How To Create A Festive Front Porch On A Budget

A British front porch in December has to cope with rain, wind and four hours of daylight, so real wreaths brown off and paper anything dissolves.

This is the version that survives to January and costs very little.

Honest note: we make cards, pin badges, prints and party decorations, not garlands or planters.

The budget list

• One weather-resistant artificial garland to frame the door - it comes out every year, so it pays for itself twice over.
• Two pots of something evergreen: box, small conifers, or bay from the supermarket.
• One string of outdoor-rated warm white lights.
• A doormat you don't mind ruining.
• Free foliage from the garden or a hedge to bulk it out - holly, ivy, pine, eucalyptus.
• That's the whole porch. Everything else is optional.

Framing the door

• Run the garland up one side, across the top and down the other, the same as an internal doorway.
• Outdoor fixings: exterior-grade adhesive hooks or small cup hooks screwed into the wooden frame if it's yours.
• Tie it on with green garden wire, not floral wire - garden wire is thicker and won't rust through in a month.
• Wind pulls hardest at the top corners, so double up the fixings there.
• No damage version - Read the guide

Pots and the step

• Two matching pots either side, taller than they are wide, beats four mismatched ones.
• Supermarket bay or conifer in a plain pot, with a length of hessian or ribbon tied round.
• Stand pots on feet or bricks so they drain and don't stain the step.
• A basket of logs or pine cones by the door fills space for nothing.
• Sweep the step. It makes more difference than any decoration on this list.

Lighting for British weather

• Outdoor-rated lights only, on an outdoor socket or through a weatherproof extension - indoor lights on a porch is how cables fail.
• Warm white, on a timer from 4pm to 10pm.
• One string doing one thing: round the door, or in the pots, not both.
• Battery lights in the pots work if there's no outdoor socket - check they're IP44 rated.
• A solar string is free to run but weak in December; use it as a bonus, not the main light.

Making it last

• Shake the garland out after heavy rain so it doesn't sit sodden.
• Replace cut foliage every couple of weeks - it browns faster than you expect on a sheltered porch.
• Bring a real wreath in overnight if there's a storm forecast, or use an artificial one.
• Take the lights down when you take the tree down, before the cable spends a year weathering.
• Store the garland loosely coiled, not squashed in a bag, and it comes out fine next year.

Shop party decorations

How to write it so it lands

• Two matching pots beat four mismatched.
• Outdoor-rated lights, always.
• Sweep the step - it does more than anything else.

Where to shop next

• Party supplies
• Bunting and banners
• Christmas cards
• Wall art and prints
• Funny pin badges
• How to decorate a banister with garland
• Christmas mantelpiece ideas
• Christmas bay window ideas
• Hanging garland around a door frame
• Christmas shelf decor ideas
• Christmas gift ideas
• How to hang prints without damage
• Gallery wall ideas
• Christmas card messages
• Secret Santa generator
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

How do you decorate a front porch for Christmas on a budget?

One artificial garland round the door, two pots of evergreen, one string of outdoor warm white lights, and free foliage from the garden to bulk it out.

What Christmas decorations survive British weather?

Weather-resistant artificial garlands and wreaths, potted evergreens, and outdoor-rated lights. Real cut foliage browns within a fortnight and paper doesn't last a night.

How do you attach a garland to a front door frame outside?

Exterior-grade adhesive hooks, or small cup hooks in the wooden frame if you own the house. Tie the garland on with green garden wire and double the fixings at the top corners.

Can you use indoor Christmas lights on a porch?

No. Use outdoor-rated lights on an outdoor socket or a weatherproof extension - indoor sets fail in damp and become a hazard.

How do you store a garland so it lasts more than one year?

Shake it dry, coil it loosely rather than squashing it into a bag, and keep it somewhere dry. Fluff the stems out again when you put it up.

Do you sell Christmas garlands?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges, prints and party decorations in the UK. Garlands and hooks are recommendations from elsewhere - the only things linked to our own shop are ours.