December may be one of the busiest months for your mailbox, with the arrival of holiday cards and packages. Mailboxes can be a prominent spot to infuse holiday cheer, with wraps, ornaments, garland and more.
Some mailbox decorations even hold special memories. In front of Wilma Minix’s Athens home, a custom-made gingerbread house covers her mailbox during the holidays. The whimsical house, at about 5 feet tall, surprises people who walk or drive along the street in the popular Five Points neighborhood near the University of Georgia. The candy-themed house was designed and built by her friend Mitzi Campbell, who died in 2013. Children enjoy stopping by the adorable house, said Minix, who is 90 and has her mail delivered to her door.
“I’m in my second childhood because I like it so much,” she said.
Retailers also offer an array of products to update mailboxes during December, or it can be a DIY project.
Mailbox covers: Wraps affixed to mailboxes range in style from whimsical to elegant. New York artist Sue Zipkin designed a colorful menorah-themed cover for Hanukkah that's produced by Magnet Works ($15.95 at Amazon.com; list of retailers at magnetworks.com, then select Store Locator). Another artistic-looking mailbox cover uses the simple word "Joy" along with an image of a cardinal and gold scroll work, made by Evergreen Flag & Garden and sold through retailers such as Wayfair.com and Amazon.com. Other covers come in themes including holiday cards, Santa and snow.
Garlands and swags: For a DIY mailbox accessory, take tree boughs and make your own mailbox swag, adding ribbon or other decorative touches. Atlanta blogger Rhoda Vickers provides a set of instructions with photos on her blog, Southern Hospitality (southernhospitalityblog.com/making-an-easy-mailbox-swag).
There’s an array of garlands and swags that can be purchased, in various price ranges. For a splurge, sparkling red ornaments combine with pine and fir boughs, berries and ribbon for a garland made by Distinctive Designs ($233.79 from Wayfair.com). Frongate’s mailbox swag includes white LED lights with berries, and cedar and Douglas fir branches (Winter Pine Cordless Mailbox Swag, $99.95, frongate.com). Home Depot’s snowy mailbox swag, comes with pinecones and red berries with magnolia and eucalyptus leaves as accents ($24.98).
Ornaments: Top your mailbox with Santa, snowmen, reindeer and other holiday icons, using ornamental items made of weather-resistant fabric or metal. One maker, Michigan-based Whitehall Products, has mailbox ornament in the shape of a buck that could complement any antler-themed decorations used elsewhere outside or inside your home. ($44.99, Wayfair.com)
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