Do it yourself Free
One weekend, a sheet of plywood and some string lights. Costs almost nothing and still stops traffic.
| Spot | What to get | How big | How many | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A |
Tomato Cage Trees
Build it
The star. Build at least three and put them at different distances from the sidewalk, tallest furthest back, with one set slightly apart from the other two. The spacing is what makes this read as a wood rather than as three cones somebody bought.
|
4' H | 1 | $54 |
| B |
11 in. Solar Flickering Lantern (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
2 pieces
Sidekick, left. Left of the walk, 5 ft out from the edge. Keep it under about 60 percent of the centerpiece height.
|
11" H | 1 | $39.99 |
| C |
White Picket Fence Panel, 18 in. x 36 in. (opens in a new tab)
Home Depot
Sidekick, right. Right of the walk, mirroring the left one. Same distance out, same height.
|
1' 6" H | 2 | $15.94 |
| D |
Solar Path Light Stakes, 10 pack (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
10 pieces
Path and perimeter lights. Both edges of the front walk, then keep the line going along the side yard. Do not stop at the corner of the house. This run is the thing that ties your two street faces together.
|
1' 3" H | 2 | $49.38 |
| F |
Warm White Incandescent Mini Lights, 300 count (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
300 pieces
Roofline and porch. One continuous run along both street-facing rooflines. Skipping the side roofline is the number one corner-lot regret.
|
2" H | 2 | $51.98 |
2 things need an outlet, about 2 amps all together. That all fits on one 15 amp circuit, you are fine. Outdoor GFCI outlets only, and leave a drip loop in the cord at every plug so rain runs off instead of in.
You will also need
The cord is the part everybody forgets, and stores run out of them at the peak of every season. Outdoor rated only, and plugged into a GFCI outlet.
- 1× 25 ft Outdoor Extension Cord, 16 gauge (opens in a new tab) 2 plug-in pieces across 1 spot $16.98
- 1× Outdoor Timer with Photocell (opens in a new tab) Switches the whole display on and off on its own $14.98
About $31.96 of hardware, on top of the $211.29 of decorations. Buy it once and it comes back out every year.
A couple of spots do not have a pick at this budget yet, so the plan leaves them empty for now:
- Nothing in Christmas Tree Forest fits spot E (The corner moment) at this budget yet.