Are you thinking about Christmas decorating yet? It’s not quite December but already the sounds of Christmas are in the malls. When you are decorating the outside of your house this season, don’t forget to make things look festive for you looking out from inside as well as for passers-by on the street. For example, if you look out on your backyard from the kitchen, why not hang lights in the shrubs and trees back there, or on your deck railing so that you have a little winter wonderland to look at.

Another great idea is to set up a miniature Christmas village in a front room window or kitchen window. Companies like Department 56 and Lemax make beautiful collectible villages on a number of themes. The buildings light up and some have animated or moving pieces. While village buildings aren’t built for the outdoors, they can be seen and enjoyed from outside as well as inside. Some ideas for Christmas villages from Department 56 include: Dickens Village, straight from Victorian England, North Pole village, featuring a whimsical Santa and elves, and Christmas in the City, which reminds me of the hustle and bustle of a downtown Christmas anywhere.

If you want to learn more about decorting your house with minature villages, please click on Department 56 Christmas Villages.