By Dave and Mary

Christmas Is Just Around the Corner

Front Porch Appeal Newsletter - Issue #107

Cute doll characters in snow
Don't these adorable characters put a smile on your face?
Thank you for being with us for our 2019 Christmas edition of Front Porch Appeal! Neither of us can hardly believe how close Christmas already is. It will be here in the blink of an eye.

Are you ready? We most definitely aren't yet, but we love the festive holiday season and planning our porch decor.

No matter the size of your porch, holiday decorations are a fantastic way to celebrate the season and welcome friends and family into your home.

Christmas tree gold lights
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold,
everything is softer and more beautiful. Norman Vincent Peale
Elegant Christmas at Tucker Hill McKinney TX
Christmas brings a magical feeling to our hearts
This enchanting home decorated beautifully for Christmas is in the Tucker Hill community in McKinney TX. If you love elegant Christmas decorations like the beautiful home above, then take a look at these, too.

In this edition of our newsletter, Mary and I share decorating ideas to spark your creativity along with gift ideas for those special someone's on your list. We've also included links to a few of our podcasts that we are sure will be of value to you, especially the one about holiday light secrets of the pros!

And most importantly, take time to enjoy your porch this season.

In This Edition

  • Our Christmas Porch
  • How About Some Holiday Lighting Ideas?
  • Holiday Podcasts Delights
  • Look at These Holiday Decorating Ideas
  • Try These Christmas DIY Projects
  • Holiday Gift Ideas We Found
  • Before You Go - Thoughts from Mary
  • Sponsor Delights


Our Christmas Porch - Lodge Style

This year our porch is decorated in a cozy, lodge style complete with a stone chase on the fire place, mountain scene wall art we made, an adorable small Christmas tree and a sled that was handmade by Dave.


Our Christmas porch - cabin style
Our Christmas porch
Dave made the "stone" chase for our fireplace. It sure looks real but it's actually a sort of "contact paper". The chair cushions are covered in a cozy fleece and simply pinned on the back.


Our Christmas porch - cabin style
Our Christmas porch at dusk
Simply another view of our porch after it got darker outside. Wanted you to see it where the lights show up more!


Our Christmas porch - cabin style
A close-up setting on our Christmas porch



Our Christmas doormats
Our Christmas wall art
Dave and I made the wall art together from wood shims. Very easy on the budget! We formed the mountains by cutting the wood shims at angles and then stained the shims in various colors.

The sky is painted with various shades of blue, light blue, gray and black and the stars were done with a paint pen. The moon is a painted wood slice.


Our Christmas doormats
A handcrafted sled that Dave made



Our Christmas doormats
Layered Christmas door mats



How About Some Holiday Lighting Ideas?

It wouldn't be Christmas without all of the outdoor lights twinkling in the night. We remember our parents taking us for rides around town to look at Christmas lights. Did your parents do that with you?

And of course, you may have stories as we do about our dad's untangling the lights and happily (or not) mounting them on our homes!

Check out these outdoor holiday lighting ideas that you might be able to use or adapt for your home, porch, and yard this year.

Adding holiday yard lighting like the deer below, along with your eave lights, can add big curb appeal to your home. Maintaining one color of lights makes for a cohesive display.

We've gathered all of our Christmas decorating ideas in one place!

Christmas lights and lighted reindeer in yard
Icicle lights, railing lights, and reindeer make for a wonderful light display
For a whimsical style, how about mixing holiday lights and creative holiday figures. Tie your light display together by adding a figure or two on your porch. In the photo below, Santa takes a long awaited break on the porch swing.

yard filled with holiday lights and figures
Lighted holiday figures, a candy cane walkway and Santa on the porch


If you are fortunate to have a large window, consider creating a magical scene like the one below. It can definitely be a show-stopper for passers-by.

Santa in the window
By Jove, it's Santa!


To celebrate the Real Reason for the season, a gorgeous nativity scene. Note how the spot lighting illuminates the creche.

nativity scene lights in front yard
Wonderful lighted nativity scene


Holiday Podcast Delights

Mary and I think you'll enjoy listening to our holiday podcasts where we offer valuable tips from two experts on holiday lighting and photographing Christmas lights.

Christmas Light Decorating Ideas for Your Front Porch and Yard With Bob Lyons Sr

Mary and I are always looking for Christmas light decorating ideas and had a great time interviewing Bob Lyons Sr. with Outdoor Lighting Perspectives in Nashville Tennessee, the experts in all types of outdoor and holiday lighting. You'll learn how to safely put lights on a tall tree. beautiful holidays lights on this home

Bob shares lots of ideas to make your holiday easier, safer, and offers tips as how to create amazing holiday light displays.

We enjoyed learning how the experts create such beautiful displays, what lights and spacing to use on our porch, and tips as to how they string lights on tall trees (possibly like the ones you may have), using wreaths and much more.



Photographing Christmas Lights with Photographer Becca Dorstek

Photographing Christmas lights can be tricky, but Becca Dorstek makes it easy for anyone by sharing her ideas and tips with us. Becca, a self-taught photographer, has taken amazing photos of Christmas lights on the porches of homes in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, New York.

Christmas holiday light show on front of home

Listen to our Photographing Christmas Lights podcast here.



Look at These Holiday Decorating Ideas

Mary and I love this decorated porch by The Rusty Heart and may give you some great ideas for your own front porch this year. Our thanks to Denise and Audra for sharing their lovely photos with us.

Create a similar array as shown below with just a few items. Poinsettias, greenery, and holiday ribbon along with a sled, lantern, or other object you may already have can combine to make a festive display.

wonderful front porch holiday display by the rusty heart
Simple array of holiday decor


We love the massive garland and holiday ribbon on the porch railings and around the front door. Adding lights really gives it a warm and welcoming feeling for which to greet family and friends.

front door decorated for Christmas with garland by the rusty heart
Wonderfully decorated front door and porch for the holidays


These Holiday Decorating Ideas Are Charming Too

Frosty the snowman at the picket fence
Cocoa anyone? Love this picket fence Christmas scene!
Like fun Christmas ideas? Then please stop by our Grinch Christmas page.


beautiful christmas collage of inexpensive decorating ideas
You can decorate on a budget!
Our inexpensive decorating ideas will go easy on your budget. Plus keeping it simple is sometimes the nicest thing anyhow. Do you agree?

Create and Babble - red and white tablecloth re-purposed into pillow covers

Jeanie of Create and Babble decorates simply yet beautifully. Can you believe the pillow covers are from a tablecloth? See more of her creative Christmas ideas here.


blue and white candy canes beside front door
Blue and white PVC candy canes


Create a wonderful visual holiday display with your lights. Mixing just the right colors can add extra interest to your home during the holidays and give it a sophisticated appeal.

Candy cane decorations in Christmas decor
Criss-crossed candy canes and Santas are so festive!


Don't forget decorating your porch swing for the holidays! We love the rustic table her with the evergreen centerpiece.

Porch swing decorated for Christmas
White washed porch swing is perfect with festive holiday pillows
Above two photos are courtesy of our friends at Tucker Hill in McKinney TX.



A very popular holiday decorating scheme year after year seems to be the Grinch! Did you know the movie is the highest-grossing holiday film and the highest grossing Dr. Seuss film adaptation.

grinch themed holiday decorations
A Grinch Christmas


Use your porch columns to your advantage like the ones shown below. Use an array of colors or choose just one and make your porch columns a focal point for the holidays.

front porch columns wrapped in varying colored lights
Magical porch columns are illuminated for Christmas


Not sure where you find Nutcrackers this large but they do make quite an impression.

two large nutcrackers guarding the front door at Christmas
Nutcrackers standing proud at Christmas


Christmas holiday lights on home
Be sure to see more Christmas decorating tips


Try These Christmas DIY Decorating Projects

We hope you enjoy making a few of our Christmas projects this year. We make them easy and inexpensive to do and the kids will love helping make these fun project for your porch and yard this year.

compilation of Christmas DIY projects for porch and yard
Click here for Christmas Project Decoration Instructions and Tips


Holiday Gift Ideas We Found

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase through affiliate links on our site, we earn a commission at no cost to you. See our disclosure policy.

We know you are busy and perhaps have a long list of people for whom to shop. Here are a few holiday gift ideas we thought you'd enjoy without having to actually go shopping!

Gather the family around the table and have s'mores year round - the kids will love 'em for parties throughout the year!

Electric Stainless Steel S'mores Maker - Amazon Affiliate


Better than a pair of socks; this trunk organizer will definitely be handy for someone on your list.

Car or SUV Storage Organizer - Amazon Affiliate


Before You Go

Christmas tree gold gifts
May your heart be peaceful and happy
This time of the year is far more than lights, gifts and parties. Most importantly, it is a time of sharing and caring and remembering the Real Reason for the season.

Showing up for other people, being kind and taking time for relaxing moments is advice we like to give ourselves. May you feel that all is calm and all is bright this time of the year. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! No matter the holiday you celebrate, we hope your season is light and peaceful.

Thank you so much for inviting us into your in-box periodically. We truly appreciate you subscribing to our newsletter and we'll see you in the New Year, porch friend.


We value our sponsors and the products and services they provide. They are like family to us!






You're invited to be part of our Facebook community. We share ideas with one another for decorating and using our porches. We are blessed with over 17,000 followers and would love to count you among them.


Mary and Dave Please enjoy browsing past issues of our newsletters right here. Take a few moments of chill time.

Happy porch sitting from your friends,

Mary and Dave


Life is short. Enjoy your porch.



As an Amazon Associate and Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases. We also earn commissions from other companies where are are participants of their referral programs. Here is our full disclosure about affiliate marketing.








Mary and Dave, Founders of Front Porch Ideas and More
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches. You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.

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Mary and Dave, Founders of Front Porch Ideas and More
Hi! We're Mary and Dave, lifelong DIYers, high school sweethearts, and we both love porches. You've come to the right place for thousands of porch ideas.


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At no extra cost to you, we earn a commission by referring you to some products on merchant sites. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. As an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases. See our disclosure policy.
We, Front Porch Ideas and More, confirm, as stated on our privacy policy, that we do not sell personal information.

All content here is solely for presenting ideas. We recommend consulting with a licensed, experienced contractor before you begin your project.
We make no guarantees of accuracy or completeness of information on our site or any links to other websites contained here.


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