How to Decorate For Christmas Without Street Front Property!

Growing up, one of my favorite parts of Christmas was decorating our house for the holiday! We put string lights around our front windows, ran garlands and lights up the pillars and over the awning on our front patio, and hung holiday cards in the blinds on our front windows. And we loved driving around the neighborhood to see everyone’s festive decorations!
Unfortunately, now that we live in an apartment, we no longer have any street-front real estate; our front door leads into a hallway, we have no deck or patio, and our windows are tucked away in the back half of a courtyard. But that doesn’t mean we can’t decorate for Christmas! Here are a few tips and tricks to help you share your holiday spirit with your whole neighborhood, even if you live in an apartment building!

 

Use your windows!
Even if your front door doesn’t face the street, you probably have windows that do! And since windows are clear, they are a great way to decorate both inside your rental and outside at the same time!
The easiest way to decorate your window is to run some string lights around your window frame.  If your window has muntins or mullions, you can run lights around those as well to create patterns across your windows!
You can also decorate the windows themselves! Cut out festive shapes like snowflakes and ornaments from paper or adhesive vinyl and stick them to the glass. Or, make a fun nighttime scene by putting snowman or reindeer silhouettes on the glass and running string lights around the inside of your window frame. This way when you turn out your indoor lights, the back-lit silhouettes will still be visible from outside.

You can also decorate your window with plants and other natural elements! If you have planter boxes outside of your windows, fill them with a pine garland and a few pine cones and berries. Or string up a garland around the outside edge of your windows. If you have a window sill outside, set a small topiary or a few pine cones out there. Just make sure they won’t blow away!
And of course the best way to utilize your windows is to decorate your apartment just inside the window so that your holiday cheer is visible from outside. Put up your Christmas tree in front of your largest window, or hang a wreath right in the window! You have tons of options, so decorate those windows!
Decorate your front door anyway!
Even if your front door doesn’t lead out directly onto the street, your neighbors still have to pass by on their way out of the building. So hang a festive wreath on your door, or put out a holiday welcome mat! You can even run a string of lights around the outside of your door frame, or cover your door in wrapping paper (if hallway decorations are allowed in your building)!

Decorate your balcony
If you’re lucky enough to have a deck or patio attached to your apartment, that’s the perfect place for holiday decorating! Set out a topiary or two, and string some lights around them. String lights around your back door, or twist a garland through the railing on your balcony. Even if your decorations are only visible to the alley out back, it’s still a great place to decorate where neighbors can see!

How do you decorate for the holidays?