No real themes in my neighborhood. Maybe a third of the houses have outside decorations/lights (we just have wreaths on the front doors).

I've only seen 2 of the "star showers"; one house had it last year, too. So I don't know if the fad hasn't made it to the Orlando area or if people haven't been able to get them.

Thankfully the fad of giant inflated stuff seems to be passing.

Donna

See our neighborhood (Christmas village) here: https://youtu.be/MKFWDkzxZUU

Inflated stuff waning here, too. Our neighborhood is a hodge-podge of decorations. Seems a bit subdued this year ;(

We have white lights and a Teak Isle nativity set with spots.

We were very intrigued by the star shower LEDs, but seeing them in person, they fall a bit flat for me.

Thanks for the video! What a pretty lane to live on!

Msmeow, I drive by a house with a star shower and it is much prettier than I thought it would be. But how do you keep the lights from lasering into your own windows?

probably more than half of the houses have white lights up, but there is a good amount of variety and originality here which is nice!! i love all types of christmas decorations and i would say that at least 3/4s of the homes in the area are decorated- so, so pretty!! i love walking the dogs after dark this time of year!

We have a laser light show on our cul de sac, not visible on the pic. but it's very kewl, on the ground and street and cars going around.

Our street - except us - never does much (10 houses, a little bit in the country). We go all out (house lights, shrubs, reindeer, etc, mostly white, with some red accents), one neighbor has a star shower, one has her driveway lined with the bigger lights, and one has a few house lights up. I love Christmas lights, I look forward to seeing them all year. We drive around areas of town almost every night, to see lights.

The LED lights hurt my eyes. I've been having eye trouble this year (flashes on the sides), and whenever I look at the LED displays, my eyes go crazy. It's really weird, I'll bring it up with my eye doctor. I was in Lowe's yesterday, looking at the lights they had on display, and had to leave, I got so dizzy.

Lynn, how festive and beautiful!

Our neighborhood has no style, per se, you cannot see many of the homes from our street. There is one that is very over-decorated house with huge mesh bows in the trees, etc. ---and you can imagine how overdone it must be for ME to think that, lol! They decorate for every holiday, after a while that gets tiresome iykwim.

We have fresh wreaths on our gates----actually we have four wreaths, one on each gate facing both ways, so you don't just see the back of the wreath when you leave. I do that for me every year but surprisingly a workman commented on it last week. We have coach lights on the fence and brick piers for the gate so I don't add any additional ones.

This is it.

One wreath on one door (ours).

There are only 3 occupied homes in our very small neighborhood, and ours is the only exterior décor. I do know that one home is occupied by a couple from Nepal, and I hope to get to know them soon.

kwsl2- Your wreaths facing in for you reminds me that when we lived in a neighborhood years ago, I decided to tone down the lights on the front of the house and went all out in my back yard with the lights on every tree and bush plus accenting the pond. We never got to see any frontyard lights when we were in our house; I guess I got selfish...My neighbor came over one evening and and raved at how pretty my back yard was and next thing I knew everyone on the street had backyard lights ;)

This year is our first Christmas in our new farmhouse and we have not quite moved all the way in yet so we just have the tree up and I really miss all of the out door decorations.

Lynn Those luminarias are beautiful!

There's only 5 houses on our street in FL. They all did nice lights. Our neighbor has some kind of white blinky things on his front lawn that look good. We have the star shower. It's the only one I've seen around where I live. I think it looks excellent on our house, but the end of our street where we live is pretty dark so there's not a lot of light competing with it.

We only have a few houses in our street in PA too but they all did white lights and the new people on the street have the lighted reindeer which I like. Our neighborhood has wooden sculptures all around and the wooden sculpture of the horse always gets a christmas blanket and a wreath around its neck, which I like a lot!

i always do some lights in the backyard too since that is what we see most of the time!!

the farolitos are gorgeous!! love the chili peppers too!

i heard something on the radio re: the laser star showers causing some planes problems when closer to airports and flying low... don't know if that is true...?

Missymoo.....looking forward to your outdoor Christmas pictures next year!!

We have garland with clear lights on the two doors facing the street. The courtyard gate has a lighted wreath. Last year we added a Santa moon. Saw one hanging in a tree at a local park and requested a custom size that we could use on the house.

Also have lights in the backyard ... 3 deer with clear lights and multi-colored wrapped around the river birch. Last year I strung lights on the kitchen garden fence & arbor, but didn’t feel like doing it this year. The nice thing about lights in the back yard is they can stay up through January.

Not all LED lights are created equal. My clear lights are incandescent, but the multi-colored are LED. They have a rich, bright color.

Pics are of a nearby house.

Wonderful, Cindy!

New neighborhood, no coherent style.

And I'm just going to mention something here because it's been on my mind: To me, most exterior holiday decoration in the current style is in poor taste. Gaudy colored lights over every surface, blinking lights, weird moving balloons, Santa's sled on the roof, neighbors trying to "outdo" each others' displays -- too much, too much!

Maybe it's a bias I got while growing up -- we never put lights up on the outside--that was considered "low class." So to me, I don't like anything much more than clear lights, or coherent, thoughtfully placed colored lights done with a light touch.

No particular style in my neighborhood (and there's no particular style of house, either), Some all white lights, some all colors, some mostly white with a hint of colors, some with icicles most not. Some people outline their house, or outline their outdoor shrubs, with lights. There's the occasional outdoor reindeer made of lights. Others just let the lit indoor tree shine outdoors, without doing more for the outside than a wreath. A lot of people have electric (I hope they're electric, or at least battery-powered) candles in their windows. Next door neighbor runs white lights up the pillars in front of his house like a candy cane, and it has red bows. The people across the street have those blow up Santa things that in daytime look like the Grinch has come by to deflate them because they're turned off then... One person a bit down the road has a Nativity on the roof and Santa and his sled on the lawn.

This year I am having absolutely nothing. Kind of hard to decorate with the broken leg. But usually I have a wreath I make myself with a grapevine base; and a pine swag running down my wrought iron front door handrail, with multicolored gently twinkling lights on that hand rail and on a couple of shrubs at the bottom.

The only décor I dislike just by being what they are, are those blow up inflatable things.

I drive through some other neighborhoods on my commute home, and there are a couple where obviously everyone got together and decided on a theme. That's kinda cool, although I do enjoy seeing the multi-colored lights and decorations that are indicative of individual style as well. Houses and yards that are outlined in only clear lights don't appeal much to me though. Something about them reminds me of a used car lot! I have a tremendous nostalgic response to seeing these lights on houses:

Those large colored bulbs just take me right back to childhood, and I still find them delightful.

Don't care much for the super-bright LEDs or the StarShower or hologram things that have cropped up all over the place this year.

A Boy Scout went around my street selling wreaths and now nearly every house on the street has matching wreaths -- unintentional, but now we know who supports the Scouts! Of course, a few neighbors do not celebrate Christmas. Lots of lights out this year, both multi-colored and white. A few inflatables that lie on the lawns looking dead during the day. I think I will drive around tonight and enjoy the lights all over the area.

", most exterior holiday decoration in the current style is in poor taste. Gaudy colored lights over every surface, blinking lights, weird moving balloons, Santa's sled on the roof, neighbors trying to "outdo" each others' displays -- too much, too much!"

Disagree with the above comment. Drive around with a 3 and a 4 year old and you will understand why I disagree.

ML

Yes, my five year just loves many decorations that I would not necessarily have picked. It is such fun to see her excitement.

And isn't that what it's all about? My most magical memories are of Christmas as a child, and I wish every little one could feel that.

Well, it's certainly not typical of our neighborhood (none of us have EVER understood why he built this house here), but people come from all over to see this one down the street from me. This video is from last year. Impossibly, they have about double the number of lights this year. It took a crew of 7 or 8 working full time a full month to set them up:

Yes, that is a single family home. BTW, I live in a townhouse that might possibly be worth about 140K since the market is highly inflated right now.

And I have to say that it really is magical up close in person. None of the videos capture it at all, but this was the best I could find.

EDIT Our place hangs a wreath on the pool fence and a garland (not lighted) on the sign at the entrance.

I enjoy driving around and looking at the lights too. Still think they're tacky.

I buy a big, fresh wreath, add some ornaments and satin ribbon, hang it on our front door and leave the overhead fixture on. That is IT! Some neighbors have strings of white lights. Some have colored ones. Some have a few of the 'wicker' deer. Some hire crews to string colored lights on their 60-foot blue spruces. Some light their evergreen trees from the ground.

New neighbors across the street have four kids and have a wreath on every window and white lights on the trees flanking the entrance to the driveway. (I figure each kid probably belongs to at least two organizations that sell wreaths!)

No one here leaves decorations up past Twelfth Night if they can help it (weather). (THAT is tacky.)

Jen, you can probably get some of those C-9 lights at a deep discount. For a number of years I used them to wrap one of my obelisks. Then I discovered the LEDs that don't break and have the same rich, bright light. I still have a couple boxes of brand new GE, string of 25, C-9s that I got for 1.50 each two years ago at Hobby Lobby.

Violet, don't ever visit Louisiana during Mardi Gras season, lol.

I love running errands in December. I get to see all the lights. They really are appreciated by so many, it doesn't take much to make your hovel a castle at Christmas!!

Mostly white lights, but many are now adding on by putting lit reindeer, and other decor onto the lawns. People seem to be trying to out do each other.

Our house is subdued. We have wreaths on every window and front door and a candle on each sill. We have small trees that light up that we put on each side of our front door, but my DH hasn't gotten to it yet. If he doesn't then he doesn't.

We have a Victorian Porch Display that has been going on over 20 years.It is only up for 5 nights the 2nd week of December. It is on 2 streets in our 1890's-early 1900's historic neighborhood. Many of the figures are the original papier mache' but others have been repurposed from department store mannequins . This short video was taken by our local cycling group...they didn't do our side of the street ....anyway there are about 60 porches. Ours was featured in the 2002 Good Housekeeping Christmas Book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZzay2xIEOM

Loved seeing the displays in other towns. c

Menorahs in the window.

incase you didn't see mine inside and out here it is again; it takes us a month also but only the two of us doing it all. this year was a bear all of Nov. near 90 degrees daily.

https://youtu.be/U5xi34CZa8A

Most have fence garlands, electric candle in each window and door wreath.

Our neighborhood is pretty subdued - no inflatables, lasers or blinking colored lights. With a sparkle of snow I think it's quintessential New England. Most lights are white but a neighbor has done the trunk of a tree in a spiral of small white lights and hung big old fashion red ones on the branches. I love it.

We drape a thick garland of lighted real greens on our front porch, hang a big evergreen wreath with a gold bow, and put candles in each window. DH strings white lights on 2 huge Christmas trees growing on our front yard. One is taller than the one in the city square. I discourage him from doing that one (..climbing those ladders..) but the neighbors & their kids all love it. So...

For decades we had backyard lights for the ice rink we put up for the kids. Recently, DD moved nearby so now the family rink is at their home. We're all just praying for a good freeze for it to set.

She did an arrangement for her door featuring a pair of GDD's outgrown skates and has big bows in the same plaid on wreaths in all her front windows So cheery!

I found a link to my slide show that I posted in 2008...gives better closeups...http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1908671/this-years-porch-tour-slideshowxpost our porch is the first slide. There are some seriously beautiful pics upthread. Glad I checked in. we have had a lot of family stuff going on for the past 2 months so I have been missing in action. One of these days perhaps I will get "above water " . c

I was just thinking about you Trailrunner! I hope things settle so you can check in more regularly.

trailrunner, I've yet to look at the slideshow, but watched the YouTube bike tour. What beautiful displays! But even more striking to me were all the lovely homes. So nice to see a neighborhood of well-cared for homes that are neither cookie-cutter nor oversized. Sadly, there aren't many such places in my area.

I'm in the country, but many of the farm houses around here have ++ whitelights along their rooflines/gutters along with flood lighted and/or colorfully lighted strung trees.

So pretty to see when driving along the country roads at night...

Mine:

I love my neighborhood and my community. It's hard to find a home that doesn't have holiday lights and decor. We've been visited by carolers 2 nights this week... so, so lovely. Cookie exchanges, neighborhood gatherings for charity, and so on. I hosted a rather impromptu party last weekend. No one cares how clean my house is or how perfect my tree is. We just like an excuse to get together. I pinch myself sometimes, it's so darn pleasant here.

This is the place I'm raising my kids and the memories they will have of growing up in a warm, supportive community. We won't retire here but someday I'm going to miss it terribly.

ETA, "gracious" supportive community. It's not warm here!

I love putting a single candle in every window, and have only seen one house.with candles, it especially looks festive when it's carried thru in the second story windows.

In Coranado, Ca almost every home does the electric/battery window candles, many leaving them tothruout the year, not only the Christmas season. It's quite a sight driving thru this lovely town on a warm summer evening and seeing those candles. I wish it would 'catch on' in some of the smaller towns here in Tx.

Trailrunner, glad to see you back----Merry Christmas! I hope all issues are soon resolved and you are back here more in 2016 o<{:-)

Trailrunner - great to see you check in - I hope all is well with the family.

We live on quite a long street and in our section of it no one does more than a wreath on the door and a single strand of lights - I add a couple of festive planters to kick it up a notch. Around the curve those neighbours (about 6 of them) dress up our street with lights all over their houses and trees. We let them have the glory. :)

LynnNM, if you're still reading, are your luminarias with the votive candles lit every evening during the season? Around here, they are used by businesses or for special community events and so staff would be in charge of lighting and diffusing. I can't imagine these being part of one's daily decorations in a home... my family would constantly bicker about who had to go outside to light them and blow them out etc. I find them so peaceful and warm but always wondered about the logistics.

My neighborhood is about 1/2 decorated. We are an older neighborhood with quite a few people that are retired and others that do not celebrate. The neighbors next door to us and directly across the street have second homes, where they are spending the holidays, they did not decorate. No consistent decorating style of those who stay home during the holidays, both white and colored lights with one light shower. The light shower actually looks better than I thought it would, it would really work well if they combined the shower with some basic lights. No blow-ups, but a few attractive lawn decorations. Many of the neighbors have Christmas trees in their windows, probably the most consistent Christmas decor here. Unfortunately, we do not have windows in the front. One thing that we have that is a little unusual, is our side of the street backs up to a ravine/small canyon. Many of us on both sides of the ravine put lights along our decks or the top level of yard in the back. Looks very pretty. Our tree can be seen through our windows by some of our neighbors with homes backing to the canyon. My daughter who is 22 and I, go out for a night of viewing Christmas lights every year. We have some near-by neighborhoods that do fabulous displays.

Grinchy with a few bits of icicle lights.

Not here, but in our old neighborhood, for about 1 1/2 miles everyone on both sides of the street would put out luminaries...it made for a wonderful walk through the neighborhood.

lol, at lazy_gardens :)

We live in a 55+ development with 48 new houses. This is our second Christmas here and we've noticed a huge ramp-up of neighbors with outside decorations this year. Those with lights are mostly white, with wreaths and garlands on doors and porch railings. We do all white and have a large lit wreath on our front dining room windows, wreaths on our back fence gates and front door, boughs and balls in a whiskey barrel in our front garden, and candles in the windows. No inflatables allowed in the neighborhood, which I'm thankful for.

OT, last night we had our 1st annual holiday house tour in the neighborhood. Four HOs opened up their homes to share their inside decorating. Basically, an excuse to have a party. Since I was the organizer, we started at our house. Appetizers and holiday cocktails at each home ending with desserts, coffee, Bailey's, and a Christmas Carol singalong at the last home. 15 couples participated and all agreed we need to make this an annual event. We really do have a wonderful neighborhood.

Lisa, with our real farolitos/ luminarias opposed to the electric ones, we only light them on Christmas Eve and then again on Christmas late afternoon before our company starts arriving. On both nights we let the votives burn themselves out. On Christmas afternoon we then just add a new votive to each bag and light it as we go. Yes, lighting them and the heading back out there late at night to extinguish each them every night would be a nightmare!