Magical Wintertime Lights for Your Yard

We love decorating for Christmas. When the days are short and we’re hosting get-togethers with family and friends, we can get the most out of thoughtful lighting decor around our yard and house. Here are some ideas so that you can make your own yard festive and bright during Utah’s cold winter months.

Ice Lanterns

These DIY lamps are perfect for a shady porch once it gets cold. To make one, fill a container with water and put it in the freezer. Give the ice block a perfect hollow for your pillar candle by putting a plastic cup filled with water (or something else to weigh it down) in the center of the container as it freezes. Once it’s frozen clear through, place the ice block on your porch and light a pillar candle or tea lights to go inside. This will make a magical effect, perfect for a special event. It will melt as the weather warms, but you’ll always know how to make more when the occasion calls for it.

Party Tree

It might be our very favorite thing to do with Christmas lights, wrapping them around a tree. The bare branches are given new life as we light up the trunk. In order to wrap a tree effectively, start at the base, so you know you’ll be able to reach the plug or extension cord effectively. Bundle the string of lights so that you can unwrap them easily and without tangling.

However, remember that you can do more than wrap twinkle lights in order to create a magical effect. Consider dangling strings of lights like a weeping willow. Or you might want to add little lanterns to the branches, giving bright focal points throughout the area. Alternating lanterns with colored Christmas balls will make the tree look beautiful, even during daylight.

Tin Luminaries

If you’re ready for a craft project, consider making tin luminaries out of old tin cans. Sketch out a seasonal pattern on the stripped tin can, and then punch holes along the pattern using either a hammer and nail, or a handheld hole punch. Drop a tea light (perhaps a battery-operated one if you’re leaving them out for a while) into each luminary, and then you can use them to rim a walkway, cluster around your doorway, or you can hang them in a tree.

Tomato-Frame Tree

Do you have a leftover frame from the tomatoes that you grew this year? Repurpose it into a festive little Christmas tree by tying together the prongs (which you usually stab into the ground) and setting it upside-down on your porch. Wrap the wires with either burlap, green garlands, and/or twinkle lights. You might even want to go the distance with some real pine or fir fronds.