Outdoor Holiday Decorating at My Farm
It’s that time of year again - when everyone is busy decorating for the holidays. If you’re decorating your home this weekend, I hope you’re using some of the wonderful products from my collection of holiday decor available exclusively at The Home Depot. My collection includes beautiful pre-lit trees and garlands, colorful wreaths and swags, and a large variety of shatter-resistant ornaments. To see all these great offerings, just click on the highlighted link.
Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve also done quite a bit of decorating here at the farm. I just love how my home looks during the Christmas season - adorned with festive lights and ornaments inside and out. There is still lots to do and lots to share, but here are photos of some of my outdoor decorations.
Enjoy.
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- Fernando took out more than 40-boxes from storage. When decorating for the holidays, we always start with the areas closest to my home, which I call the Winter House.
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- Fernando removes all the boxes from the truck and places them on the stone terrace within easy reach.
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- Each box contains a giant silvered-glass kugel – all from Martha by Mail, the mail-order catalog business we ran from 1996 through 2004. Its focus was to provide consumers with a way to buy some of the delightful items shown in the pages of “Martha Stewart Living” magazine.
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- I keep these ornaments in their original boxes – doing this can sometimes take up more room, but the original padded packaging keeps these fragile ornaments safe when stored.
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- I love how these kugels look on the two Camperdown Elms, Ulmus ‘Camperdownii’, outside my Winter House kitchen. Fernando carefully places one strategically on the tree using twist ties or pieces of wire – none of the ornaments should bang or touch each other.
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- Here is a smooth kugel. The mirrored shine of traditional kugels first produced in Germany during the early 19th century, comes not from silver or mercury, but from a coating of reflective material sprayed to the inside surface of clear glass.
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- Here is a more textured kugel. The most common hues are silver, then gold, green, and cobalt. Kugels look radiant as a centerpiece, dangling from a chandelier like jewels, and, of course, dotting outdoor trees.
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- Fernando places the kugels on strong branches that can carry the weight of the ornaments. Keep in mind, strong winds are likely during the holiday season, so make sure all the ornaments are well-secured.
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- Fernando also ties them close to the branch and not dangling below. Even just a few ornaments make the tree look so beautiful, but I wanted the tree to have even more.
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- Doesn’t it look great? I think this tree looks terrific adorned with giant silvered-glass kugels.
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- Here is the other Camperdown Elm tree filled with silver.
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- There are enough kugels to decorate three trees outside my kitchen – my guests will love seeing them as they approach my kitchen door.
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- Fernando hangs a few more on my expansive Winter House porch. They look so festive in this area.
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- When hanging anything outdoors, be sure to inspect all lights, decorations, and electrical cords for damage before using.
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- I love this merry wreath on my porch door – filled with miniature bottle brush trees and snow covered church ornaments.
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- Here’s a pretty gold wreath on the door of my Summer House.
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- Nearby, Pete is preparing the shooting stars – I hang shooting stars on the outside of several buildings.
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- After checking that all the lights work on the star, Pete carefully climbs a ladder to position this star above the door to my Blog Studio.
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- If you need to use extension cords to hang outdoor decorations, try to use supplies that match the exterior of the building. We’re using grayish-tan extension cords, so they are not seen against the siding. Also be sure any electrical supplies are safe to use outside.
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- Our shooting star is hung securely to a screw eye just under the ridge of the roof.
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- Fernando helps to keep the taillights of the star untangled.
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- Pete then secures the taillights, keeping all the lines equally spaced.
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- Here is our shooting star all lit up – but wait – it looks even better as the hours progress…
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- By nightfall, the lights appear even brighter – so pretty.
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- This shooting star is hung above the sliding doors of my Equipment Barn.
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- And another hangs above the doors of my Hay Barn.
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- And here’s one on my Gym building. Are you busy decorating this weekend? Let me know what your favorite outdoor decorations are in the comments below – I love hearing how others decorate for the holidays.
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