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 |
40 in. Lighted Heart (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
The star. Two thirds of the way up the walk, not down by the sidewalk and not parked against the porch. Go bigger than you would on a normal lot. At 55 ft back, a 6 ft piece disappears.
|
3' 4" H | 1 | $49 |
| B |
18 in. Lighted Heart Stakes, 6 pack (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
6 pieces
Sidekick, left. Left of the walk, a few feet behind the centerpiece so the two do not line up flat when you look up the yard.
|
1' 6" H | 1 | $24.99 |
| C |
24 in. Lighted Heart Wreath (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
Sidekick, right. Right of the walk, matching the left. Keep both off the driveway edge.
|
2' H | 1 | $24.99 |
| D |
Pink Solar Path Stakes, 10 pack (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
10 pieces
The approach lights. Both sides of the walk for the last 36 ft up to the door. You do not need to light the whole 55 ft. Starting the run partway up pulls the eye toward the house instead of stopping it at the sidewalk.
|
1' 3" H | 2 | $46.78 |
| E |
Pink Mini Lights, 300 count (opens in a new tab)
Amazon
300 pieces
Roofline and porch. Gutter line and porch. Use the biggest bulb you are willing to buy. At this distance small twinkle lights turn into a faint smudge.
|
2" H | 1 | $12.99 |
| F |
Bare Arch, Dressed
Build it
The halfway moment. The build says pick one material and stop. Ignore that here: this theme is meant to be too much, so cover the frame completely. The limit is not taste, it is the twenty pound crown load, so use many light things rather than a few heavy ones. Foil hearts, tinsel garland, small shatterproof baubles and a light run wound the full length will bury a frame this size and weigh under five pounds. Put the light source off to one side rather than head on: glitter needs an angle to bounce from, and lit straight on it goes flat and looks like plastic.
|
7' 4" H | 1 | $31 |
4 things need an outlet, about 0.8 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.
- 2× 25 ft Outdoor Extension Cord, 16 gauge (opens in a new tab) 4 plug-in pieces across 4 spots $33.96
- 1× Outdoor Timer with Photocell (opens in a new tab) Switches the whole display on and off on its own $14.98
About $48.94 of hardware, on top of the $189.75 of decorations. Buy it once and it comes back out every year.