Outdoor Christmas Decor in CLT: what's in, what's out????? (Concord: neighborhood, move to)
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We have a lot of fun with ours. When you are driving down the street we have candles in all the windows with green swags and red bows on all the windows. The door is covered with the red foil covering and a green wreath with red bow. Then above our garage door a LARGE wreath with red bow against the red brick with a spot light shining on it as well as spot on the front door. Plus a small tree in a planter with white lights bought at Old Time Pottery last year. Very traditional BUT then you go to our backyard...The griswalds threw up, no but seriously we lined multi color lights on the fence with the shed outlined w/multi colored lights and my favorite little plastic snowman, santa, reindeer and penguin that I have had since hubby and I got married, 15 years ago, I believe its more sentimental now than anything else because that is why I put them in the backyard, lol. So we laugh every year traditional in the front and tacky in the back, lol. Plus we let the kids do the backyard so they get their hands in on decorating, but front is off limits.
Inflatables seem to be popular, I have even seen people use them as INDOOR decorations.
Although I am a Yankee (DH and the kids are not so as a family we are only 1/4 Yank) I have always preferred white lights and classic decorations. In the last few years we have added icicle lights (instead of string lights) and snowflake sidewalk lights to the delight of the kids (but mostly because they were FAR-Free After Rebate at ACE Hardware Black Friday sales )but we also have a swag with a bow and holly sprigs in each window, illuminated by a single candle light at night. A large lighted wreath hangs on the large garage wall of the house. Oh, and two spot lights for nighttime too.
Indoor garlands are done in white lights, with pine cones and red beaded garlands. The downstairs trees are done in white lights but the kids like colored on theirs and the one in the bonus room. Yes, we put up a lot of trees...I like Christmas.
Now DD LOVES all kinds of colored lights and, uh, interesting decorations. She has free reign in her room the bonus room. She has been known to wrap some outdoor trees with colored lights as well. I wouldn't be surprised to walk upstairs one day and find an inflatable in her room.
My thought is . . . keep it conservative in the front - and go wild in the back, if the kids want to do fun things - and sounds like you all feel the same way!
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Coming from an area where people live in houses dating back to the 1700s & 1800s, there was something for everyone's taste. The vast majority of the decorations were traditional colonial theme (sometimes so traditional that there were no lights for night viewing, or just candles in windows, or a simple floodlight on a front door with a Williamsburg wreath) or Victorian houses decorated with a traditional Victorian theme. It's all just people expressing themselves for the holiday, no matter what the decorations are, even the Griswald competitors.
Our family tree inside was always traditional Victorian. We had old glass ornaments that were passed down from the late 1800s/early 1900s & every ornament that was purchased was bought with them in mind. Exterior decorations were colonial to go with the house.
Although I would never do it, I love the Griswald houses too.
Bring on the Tacky, LOL!! Growing up in the Bronx, there were lights everywhere & on everything. We used to put lights up on our terrace & windows & decorate our front doors like gift wrapped presents. We'd drive around the neighborhoods that were mostly private homes the weekend before Christmas to see all the displays. They ranged from very simple to "Supreme Tacky". There's one house on Pelham Pkwy in the Bronx that I swear they can see from outer space, lol!! There's not a spot that doesn't have either a light or something that moves on it! They even have creeepy looking manequins dressed in ball gowns "dancing" around another manequin that looks like Liberace playing a piano, complete with candelabra. Michael Jackson is there, too along with just about every Disney character, Santa & Mrs. Claus, Elves & all 8 reindeer plus Rudolph. Then you have the complete nativity & Angels everywhere. You can get whiplash just turning your head to see what moves next! They started out in the early 70's with a simple display that evolved into what it is today. People come from all over, generation after generation to see it. When we moved to Carmel, we continued the tradition of bringing some hot chocolate with us & driving around to see all the houses decorated.
Now we do a mix of white & multicolored lights. I decorate the bushes & columns in the front of the house & hang a wreath with a red bow on the coach lights on the garage.Everyone makes fun of our steep driveway & front yard (AKA Mt. Everest), so we have 2 polar bears skiing down the front yard. I plan on adding a nativity set this year, always wanted one on my front yard (& NOT the plastic blown mold ones, ugh!!). The dining room is done in vintage/retro 40's & 50's style, living room is a traditional white light tree, garland on the staircase & a Christmas village. The kitchen has a Gingerbread theme to it. I might add a 3rd tree this year to the computer room since it's window faces the front of the house.
BxRosie your house sounds wonderful! So many great ideas! I love the polar bears skiing and I had never thought about each room in the house having a theme. I also love to see nativity sets in the front yard, here in Harrisburg a house has one set up and Santa is kneeling at Baby Jesus. I love that it reminds us Christians what Christmas really is about, even if you aren't Christian it's still a good reminder that it's not about the stuff we give/get.
I hope you don't mind I just might "steal" your idea about the kitchen having a Gingerbread theme!
Bring on the Tacky, LOL!! Growing up in the Bronx, there were lights everywhere & on everything. We used to put lights up on our terrace & windows & decorate our front doors like gift wrapped presents. We'd drive around the neighborhoods that were mostly private homes the weekend before Christmas to see all the displays. They ranged from very simple to "Supreme Tacky". There's one house on Pelham Pkwy in the Bronx that I swear they can see from outer space, lol!! There's not a spot that doesn't have either a light or something that moves on it! They even have creeepy looking manequins dressed in ball gowns "dancing" around another manequin that looks like Liberace playing a piano, complete with candelabra. Michael Jackson is there, too along with just about every Disney character, Santa & Mrs. Claus, Elves & all 8 reindeer plus Rudolph. Then you have the complete nativity & Angels everywhere. You can get whiplash just turning your head to see what moves next! They started out in the early 70's with a simple display that evolved into what it is today. People come from all over, generation after generation to see it. When we moved to Carmel, we continued the tradition of bringing some hot chocolate with us & driving around to see all the houses decorated.
Now we do a mix of white & multicolored lights. I decorate the bushes & columns in the front of the house & hang a wreath with a red bow on the coach lights on the garage.Everyone makes fun of our steep driveway & front yard (AKA Mt. Everest), so we have 2 polar bears skiing down the front yard. I plan on adding a nativity set this year, always wanted one on my front yard (& NOT the plastic blown mold ones, ugh!!). The dining room is done in vintage/retro 40's & 50's style, living room is a traditional white light tree, garland on the staircase & a Christmas village. The kitchen has a Gingerbread theme to it. I might add a 3rd tree this year to the computer room since it's window faces the front of the house.
Ho, Ho, Ho....BxRosie
I'm with the Yankee fan on this one , we love to drive the neighborhoods and look at the displays, and I'm glad everyone isn't putting up a few white lights and calling it a day.
The best I ever saw was in S Fl, my neighbor put a ramp from a very large tree in his backyard to his roof and he had an inflatable Santa on a Harley Davidson resting on the ramp, but when it was dark, only the roof was lit up and it looked like Santa was flying and about to land on his roof, very cool and my description didn't do it justice.
HEE HEE HEE!!! I was having a visual chuckle at all the descriptions from BxRosie!!!
Okay - that settles it. Will y'all please take your cameras out and get pix of the neat stuff around town? ROSIE - we HAVE to see your ski crew on the driveway!!! Let's capture all the fun stuff (and beautiful displays) around the area and share! Heck, if you have stuff from the neighborhood where you used to live - post that, too! A "then and now" . . . this could be a lot of fun.
I put out some deer - the lighted ones - in my woods. I think they look so neat lit up amongst the trees. I would really like to have a lighted tree at the front of our yard - near the road - but engineering the electricity - whew. Too many feet to get to the spot where I want things lit up.
I was hoping to start on decorations today but ICK - it is looking dreary and rainy outside. Are you all starting on your decorations today???
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)but we also have a swag with a bow and holly sprigs in each window, illuminated by a single candle light at night. A large lighted wreath hangs on the large garage wall of the house. Oh, and two spot lights for nighttime too. 
