How to Create a Home Winter Wonderland, Even in Florida!

The holidays are upon us, making it time to get in the spirit by transforming your home into a winter wonderland, inside and out

More Canadians say “Merry Christmas” than the secular “Happy Holidays,” and most non-Christians are fine with it, a new survey shows. (FamVeld/Shutterstock) DiegoMariottini/Shutterstock

In the 1920s, there was no internet or neighborhood shopping centers, meaning that holiday decorations were crafted from easily obtained materials. Today, we can have everything delivered, but consider some DIY projects to add some winter wow to your home.

The easy place to begin to create a winter wonderland is the front yard. There are two ways to approach this. One is to buy premade decorations, such as inflatable trees, snowmen, penguins, polar bears, Santa’s sleigh with all eight reindeer, the Grinch, or even a giant snow globe housing a snowman family.

The other option is to make many or all the decorations yourself, which can be a great opportunity to get the whole family involved and maybe some neighbors, too. We'll cover both, so you can develop a plan that works best for you.

A handmade wreath, maybe with sleigh bells, gives the front door a festive appearance. New Africa/Shutterstock

Let It Snow

An easy first step is to supersize your home’s holiday curb appeal by adding six-foot-tall Styrofoam candy canes wrapped with red ribbon. But before you run to the craft store for supplies, keep reading to see what else you need to add to the shopping list.

Snow is a must, but if it isn’t actually snowing, there are other ways to get the desired effect, such as pouring fake snow around the bases of your trees; you can buy bags of it at craft and home improvement stores. Another option is to drape “snow blankets” around the bases of trees or wherever else you want to add this effect.

But to get snow that allows the kids—and you—to make snow angels and to make your display the hit of the neighborhood, consider Instant Snow. Invented about 25 years ago by a Japanese company that used it for indoor snowboard parks, it’s now available to consumers in various sizes, from two-pound bags that make 25 gallons of cold, slippery, long-lasting, and very realistic snow, up to 40-pound bags that allow you to create 540 gallons of winter fun. It’s as close to the real thing as you can get, even up to the freezing temperatures and slipperiness, so be cautious when walking on it and consider shoveling a path. It can even be used to create a falling snow effect.

A classic winter wonderland must-have is a snowman. If fake snow isn’t an option because you live in the South or you’re up north but nature isn’t cooperating, add three foam balls to the craft store shopping list: one large, one medium, and one small. How large? That’s up to you to decide as you examine what’s available in the store, but to get the maximum “we love it!” effect, consider the largest you can find that will fit in your car for the drive home. YouTube has many how-to videos that show how to transform Styrofoam balls into snowmen.

A stack of boxes wrapped like presents—or even better, real presents—delivers an effective holiday feel to the room. sebra/Shutterstock

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

For even more “wows,” use a projector to add images of Santa to the exterior walls of the house and place a few laser projectors to create the illusion of falling snowflakes or red and white sparkles dancing on trees, shrubs, and the house itself. Don’t skimp on safety; use extension cords that are either new or in excellent condition, and be careful how you route the cords to avoid creating a potential tripping hazard.

Add big red and sparkly white bows to trees, and drape lengths of garland along the top of fences. Hang oversized ornaments you can buy ready to use, or make them from more of the same large foam balls you used to create the snowman. Add a string or two of twinkle lights from trees, and consider hanging icicle-shaped lights along the roofline to quickly and easily transform the front porch.

Add a wreath and sleigh bells to the front door to give it a “wintry” look and sound. Drape curtain lights on the inside of windows facing onto the front yard to create a warm, cozy feel. To top off the exterior design, stash a portable stereo behind a bush to provide a musical backdrop, or go all out and dress your family like Dickens carolers, performing a set every hour or so to delight the neighbors.

Hang sparkling ornaments on mantles, on a wall on a tree branch, or display them in a large glass bowl. Pop Paul-Catalin/Shutterstock

A Home for the Holidays

Inside, you can decorate with sights, sounds, and scents. Essential oils, scented candles, and an arrangement of Christmas tree branches set the tone, but keep the flammable branches far from any source of flame or high heat.

Next, bring the snow inside. Make an indoor snowman and other decorations by mixing two cups of frozen baking soda (pre-freeze it) and about one cup of chilled water. Pour the chilled baking soda into a mixing bowl and add water until you get to a fluffy consistency that’s easy to mold into snowballs or even a small snowman.

Other methods replace the water with shaving cream or hair conditioner, mixing it into the chilled baking soda to create fake snow that smells great. You can also drizzle this faux snow over pine cones for indoor decorations.

Display vintage ornaments in a large glass bowl as a dining table centerpiece or on a sideboard. If your home is small, consider a small Christmas tree, set on a table for height, to attain the traditional atmosphere without overwhelming the room with a real tree.

A well-decorated Christmas tree, whether real or artificial, sets a holiday tone in any room. Leika production/Shutterstock

If you have room for it, a large tree is a must; to avoid the issues of real trees that drop needles and aren’t always ideally symmetrical, consider an artificial tree that looks like it just arrived from the North Woods, perfectly frosted with faux snow, such as one made by King of Christmas.

Hang white pompoms found at the craft store from the mantle or over doors to give the indoors the look of snow without the mess of melting water. Use tape to attach paper snowflakes from the craft store to windows.

No fireplace to use to hang stockings? Use a thin tree branch temporarily mounted to the wall to hold them. If you have a fireplace but don’t use it as intended, decorate it with a huge array of candles of all shapes and sizes to create a warm, mesmerizing effect.

Cover sofas with faux sheepskin throws and holiday-themed throw pillows, which are also found at the craft store. Use eucalyptus to create an indoor garland to decorate walls and doorframes, and drape twinkle lights in the shape of a Christmas tree to transform a plain, open wall.

The holidays are about making great memories, so get the entire family involved—that’s the best luxury of all.