One of the most popular holidays in the United States is, of course, Christmas. Far from being exclusively a religious holiday, Christmas in the...
One of the most popular holidays in the United States is,
of course, Christmas. Far from being exclusively a religious holiday, Christmas in the United States has taken on a largely secular identity. For many people in America, the word Christmas conjures images of Santa Claus, hot chocolate, snow and of course Christmas yard decorations. Decorating the exterior and front yard of one's house has become a beloved tradition for a large number of people. It is an act of festivity and beautification, designed to welcome the holiday season and spread good cheer to neighbors, friends and passers-by.
There are a large variety of Christmas decorations available to people who are interested in decorating their yards for the holidays. The most popular type of Christmas yard decorations, by far, are lights. Wrapping lights in the trees, on bushes, stringing them around poles, around your mailbox or decorating the roof or the eaves of the front of the house are very popular. Whether you have selected colored lights, white lights or the kinds that twinkle, stringing Christmas lights around your yard will go a long way towards making sure that your yard looks festive, warm and welcoming.
Wreaths and sculptures made of evergreen branches are also very popular yard decorations for the Christmas holidays. Whether you are placing a wreath on your front door, on the door to your garage or on the trees in your front yard the beautiful fragrance and lovely appearance of green fir tree branches help to create the wonderful spirit of the season. In most of the United States, winter means bare branches, no leaves and an overall appearance of drab. Adding a wreath or wreath of evergreen branches helps to brighten and cheer visitors throughout the season, lending a splash of color to even the drabbest environments. Holly berries, which are bright red, also help to liven up the dull winter landscape and create a beautiful tableau, especially against the snow.
When it comes to Christmas yard decorations, many people like to take a subtle approach. For them, Christmas lights, wreaths, and ribbons wound around tree trunks will suffice for the holidays. For other people Christmas is of tremendous importance, and so they are happy to go the extra mile to make their yard stand out from the crowd at the holidays. People who take their Christmas decorations very seriously may do things like create a nativity scene in their front yard featuring a manger, Mary, the wise men and the baby Jesus. They may sprinkle hay across the front of the lawn and even incorporate inanimate barnyard animals as well, recreating the Biblical manger scene. Other people may go a more secular route with Santa, his sleigh, elves and reindeer on their front lawn or even up on the roof! There are people who may decide to create a life sized setup resembling Santa's workshop on their front lawn, or purchase a school of illuminated figures shaped like choir singers, snowmen or other wintertime figures.
The proliferation of Christmas movies has also given rise to a number of newer characters to the Christmas landscape such as the Grinch who Stole Christmas which is a popular story that has become immortalized in Christmas decorations for the front yard.
Whether or not you and your family are religious, it is easy to see why setting up Christmas yard decorations is so much fun for so many people. Spending the afternoon with your family winding beautiful twinkling lights around the trees in your front yard, setting up an animatronic Santa and Mrs. Claus or just setting up a nativity scene in front of your home can be immensely enjoyable.
