beautiful Mess

Stringing the frosted faux greenery on this kitschy Christmas front door from A Beautiful Mess with tiny twinkly LED lights adds just the right amount of light to animate the scene without pushing it over the top.

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Use Light to Define Space

Inspired by Charm

This small front porch from Inspired by Charm uses traditional colors and a generous garland to wrap the entrance with warmth and cheer. Lighting the bushes on the other side of the wrought iron railing as well as the garland around the door frame extends the welcoming feel and adds to the curb appeal for passersby.

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Let It Snow

Liz Marie Blog

This snowy white porch from blogger Liz Marie is full of dreamy farmhouse vibes, with rows of draped bulb lights leading to an outdoor Christmas tree.

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Add Vintage Vibes

Modern Glam

This vintage-inspired front porch Christmas light display from Modern Glam features layered lighting, from the string lights to the lighted mini trees, to the LED pillar candles filling the hurricane lanterns that help light the path to the door. Adding balanced and layered lighting will help reduce shadows and make your holiday lighting scheme feel warm and inviting.

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Add an Oversized Door Wreath

Decor and the Dog

Blogger Michelle from Decor and the Dog made a festive three-ring Christmas wreath to decorate her front porch. The DIY project was assembled using prelit wreaths and a giant red metal bow that reflects the light, while two lighted mini trees flank the door to create a holiday display that packs a punch without taking up too much floor space.

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Make It Moody

Craftberry Bush

This London stoop is decorated for Christmas by Craftberry Bush with layers of lush greenery and bright white lights that give it a moody and grown-up holiday feel.

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Light the Tree

Photo by YinYang / Getty Images

If you have a small front porch and a big front yard with an evergreen, why not turn it into an outdoor Christmas tree complete with shiny ball ornaments and plenty of colored lights? Placing the focus on something closer to the road is one way to send holiday greetings to neighbors and passersby, and works particularly well if your home is set back from the road.

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Spread the Light

Craftberry Bush

Small whimsical touches like a lantern filled with LED candles and some string lights draped casually on the floor of the porch add charm to this Christmas outdoor lighting display from Craftberry Bush.

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Add Color

Modern Glam

A spare smattering of colorful Christmas lights add a festive feel and a kid-friendly spirit to this outdoor lighting scheme from Modern Glam.

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Sideline It

Inspired by Charm

If your side porch is visible from the front of the house, don't forget to spread the light around. This outdoor Christmas lighting scheme from Inspired by Charm uses a generous amount of white lights on the hedges that wrap around the house, from the front of the home to the side porch. Draped string lights hung from the porch ceiling add another layer of light.

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Add Extra String Lights

Inspired By Charm

Feel free to mix in some bare bulb string lights with your porch lighting and lighted garlands to create enough light to illuminate the front of the house, like this front porch from Inspired By Charm.

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Focus on a Single Accent

Modern Glam

If you want to keep it simple, focus on a single lighting accent, like the mini tree on this Christmassy front porch from Modern Glam. Be generous with the string lights so that it stands out, especially if you're not adding any additional decorations.

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Add Scandinavian Vibes

Modern Glam

This warm glowing Christmas porch from Modern Glam has a pared back Scandinavian feel with its ethereal DIY snowflake lights that are suspended from the ceiling.

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Add Metallics

Maison de Cinq

This Christmas front porch from Maison de Cinq has plenty of string lights mixed with metallic accents—like gold mini pear ornaments and ribbon-tied bells—that reflect and bounce the light around to make it feel even more sparkly and elegant.

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Light the Picket Fence

Photo by chapin31 / Getty Images

Instead of focusing on the front porch, the outdoor Christmas lighting display on this old ranch house is anchored by the white picket fence, which is decked with draped garlands tied with red ribbons and lit with warm string lights. The roofline is outlined in bright pure white string lights to create dimension.

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Echo the Interior

Inspired By Charm

If your front door has sidelight windows that allow for a peek inside, consider using simple lighting on the exterior garland that echoes the Christmas tree lights visible from the front stoop, like this simple display from Inspired By Charm.

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Create an Installation

Liz Marie

Blogger Liz Marie turned her ornamental round side porch into a glowing Christmas wonderland by lighting a tall tree and wrapping the outside of the circular gazebo-like dome with string lights.

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Keep It Casual

Modern Glam

Adding a single strand of open bulb string lights to a front porch seating area decorated for Christmas is a simple way to connect it to the front door lighting scheme, like this low key festive set up from Modern Glam.

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Don't Forget the Yard

Inspired by Charm

If your home is set back from the road, add a string of lights or wrap some greenery or a mailbox located in the front of the lawn to act as a visual bridge to the main light display in the front of your home like this one from Inspired by Charm.

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Light the Path

Photo by aimintang / Getty Images

When designing your outdoor holiday lighting scheme, work around the architecture of your home. This outdoor entrance has a long winding path to the front door. Lit with garlands and white lights tied with red bows makes walking to and from the front door feel like a special event for you and your holiday guests.

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Keep It Subtle

On Sutton Place

This front porch Christmas decor from On Sutton Place shines in the daytime thanks to a colorful wreath an doormat, while mini trees lit with a smattering of lights adds a lit bit of understated cheer.

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Light Both Stories

Design by bauhaus1000 / Getty Images

If you live in a Victorian-style home with a double porch, lighting the top floor porch railing will help to frame the architecture and illuminate the facade. Work your way down to the front door, steps, and yard to create a balanced look.

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Add Hurricane Lanterns

Design by Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp

To create an understated, Scandinavian feel, Emily Henderson Design added tall modern hurricane lanterns with pillar candles that gently glow when lit after dark.

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Keep It Neutral

Jordan Jean Blog

From the street, using a mix of frosted and dark greenery creates a neutral almost black-and-white look on the facade of this home from the Jordan Jean Blog.

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Follow the Roofline

Design by Coldcoffee / Getty Images

Use lighting to enhance your home's best features, like this Christmas cottage whose sloping fairytale roofline is highlighted with white lights that add dimension on snowy winter nights.

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Flank the Front Door

Liz Marie

DIY porch planter boxes from blogger Liz Marie fit with the farmhouse vibe of her spacious front porch and give the pair of lighted Christmas trees flanking the front door some lift.

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Be Selective

Thistlewood Farms

This maximalist outdoor Christmas decor from Thistlewood Farms includes a ribbon-tied wreath on every window that makes an impact during daytime hours. But it takes on a slightly more subdued tone after dark, with a lighting scheme that focuses on a central wreath hung above the vestibule and lit with white bulbs that creates a focal point.

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Light the Terrace

Photo by Anastasiia Krivenok / Getty Images

Weather permitting, an outdoor terrace with cozy seating, plenty of throw pillows and extra throws, and a giant lighted holiday wreath hung on the rustic wood siding will bring those heartwarming hygge vibes.

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Keep a Stash of Candles on Hand

Home Made By Carmona

Even if you decorate your porch with electric Christmas lights, keeping a stash of candles comes in handy for times when you want to add some more intimate light or share a glass without basking in the full light of your outdoor display. Blogger Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona keeps a stash of LED flameless pillar candles in a basket under her bench seating for such occasions. And she also displays a trio of decorative DIY Mason jar gel candles on the ledge of her front porch so that she can add a real candlelit Christmas glow to the seating area when the mood strikes.

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Stay Horizontal

Photo by YinYang / Getty Images

Lighting your front yard is all about balance. The bushes on either end of this one story home and the main central window are lit to add warmth and seasonal glow to the home while remaining understated.

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Light Up the Greenhouse

Liz Marie

Blogger Liz Marie set a charming Christmas table inside of her greenhouse, lit with frosted Christmas trees, overhead chandeliers, and layered candlelight that glows on the inside and is visible from the outside, creating a magical effect once the sun goes down.

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Space It Out

Thistlewood Farms

If your house has a large facade, extend your front porch lighting scheme to the windows to make it feel more expansive and well distributed, like this symmetrical outdoor holiday lighting scheme from Thistlewood Farms. Light the front hedges, too, to create a sense of depth and dimension.

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Create a Black and White Effect

Jordan Jean Blog

This outdoor Christmas lighting display from the Jordan Jean Blog creates a black-and-white effect with a dark garland sparsely lit with large warm bulbs, and a pair of lighted frosted trees of varying heights off to one side. Wooden planters and a woven basket filled with seasonal greens adds a note of rusticity.

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Light the Back Porch

My 100 Year Old House

This Nutcracker-themed back porch Christmas dinner table setting from My 100 Year Old House mixes a tall prelit LED tree with a DIY light centerpiece that includes 20 glass jars filled with real candles that float above the table.

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Light the Firewood

Modern Glam

This front porch holiday lighting scheme from Modern Glam features fresh greens and festive firewood logs piled in galvanized firewood buckets and lit with plenty of golden string lights for a modern farmhouse vibe.

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Light the Back Porch

Photo by Andreas von Einsiedel / Getty Images

Not all outdoor Christmas lighting displays have to face the street. If you have a back porch or other private outdoor area, light it up for you and yours to create another cozy spot to celebrate the season. This London porch is lit with ceiling string lights, a collection of glowing lanterns, and a standing candelabra that looks like it came straight from a church.

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Light the Windows from the Inside

Jordan Jean Blog

This Christmas light display from the Jordan Jean Blog includes outdoor lighting on the front entrance Christmas trees and garland. The adjacent pair of street-facing windows is lit from the inside by an electric candle on the other side of the window that adds just a point of light and creates a more understated look.

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Light the Palm Trees

Photo by Juan Silva / Getty Images

If your home includes palm trees on the front lawn, create a tropical Christmas feel by wrapping their tall trunks with white lights, and scattering a lighted reindeer family around the yard, all tied with red bows for a look that is just the right side of kitsch and will put a smile on your neighbor's faces instead of making them roll their eyes.

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Hang a Wreath on the Windows

Maison de Cinq

This Christmas lighting display from Maison de Cinq has an indoor outdoor feel, with the central bank of windows lined with greenery and framed with light, while a large bright lighted wreath hangs in the center. The unadorned window allows the Christmas tree inside to be visible from the lawn, and the wreath to be visible from the inside, for a cohesive and integrated display.

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Deck It Out

Photo by Tim Bieber / Getty Images

This remote Michigan cabin makes use of the large side deck visible from the front of the house to display a large glowing golden outdoor Christmas tree. A few small strands of red light on the stair railing leading up to the front porch adds another note.

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Keep It Understated

Liz Marie

A mix of string lights and porch lights illuminate a rustic farmhouse porch from blogger Liz Marie.

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Add a Seating Area

Liz Marie

Blogger Liz Marie included a Christmassy seating area next to the outdoor tree at the end of her long farmhouse porch with seasonal throw pillows, a cheerful holiday banner, and a natural wreath for sitting with a cup of hot cocoa and admiring the twinkly lights.

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Light the Ground

Maison de Cinq

If you have a deep and narrow front porch, be sure to light it from the ground up so that it feels cheerful and well lit, like this romantic front porch from Maison de Cinq. Candlelit lanterns on the porch floor at the entry frame the scene, a mini Christmas tree lights the middle, and a generous garland draped around the double doors fills in the rest.

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Light the Side Windows

Photo by Perry Mastrovito / Getty Images

This rustic Quebec log cabin looks magical with its snow-covered roof and every window lit for Christmas, from the front of the facade to the side windows on both floors.

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Light the Backyard

My 100 Year Old Home

If you live in a warm climate like California and you outdoor space involves a spacious backyard and a pool, adding draped rows of string bulb lights that stretch the width of the space and are reflected in the pool surface will make your home entertainment-ready all year and keep it looking ready-made for an outdoor Christmas party come December, like this festively lit backyard from My 100 Year Old Home.

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Use Warm Light

Design and Photo by Sandra Foster

Golden string lights on the green wreaths and garlands glow against the snow white paint and snowy woodland setting of Sandra Foster's tiny Victorian cottage in the Catskills of New York. The outdoor Christmas lights blend perfectly with the surrounding landscape and reflect the owner's shabby chic style on the interior.