5 Fab Christmas Door Decorations

Whether you live in the north with the beautiful surroundings of snow for a white Christmas, or in the south with milder weather for the holidays, these Christmas door decorations will be wonderful ways to welcome your guests to your home.

Wreaths

The most common and traditional Christmas door decoration is the wreath. It is simple to hang and can come in many different shapes and themes. Walmart has large lighted faux fir wreaths for $28.00 as well as matching garland to go around the door (9 feet for $15.00). Lowes has similar wreaths, some pre-lit and some with no lights, from $15 to $44. Garland to go around the door frame is a bit more expensive at Lowes for matching garland (9 feet for $35) but less expensive for simple pre-lit garland (20 feet for $15).

You can make your own themed wreaths depending on what you are passionate about, such as sports teams or collections. I would not use your best memorabilia for an outdoor wreath, but a few inexpensive pieces or homemade ornaments would give your guests a very homey welcome. A plain wreath made from fresh evergreen boughs can be bought at most tree lots for anywhere from $10 to $50, depending on the size you are looking for. The best thing about fresh evergreen wreaths is the lovely fragrance that greets your guests at the door. Don't forget to add the bow (any large retail store sells pre-made bows for as little as $5, or a craft store sells ribbon to make bows for about the same price).

Door Hangers

Pictures of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowmen, and the Nativity scene are all popular decorations to hang on your front door. Seasonal craft shows have an abundance of these types of Christmas door decorations. The prices can range from $10 for simple creations to $75 for the more elaborate decorations. Most craft stores (i.e. Hobby Lobby and Michael's) will have a lot of pre-made Christmas door decorations for similar prices to the craft shows, often with create sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The craft stores will also have plenty of kits and other supplies to create your own Christmas door hangers that will allow your personal tastes to greet your guests. Maybe you love Elvis and your Santa Claus has distinct sideburns, or maybe you create a snowman with a scarf in the colors of your favorite sports team. There are many possibilities.

Christmas Trees

My favorite idea for the front stoop is to have a Christmas tree on either side of the door. Although it can get pricey, many of the tree lots will sell small trees for a fraction of the cost of the large trees you get for your living room. Like the fresh evergreen wreaths, the smell of the real trees will be a wonderful welcome for your guests.

If you hit the stores at the right time, there are great deals on small, artificial trees that you could use for this purpose over and over again each year. Adorn the trees with inexpensive ornaments from Walmart or Target (both stores have large ornament trims kits for less than $25 each). String lights on the trees, or if you are buying artificial, buy the trees already pre-lit. Homemade ornaments don't usually work well, as birds and other creatures are attracted to the materials in many homemade ornaments.

Wrapping Paper

This is a simple idea, but it can be elegant if done right. It works especially well in cold climates because there is less of a temperature variation throughout the day. In the south, the paper would tend to get messy with the cold evenings and mild, sunny afternoons. Any retail store will have lots of varieties of Christmas gift wrap. The best choices are solid colors and shiny papers because they will stand out the most. If you tape wide ribbon (found at most craft stores) to the wrapping paper you can create the illusion that the door is a wrapped box. You can even add a large gift tag to the "gift box" with a message on it for your guests to read as they wait on your doorstep.

Bells

There is nothing quite like the tinkling of bells as your guests walk in through your front door. They give the feeling like everyone should be happy and laughing. It is very hard to be in a bad mood when jingle bells are ringing! Most of the retail and craft stores have multiple sizes of bells that can be bought already strung together with a pretty bow and hanger. Target has a silver bell hanger with a red bow for $15 and Walmart sells large jingle bell ornaments for $6 that could be strung together quite easily. Attach a bow to the ornaments and they will make a very festive Christmas door decoration.