The purpose of outdoor Christmas decoration is to make as much of an impact as possible which is why it is recommended that you have enough money in the bank to pay for the high holiday season electric bill before you get really creative with lights. To make a real impact and light up your yard, you usually need to string hundreds of lights. The most effective light designs are those that are fixed to wire armatures that can be in the shape of a reindeer, Santa or reindeer. Replicas of the nativity scene or toy Christmas trains are also popular front lawn motifs.

Another traditional type of outdoor Christmas decoration is the shell (made out of plastic or fiberglass) that is lit up from behind. Once again the most popular motifs are snowmen, Santa and his sleigh and nativity scenes. This type of outdoor Christmas decoration often resembles a large lamp sitting on the front lawn. Giant oversized candy cane shells that light up from within look very sharp at night if embedded in a blanket of snow.

The most omnipresent kind of outdoor Christmas decoration will probably always be the traditional Christian nativity scene. This is display that features a depiction of manger and the birth of Christ. The figures of Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the Three Wiseman are often part of most nativity scenes along with farm animals. However the simplest of nativity scenes includes just the Virgin Mary posed with the Baby Jesus. These figures can be smaller or larger than life-size as well as blinking, twinkling or animated. You can also buy finely carved wooden versions of the nativity scene.

Some people think lighting a nativity scene with colored blinking lights is too garish and tacky. If you want this type of outdoor Christmas decoration to be more staid then you can also buy cardboard or fiberglass nativity figures that are lit from the front by a single spotlight. A subtle touch is a snowfall light box, which uses a rotary wheel to gently illuminate the nativity scene with light plays that look like gently falling snowflakes.

If you really want to make a statement and create the kind of outdoor Christmas decoration that makes cars stop and honk then consider installing a giant inflatable Christmas decoration. This is the kind of thing you are used to seeing in a used car lot but now you can have one of these gigantic nylon or vinyl balloons in your own back yard. Inflatable outdoor Christmas decorations come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, themes and motifs including cartoon characters, characters from traditional tales and iconic imagery such as giant snowflakes or giant snowmen. The convenient thing about this types of outdoor Christmas decoration is that you can simply deflate it at the end of the season, making it one of the easiest types of yard decorations to store during the warmer months.