Bonus Episode 5: Procrastinator’s Christmas Prep Plan – Day 5 – Simplified Exterior Decorating

Simplified Exterior Christmas Decorating

After tackling a few key interior spots, it’s time to shift outside, still with the same goal: minimal effort, maximum festive impact. Lights make the biggest visual difference for the least amount of work, and there’s no rule that says the whole house needs to be covered.

Pick just a few high-impact spots

Wrapping lights around the two biggest bushes, framing the front door, or simply setting candles in the windows can all read as “decorated” without requiring a ladder or an entire weekend. If it’s cold out and hanging lights outside isn’t appealing, battery-operated window candles are a perfectly good substitute.

A safety tip for window candles

Old-style corded window candles are lightweight compared to their cords, which means they tend to tip or slide off the sill, and the bulbs can get warm enough to be a real hazard near curtains or rugs. A simple fix: a small clear command hook stuck to the window, with a thin ribbon or even a strand of dental floss tying the candle in place. It peels off cleanly later and keeps the candle secure and upright all season.

A minimal setup is a complete setup

A wreath on the door, a candle in a window, and lights on one or two bushes is enough to call it done. There’s no requirement to do more than that if energy or interest isn’t there this year, and it still creates the feeling of a decorated, festive home.

When gifts haven’t arrived yet

If an ordered gift won’t make it in time to wrap and place under the tree, a small workaround keeps the excitement alive: wrap up a printed picture of the item with a note giving the date it’s expected to arrive. The recipient still gets something to open, and there’s a second wave of excitement when the actual gift shows up later.

Your practical, actionable step

Choose two or three exterior spots, at most, to decorate this year, a door, a window or two, one or two bushes, and stop there. If any ordered gifts are running behind, prepare a quick photo-and-note stand-in to wrap in their place.

Until next time, continue to choose joy.