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Front Porch Appeal: A Cozy December Hello
December 04, 2025

Welcome to Front Porch Appeal!

Hello, porch friends. A cozy December hello!

There’s something special about porches in December. Maybe it’s the warm glow of lights against the early evenings, or the way a simple wreath can make a whole home feel welcoming.

Maybe it’s taking time for slower moments — stepping outside with a warm drink, brushing pine needles off the door mat, or watching the soft flicker of a lantern.

This month, we’re leaning into the kind of holiday decorating that feels achievable and comforting. No pressure. No perfection. Just simple, natural touches that bring joy to your porch and a little peace to your day.

We’re so glad you’re here with us this December.

🎀A Beautiful, Doable
Christmas Porch

There’s a certain charm to a Christmas porch that looks both beautiful and lived in — the kind of space where someone might step out with a mug of cocoa at any moment.

This month’s feature porch celebrates that feeling: warm woods, soft white lights, fresh greens, and just enough color to feel festive.

Start with your base: a simple wreath, a small tree, or a garland draped along the railing. Natural elements do most of the work — cedar, pine, winterberry, eucalyptus, and even bare branches create that classic Christmas feel without much fuss.

Next, consider this color palette idea: Deep evergreen - cranberry red - soft whites and creams - frost blue - natural wood and wicker

These tones keep the porch feeling calm instead of cluttered.

We have a beautiful page on our site that speaks to this winter color palette.

Lighting is your best friend in December. A single strand of warm lights, a lantern on the floor, or a candle in a window instantly adds depth and coziness.

You don’t need a dozen decorations to make your porch feel magical.

Easy DIY:
Five-Minute Porch Enhancers

If you only have a few minutes this week, here are quick ideas that make a big difference:

Tie a Velvet Bow Anywhere: Wrap a simple velvet ribbon around a lantern handle, door handle, or railing post. Instant color with almost no effort.

Add a Plaid Pillow: A single plaid pillow transforms an outdoor chair or bench into a cozy holiday spot.

Display a Basket of Pine Cones or Firewood: Place a woven basket near the door and fill it with pine cones, firewood, or both. It adds texture and warmth, even if you don’t have a fireplace.

Add a Battery Candle Glow: Pop a few battery-operated candles inside lanterns or next to pots. They create a special evening on the porch without needing electricity.

Add Mini Evergreen Pots: Tuck small pine or cedar sprigs into terra-cotta pots.

Natural Touches:
“Foraged Finds for Your Porch”

One of the most charming ways to decorate your porch is by using what’s already around you. A quick nature walk can provide all you need.

Forage for pine cones, cedar or pine branches, winter berry stems, curly twigs, and bare branches with interesting shapes.

Use them to add extra branches into your garland to make it fuller and fresher. Or how about filling a crock, pitcher, or stoneware vase with cut branches for a rustic winter arrangement.

You also could sprinkle pine cones around lanterns or inside baskets, or tie a small nature bundle with twine — a few branches, a pine cone, and a sprig of berries — and hang it by your door.

Natural touches bring a beauty that’s hard to buy at a store — and they connect your porch to the season in a lovely way.

🦌 First Snowfall Magic ❄️

There’s a quiet little moment that seems to happen only in December. You open the front door, and for a second, everything feels still. The lights glow softly. The air smells crisp and piney. Somewhere in the distance, you hear the faint sound of leaves or frost underfoot.

Or maybe it's a deer ever so quietly standing in the snow.

That kind of magic may only last a few heartbeats, but it’s enough to remind us that December has its own kind of allure. Cozy, gentle, peaceful.

💡Spotlight on PCA Products

We are super blessed to have PCA Products as one of our fine sponsors. They highly recommend that you...
- Look for screen doors that complement your home.
- Get French doors that don't block your view - theirs has no center post - which is awesome!
- Ensure your French screen doors are long lasting and the parts very durable.

PCA Products build their screen doors to last and look amazing. That's what we love about them.

🌲An Adorable Rudolph Porch🌲

Do you remember our Christmas porch from last year? It was one of our very favorites. Dave made this adorable Rudolph and he will be the star of our porch again this year.

Our decorations aren't fancy: A simply decorated tree, pretty swags on either side of our porch and of course, Rudolph, with his nose so bright.

Just had to show you Rudolph's cuteness!

☃️Beautiful Christmas Porches! ☃️

All of the above porches were photographed by Painted Bench Photography (our son Tom and his wife Heidi). Isn't their photography wonderful?

This home - such charm for the holidays!

💡Spotlight on Vintage Woodworks

Vintage Woodworks has partnered with us for many years! Since 2011 and we are super proud of that.

Often called spindles, these gorgeous balusters add both strength and eye-catching detail to any handrail.

Create a one-of-a-kind porch with baluster styles that suit your home’s personality, or bring a historic porch back to its original charm with authentic accents. Choose from wood or low-maintenance PVC in a wide range of sizes and designs.

See all the lovely products Vintage Woodworks has for your porch.

Our Beautiful 2026 Calendar

I am very happy to tell you about this 2026 calendar I designed.

My “Through My Kitchen Window” calendar, is inspired by the simple moments we love — quiet mornings, steaming mugs, and the view that changes with every season. It’s been such a joy to paint, and I hope it brings that same gentle, everyday comfort for anyone who hangs it up in their home.

My calendar comes in a lovely 11" x 16.5" wall calendar - the pages are vibrant and such nice quality I think you'd love.

If you would enjoy to see it in my Etsy shop, here is the link.

I put my heart into designing each and every month. I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

If you’re looking for something small and meaningful to give this year, it fits the bill beautifully.

Here is my Etsy shop listing.

Easy Water Bath Canning Book

Here is another sweet gift idea for our porch friends who enjoy canning...

Our good friend, Jami, of An Oregon Cottage, has written this wonderfully illustrated book about Water Bath Canning.

Jami is detailed and practical - she includes everything you need to know with wonderful photographs so you know exactly what to do.

You can see it right here.

Tracing the Path

If you love learning weird, wonderful, “wait, what?!” connections in history, you’ll love Tracing The Path by historian Dan R. Morris. It takes big 20th-century moments and shows how they’re all surprisingly linked — and it’s genuinely fun to listen to.

When Dave and I listen to Dan's podcasts, we find ourselves saying, "I never knew that!" These stories are mesmerizing.

Listen here