Your holiday decor stash already may have an assortment of lights and an inflatable or two that get passersby to slow down in front of your home.
But this year, consider freshening up the way you traditionally decorate. Here are a few ideas and products for bringing holiday flair to your outside spaces.
Deer decor: Antlers and deer images continue to pop up more often inside homes, as chandeliers and wall art, for example. For the outdoors, one company, Alpine, has standing and grazing deer statutes of various sizes and in gold, white or bronze, sold via retailers such as Wayfair.com (priced at $126). Lights can be added to the deer statues. Some products are already covered in LED lights, such as Pottery Barn's 6.5-foot-high deer made of twigs with massive antlers (the product is called the Outdoor Lit LED Twig Deer, priced at $499).
Doormats: One of the easiest changes is to swap out your regular doormat with a holiday-themed mat. The options abound, depending on your style and budget. Target's options, for example, range from those with holiday messages such as "Be Merry" to a cute bike carrying a present (perfect for bike commuters or fans of the Beltline). If you're looking for a holiday welcome that has an extra dash of style, designer Suzanne Kasler's collection for Ballard Designs includes a doormat with a red plaid border. The doormat can be personalized with a name or season's greeting.
Salvaged artwork: Artist Ridley Stallings (www.ridleystallingsart.com) takes items such as crown molding, bead board and tongue-and-groove flooring from old Southern homes and reuses them for her folk art creations. The character that charms homebuyers has the same appeal in the artwork, which can be used inside or outdoors. For the holidays, the architectural features formerly in homes are crafted together in the shape of Christmas trees, candy canes and Santa's head. The candy canes, for example, retail for $275 at Atlanta area stores including Gifted!, Outrageous Interiors and The Bilt House.
Wreaths: Make or find a wreath that incorporates elements you love or that represents the holidays to you. For example, fresh magnolia, cedar, juniper and bright pepperberries are used for a wreath made by California company Creekside Farms (www.creeksidefarms.com), whose products are sold through Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Sur La Table, Frontgate, Pro Flowers, Orvis, and Harry and David. Other wreaths, sold at nurseries and garden gardens, Christmas tree lots and farms, and through retailers and boutiques, could tie together pine cones, pomegranates and other fresh greenery.
