15 DIY Outdoor Christmas Projects to Skip This Year

This post may contain affiliate links.

Christmas–the time of year of glittering lights, cozy feelings and super ambitious Pinterest boards. It’s when our minds are filled with images of elaborate decorations and outdoor displays that would make Clark Griswold jealous. But let’s face it: Not all DIY projects are made the same. Some can turn your yard into a winter wonderland, while others become time-draining, budget-busting regrets.

Here’s a list of outdoor Christmas DIYs that are better left on the drawing board, saving you time, money, and maybe even your sanity.

Lifesized Nutcracker Soldiers

Making your own six-foot tall nutcracker soldiers is fun to imagine, but reality tends more toward arts and crafts nightmare. But it’s not just a paint by numbers — between cutting wood, painting intricate details, and assembling all the pieces, it’s a commitment that requires serious carpentry skills. One gust of wind and your towering soldiers are coming tumbling down. While those store bought options may not be as charming, they won’t require an engineering degree.

Ice Luminaries

Photo Credit: Greens and Blues/Shutterstock

You can see them on Pinterest and they look so magical, but making ice luminaries is basically freezing water in molds and trying to extract the ice without cracks or breakage. And factor in fluctuating winter temperatures and your lovely luminaries may melt before you even get to enjoy them. For everyday glow that doesn’t make puddles behind it, stick to classic lanterns or LED lights.

DIY Inflatable Snowmen

Photo Credit: Hasantha Lakmal/Shutterstock

Yard decorations that inflate are fun until you try to make one yourself. If you want to create a sturdy, weatherproof snowman from scratch, you need PVC pipes, fabric, and more trial and error than you think you’ll need. If you make it work, it probably won’t be as polished as the inflatables you can order online. Just plug in a pre made option and save yourself the frustration.

Homemade Candy Cane Pathway Markers

They look so cute when they’re red and white striped pathway markers, but when you’re making them at home, it’s a messy affair. PVC pipes or pool noodles wrapped with duct tape or paint sounds easy, but it is easier said than done when it comes to creating smooth, uniform stripes. When you’re done, you might be left wondering why you didn’t just buy some ready made ones from the grocery store.

Handwoven Wreaths for Every Window

A handmade wreath is a personal touch but making one for every window of your home can become a marathon of crafting. Not to mention the cost of materials, gathering branches, attaching ornaments and securing bows for multiple wreaths can take hours. Stick to one statement wreath for your door and call it a day.

Plywood Yard Cutouts

One custom yard cutout that may sound like a good idea is Santa, reindeer or nativity scene but you might be in for a rude awakening when you consider the labor to cut, sand and paint each piece. A misplaced stroke of the jigsaw could destroy the hours of work. Not to mention that these bulky decorations need to be stored somewhere from the rest of the year.

DIY Icicle Lights

If you want to make your own icicle lights, think again. Strung beads or small lights on fishing line or wire to make them look like icicles is no easy task. It’s easy to get tangled and the result often lacks this sparkle of the store bought lights. That’s not something you want to save your creativity for.

Front Yard Snow Globes

Creating a giant snow globe for your yard sounds whimsical, but making a weatherproof, transparent sphere isn’t exactly easy. Outdoor use requires plastic sheets and tape aren’t sturdy enough, and right materials can get pricey fast. And who wants to watch their masterpiece deflate mid season?

Pallet Christmas Trees

Photo Credit: NataliaCatalina.com/Shutterstock

While turning old pallets into rustic Christmas trees might sound clever, it isn’t as easy as grabbing a saw and some paint. Rough and splintery, pallet wood can be tricky to work with, and it takes lots of sanding to make it safe and usable. Even if you prep and paint, you could have bought a beautiful pre made alternative for a fraction of the time you spent and maybe less money.

Homemade Faux Snow Displays

Making your own snow to whip up for lawn displays using baking soda or shaving cream sounds easy, but it’s a recipe for disappointment. Faux snow loses its charm quickly when rain or wind hits it—and cleaning it up is a whole other ordeal. Instead, go for eco friendly snow blankets.

Oversized Christmas Ornaments

Photo Credit: Melissa Herzog/Shutterstock

While it might sound creative using beach balls or other large items as the base for oversized ornaments, wrapping them in foil or paint evenly is trickier than it seems. Your masterpiece won’t stand much of a chance against wind, rain, or even curious animals. Instead, use store bought, long lasting versions.

Outdoor Railings Handmade Garland

Photo Credit: Chamomile Olya/Shutterstock

The thought of making garland from scratch and wrapping it around outdoor railings is a nice one, but the reality of finding greenery, wiring it all together, and adding all the decorations is more time consuming than most of us have during the holidays. Pre lit, pre decorated garland is a life saver, and no one will know the difference.

DIY Projector Light Displays

17 Underrated Products You'll Thank Yourself for Discovering Before the Crowd — Image Credit: Michael Hession/Pexels

It may seem tech-savvy to set up your own light projection system, but it takes expensive equipment and a clear knowledge of how projectors work to get clear, vibrant images. Best intentions aside, your display could still look blurry or underwhelming. It’s much simpler and more reliable to use a pre made projector.

Homemade Light-Up Decor

Creating light up decors from wire and string lights sounds enchanting, but forming the frame and attaching the lights evenly requires a steady hand and a lot of patience. Plus, store bought decors are probably going to be much sturdier than your DIY version, which is meant to stand against winter weather.

Yard Wide ‘Merry Christmas’ Signs

It sounds festive to cut out and paint giant wooden letters spelling out ‘Merry Christmas’ until you work out the logistics. In order to create these letters you have to make each letter the same size, neatly painted, and not easily blown away in your yard. This project is better left to someone with serious woodworking skills and lots of free time.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.