15 Cozy Winter Holiday Front Door Decorations We Are Loving

Whether you're hosting friends and family during the holiday season or simply want to make your house more on-theme, decorating around your front door is always a great idea. This will help you get in the festive spirit and make your space feel more welcoming. We've gathered 15 of the best front door holiday projects, and most involve suspending garland as well as other decorative items. Further, each idea is customizable, making it easy to fit the decorations around your front door's dimensions and also work within your style.

Homeowners commonly use nails and hooks to hang garlands and decorations on the front porch. Nails are sturdy and work with most exterior materials, but they can cause damage and leave holes behind. If you want to hang your garland without a drill, hooks applied with adhesive are a less permanent option, but there's also some risk of the adhesive coming loose or the hooks not being able to hold the weight of the decorations. Before hanging the hooks or placing the nails, it's a good idea to hold up the item you're hanging to get a good idea of where it should go. This may be a job for two people, as one person can hold up the decoration while the other makes the adjustments. From there, you can see if you should move the piece to get the exact look you want, then place the hooks or nails where they should go and arrange your display.

1. Christmas gift boxes

Gifts aren't the reason for the season, but they're heavily associated with the holidays, so they can be used to make a cute garland to hang around your door frame. To recreate this display, use a faux evergreen garland as a base, which should be secured in place before attaching the presents. Plastic boxes and cellophane wrapping paper create wrapped presents that can withstand the outdoor elements. Make gift boxes of varying shapes and sizes and attach them to the garland with zip ties. To finish off the look, add clusters of ornaments as accents throughout the display.

2. Classic red bows

Elegant and timeless, red bows on a green garland is a quintessential symbol of the holiday season. This stylish front door garland would pair well with classic architecture and would be great for those who love a simple aesthetic. The trick with this decoration is to create a lush evergreen base. You'll want to look for a large, thick garland or combine a few to thicken it. Opt for a length that's slightly taller than your door to get the pooling effect at the base. Once the garland is in place, include large, red velvet bows and red ornaments throughout. 

3. Minimalist garland

You don't always have to go all out with lots of decorations to have a beautiful holiday front door, and this simple garland proves that. A long, single strand of garland frames this door beautifully. The wreath on the door, the small evergreen tree, and the birch wood holder create a rustic vignette on the porch. Together, these decorations evoke a feeling of winter in the forest, which is great for a classic and sophisticated holiday look.

4. Silver winter

Infuse a little sparkle into your holiday decorations by adding this shiny silver garland around your front door. This is a glamorous way to celebrate the winter season, and the piece is reminiscent of snow. Use a silver garland or a faux frosted garland as the base, then mix in silver and white ornaments of different sizes and textures, white branches and leaves, and silvery ribbon. You can also wrap the garland around a pole or column for a thicker look.

5. Let it snow

Encourage a white winter with this front door garland. Using an evergreen base, add small silver and white ornaments to the branches. Then, include snowflake decorations as accents, playing around with the size and pattern. You can also use snowflake lights to give this garland a glow. If you don't have outdoor outlets, battery-operated lights are a good alternative, as long as they're fit to be outdoors. Use a few large snowflakes or lots of small ones to recreate this front door decoration.

6. Pretty in pink

Opt for a non-traditional holiday color scheme with pretty pink front door decorations. Though this home has a pink door that pairs well with the pink garland, you can recreate this holiday decor regardless of the color of your front door. Choose a light and leafy garland that's got lots of volume to serve as the base. If you can't find one large enough, layer multiple garlands together. Make ornament clusters from small ornaments using various shades of pink as well as white, silver, or gold, which can be attached together with zip ties or clips. Hanging a matching wreath on the door will finish the look.

7. Tied in a bow

A simple decoration that will make a huge statement is tying your front door in a holiday bow. This DIY holiday decor will be easy to recreate and a great option if you're looking for a last-minute display. Look for a roll of ribbon that's at least 8 inches wide and cut strips that are double the width and length of the door, then wrap them around the door. Use strips of double-sided adhesive to help keep the ribbon secure. Where the pieces of ribbon intersect, add a large bow.

8. Oversized ornaments

Ornament clusters are one of the most festive decorations you can use this season. They look impressive and are incredibly easy to create. Look for large ornaments in different shapes and with varying textures. You're going to need a lot, so purchase more than you think. It's also best to stick with a constricted color scheme of two to four colors. Use a garland as a base and attach the ornaments with zip ties or clips. Then, you can add anything else you desire, including pine cones, ribbons, twinkle lights, and branches as accents. 

9. Nature-inspired

Allow a winter forest to inspire your front door decoration with this natural display. To begin creating this elegant front door decoration, use an evergreen garland with long needles for a more natural and rustic look. Add large pine cones and gold and white ornament clusters throughout the garland. You can zip tie three to five ornaments together to create clusters that make more of a statement. Small, twinkling lights will also make it sparkle at night.

10. Golden twinkle

A simple decor trick that's sure to look magical is this twinkling door garland. Choose greenery that has plenty of texture with both long and short branches and lots of layers to provide visual interest. Wrap gold twinkling lights around the garland to create a soft glow. Outdoor Christmas lights with green wire will make the lights look like they're floating, and look for strands that have settings so you can change them from solid to blinking or twinkling as you see fit.

11. Peppermints and candy canes

Have a sweet tooth? Create the perfect decorative display by choosing a candy theme. They created this unique garland by adding red and white ornaments on an evergreen base. Then, they included faux candy canes, peppermints, and lollipops as accents. You can take the sweet theme to the next level by adding other candies like gumdrops and gingerbread people as well. This garland is also unique, as it has an ornament base at the bottom while the other decorations are dispersed on the top.

12. Traditional half arch

A half arch garland is a great option for smaller front porches or doors that are nestled in a corner. You'll still be able to create a beautiful statement without making your front door look crowded. This garland uses tons of traditional elements to create an elegant and nostalgic decor piece, including poinsettias, golden branches, and ornaments. All these classic symbols of the winter holiday season would create a festive entrance into your home.

13. Nutcracker guards

Add a few festive guards to help protect your home during the holiday season. These nutcrackers are the perfect decoration to sit on either side of your front door or porch steps. Including a simple green and red garland on the roof of the porch and a matching wreath on the door creates a traditional holiday scene that is simple and classic. However, be sure to weigh the feet of your nutcrackers down to prevent them from tipping over in the case of windy winter weather.

14. Starry night

Stars are a beautiful symbol of the holiday season, and they make a great addition to a front porch display. Look for eight-pointed stars and starburst decorations that you can add to a fluffy garland. Mix in matching metallic or glittery ornaments and shimmery faux branches to add accents between the stars that will make the piece shine even more. This garland also mixes in different-shaped leaves, such as eucalyptus branches, to add a little more texture and depth in color. The simple chiffon bow on the door adds a nice finishing touch.

15. Delicate and feminine

For those who want to lean into their feminine side during the holiday season, take inspiration from this setup. Use a lush green garland as a base, and adorn it with pink, champagne, gold, pearl, and silver ornaments. Disco ball ornaments can also infuse some glamor into the decor. Wrap twinkling gold lights around the garland to make this decoration glow at night, and insert pink bows as the final touch. The matching wreath on the door features similar elements in addition to pink roses for a delicate look.

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