How to Take your Outdoor Christmas Decorations to the Next Level

Fort Wayne has experienced its first snowfall of the year, and Christmas music has made its way to our radios. Now is the time to get your house and yard ready for Christmas! It is, after all, the most wonderful time of the year.

Here are some suggestions for how to create a stunning outdoor display to thrill the kids, make the neighbors jealous, and most importantly, help your neighborhood get into the Holiday spirit!

Planning and Time-saving Tips:

• Plan out your theme before you begin and write down measurements.
• Along with measurements, keep a thorough list of what you will need – the goal is only ONE trip to the store.
• Use only lights and extension cords approved for outdoor use.
• Measure the distances needed for extension cords.
• Measure the lengths that lights will need to run along the house or other structures.
• To measure for spiraling up a post or tree trunk, wrap a string around it, then lay the string out flat to measure the length of lights needed.
• String the lights in the evening with the lights plugged in so you can see if you are getting the look you want.

Tips for Trees and Bushes:

• Larger bulbs (C7 and C9) work well on evergreens.
• For large evergreens, lighting experts suggest planning on 100 lights per each vertical foot of tree.
• Lighting nets are great for small evergreen bushes.
• Use closely spaced mini lights or rope lights to spiral wrap leafless deciduous trees.
• If the tree bark is not rough enough to keep the lights in place, use a few push pins — but don’t use nails or screws because those could injure the tree.

Creative Yard and Garden Ideas:

• Fill large, unused planters with tall leafless twigs; loop a string of lights around the bottoms of the branches and wrap the planter in a large shimmery ribbon.
• In empty birdbaths, place a wreath or evergreen branches intertwined with a small string of white or colored lights.
• Adorn deck, balcony or porch railings with strings of garland and lights.
• If you have window boxes fill them with greenery or colored lights to complement your yard lights.

Quality Outdoor Power Equipment in Fort Wayne

Hopefully, these outdoor decorating tips can help get you in the Holiday spirit. Now your yard is ready to look great all year round!

Crescent Avenue Gardens has been helping Fort Wayne residents make their yard look great since 1959. When it comes to outdoor power equipment, nobody does it like Crescent Avenue Gardens. We have anything you might need from leaf blowers, to lawn mowers and more! Stop in and see us – our store and service department will be open all Winter long!