Going all out decorating the front yard is on its way out this Christmas. Folks are downsizing and moving toward traditional scenes instead.

Build.com is introducing a new guest blogger. Carolyn McKibbin comes to us from MyMove.com, an online resource for everything you need to simplify a move into a new home. This is the first of many guest posts to come from Carolyn, and we’re excited to feature her first post today.

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You don’t have to pull a Clark W. Griswold and run up a $5,000 light bill to show your neighbors you’ve got holiday spirit. In fact, there are far less time-consuming and much more inexpensive methods of doing so that won’t get you labeled the neighborhood nut job. Here are 5 of the coolest trends in outdoor holiday décor to try out.

1. For starters, buck the typical, boring color trend of reds and greens by lighting the exterior of your home with green and purple lights. Standard soft white lights that give off a bluish hue are also hip, giving your home frontage a more subdued, classy look.
2. If you’re not into the idea of risking life and limb to string lights from the eaves of your roof, the addition of a few colored floodlights pointing the way to the entrance of your home can be a much simpler way of gracing it with a cool, elegant and uniquely modern feel. They’re also much easier to “take down” when the season’s over.
3. Why hide your home’s entrance behind a dazzling wall of holiday-themed yard statues when you can instead focus your efforts into creating a warm and welcoming entryway? The best part is you don’t have to overdo it. Try framing your front door with a string of soft white lights and cap it off with a simple wreath. Adorning your exterior lights with colorful ribbons and bows is also a simple, stylish way of expressing your holiday spirit without coming off tacky.
4. Gargantuan, inflatable Santa figures are out—and simple nostalgia is in with a bang, as you can see by the growing number of “old school” yard placings like decorative sleds and wagons.
5. Not thrilled about the idea of lights and yard statues but love plants? You can bring the foliage around your home into the spirit of the season through the prominent placing of a few poinsettias by your front door, or a row of dwarf evergreens lining your exterior walkways. These are also perfectly conducive to some minimalistic decorations, like battery-operated LED lights you won’t have to worry about plugging in.

This blog post was provided by MyMove.com, an online resource where you can find the information, products and moving deals you need to streamline and save during a move.

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