You should also throw a minimum of three molded-plastic candy canes in a fit of rage. If you do not loudly emit at least 10 profanities in the process of sorting out light strands, you’re doing it wrong. There is no greater outdoor decorating tradition than The Untangling of the Light Strands You Stuffed in a Garbage Bag Last Spring When You Finally Got Around to Taking the Christmas Decorations Down, or TULSYSGBLSWYFGATCDD as we decor enthusiasts call it.Ĭonveniently, “TULSYSGBLSWYFGATCDD!!!” is also the sound we make after 37 minutes of trying to untangle two strands of lights while standing in the front yard on a 20-degree December day. You must shout profanities while untangling light strands White lights are reserved for the top 1% of earners, preferably those who own Victorian-style homes on quaint, tree-lined streets in gated communities. Who are we, the nonrich, to think we can decorate our humble abodes and gangly hedges with fancy white lights? It’s preposterous. Nice try, normal people! Roofs lined with white lights and front-yard trees and shrubbery decked out in all-white – that’s the decor of the elite, the kind of people who pay other people to put up their outdoor holiday decorations. I see some people in more modest homes and neighborhoods trying to get away with decorating with all white lights. Your yard should hold no more than 12 inflatables.

That said, you have to limit how many you use. We have to roll with advancements in outdoor decorating technology. Inflatable Christmas decorations have been all the rage for some time now, and while some purists shake their heads, I deem them acceptable. The other football, explained: An ignorant American’s guide to the World Cup and the game of 'soccer' A cap on the number of inflatables Remember, you want to be able to look down on other families’ decorations, and the only way you can do that is by making sure your decorations are the best. If the younger couple across the street have an inflatable snow globe that blows small pieces of snow-like Styrofoam around, you need to build an actual snow machine that turns your entire front yard into a snow globe. If the Johnsons at the end of the block have used 3,000 light-emitting diodes lights, you must use 4,000 LED lights, ideally ones that do something cool like fade in and out or twinkle. Your holiday yard decor must capture the true spirit of the season while also putting your neighbors’ holiday yard decor to shame. So let’s move on to Rex Huppke’s Non-Negotiable Rules for Outdoor Christmas Decorations: Winning is everything Shop the USA TODAY holiday gift collection. ►USA TODAY Gift Guide: No matter how you holiday, make it iconic. Therefore, I’m happy to share some hard-and-fast rules so the rest of you can get less bad at it. So while I know very little about most things, I know A LOT about outdoor Christmas decorations. It’s a tradition passed down from generation to generation, like a fruit cake recipe or that one super-old ornament nobody really likes that gets hung on the tree each year regardless. 1 hobby among people who celebrate Christmas is harshly judging other people’s Christmas decorations.

My second thought is: Oh, c’mon, don’t give me that “good tidings” and “peace on earth” blah-blah. My first thought is: You’re doing it wrong. I’m taking a break from decorating my front yard with a 20-foot-tall inflatable “manger-copter,” piloted by Santa Claus and a polar bear wearing sunglasses, to share some thoughts on the art of outdoor Christmas decorations.

Outdoor christmas decorations