Entertain your guests this holiday season with this simple outdoor Santa's cottage farmhouse Christmas porch idea. Including how to make Christmas bells for your front door and tips on decorating a small front porch for Christmas that tells a story. Plus a few tricks to make your porch welcoming and cozy using vintage and store-bought finds.
Just like last Christmas season, we are starting outside with a farmhouse Christmas porch except for this time we are beginning on our front porch and door. Lately, I have fallen in love with plaids and since I have used plaid on the back porch for years Hannah and I went shopping in our newly organized attic to see what treasures we could find.
This post is sponsored by The Home Depot. This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase using the links below. All opinions are my own.
After pulling down all the goodies, we felt would work, we then hopped onto The Home Depot's website and searched for more Christmas porch decorations. We couldn't believe all the options. After spending an hour shopping for holiday outdoor decor I don't think we even brushed the surface of all their options. LOL!
We had this great idea of telling a story for our porch design and creating a Christmas core aesthetic. Think 1940's Christmas in the countryside and read on as we take you back in time to a long-ago Christmas time.
Cottage Farmhouse Christmas Porch
Before you begin styling your front porch remove everything, clean the window and blow off the floor. Start with a clean slate. Doing this task helps to clear your mind and open things up for creating.
And grab some supplies to create a warm and cozy farmhouse Christmas core porch. Here is a list to create a stoop like ours.
Christmas Porch Supplies
- Front door decor (DIY Christmas bells wreath with decorative bow)
- Large battery lit wreath with plaid bow
- Ryobi hammer drill, drill bit, hammer and steel case nail to hang wreath on brick wall (if you have brick)
- Garland
- Dried oranges, berries, pinecones, and cuttings of wood
- Plaid outdoor rug larger than a doormat
- Customized doormat with Claus on it
- Black lamppost with citronella
- Ryobi inverter generator outlet (cordless outlet source for garland)
- Old vintage sled with plaid ribbon
- Small Christmas tree sitting in old enamelware bowl (I used or old tree but here is another tree options)
- Enamel bowl with wood and greenery (I used wood and greenery from my yard)
- Wooden bench (I made mine in this DIY wooden bench post but here is another options)
- Lantern
- Black or grey Santa boots
- Reindeer bells harness
Now let's add seasonal touches to your holiday front door first.
Christmas Bell Front Door Wreath
To begin our journey let's start first thing with your front door. This year consider steering away from the traditional Christmas basic wreaths and go with these hanging bells. This is an easy DIY project using all supplies I found at the Home Depot.
Can you believe the bells are dollar plastic buckets from the paint section? The first time I saw these buckets I had a feeling they would make cute bells. These bells will make a great first impression.
Learn how to make Christmas bells over on my other post after we finish going step by step on how to decorate your front porch for Christmas.
Once you have your bells use my handy how to hang a wreath with ribbon tips to hang your Christmas bells onto your door. The bells give our porch a nice festive look. Now on to the flooring of your porch.
Santa's Layered Rugs
I think by now you know where the story takes place. You guessed it by the photo of the doormat. We are at the country farmhouse of Santa.
Think about layering rugs for Christmas but do something a little different. Instead of buying two rugs where one sits perfectly in the middle of the other consider off-setting the rugs so that one is like a shadow of the other.
See how we placed the plaid rug away from the wall about 4 inches and then placed the customized doormat up against the wall?
When shopping for a doormat go with a customizable one and have Santa's last name printed on it — Claus. This is a wink to guests that they have arrived at Santa's farmhouse cottage.
Christmas Garland
Now that the rug is in place let's work on the next bigger task and that is garland. Start with a green garland and add berries and dried oranges unless you use the Home Depot garland which comes with pinecones and berries.
Our garland has pinecones on it which also goes great with our Santa's country farmhouse decor theme.
We dried these oranges last spring. I kept them in a bag inside my closet all year long and they still look amazing. Keeping them in a dry place is a great way to store them.
Anyways, tuck the berries into the garland branches and then nestle the oranges in too. Father Christmas loves children and animals. The berries and oranges are a treat to the birds that come by in our story.
Next, if you are like me and you don't like unsightly cords distracting from your story porch then get one of these Ryobi outlet inverters.
This is my favorite new toy! LOL!
All you do is attach a Ryobi battery to it and you can plug in your garland and hide it behind something. Isn't that amazing?!
Christmas Wreath Wall Decor
We have our garland and rugs in place so now we are on to the walls of your porch. While shopping on the Home Depots website I came across this gorgeous wreath. This is the coolest wreath and it is even prettier in person than on their website.
To start this wreath has the berry and pinecone theme so all I need to do is add dried oranges. I love adding natural elements to artificial. And this wreath has a battery pack for the Christmas lights so again no unsightly cords.
The most challenging part about hanging this Christmas wreath was hanging it but again Ryobi to the rescue. Here is how to hang a wreath on a brick wall.
How to Hang a Wreath on Brick
First, you will need a masonry bit, drill (I used the Ryobi hammer drill), steel case or masonry nail, and hammer.
First I marked my spot with a piece of chalk. Then I started drilling a hole into the brick mortar. I found taking it slow and putting some muscle behind it worked the best.
Next, after you get the drill bit down inside about 1/4″ take your steel case nail and hammer and hammer it in. I used two nails to hang this wreath to give some extra support.
Once you have your nails in place grab your holiday wreath and sit it on the nails. Isn't it pretty? I love the size of this wreath. It is 30″ which makes it bigger than the standard size and creates nice statement festive pieces.
Shop the Home Depot items used in this post:
Courtyard Red/Bone 2 ft. x 4 ft. Striped Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug
10 in. H x 7 in. W Red Green and Beige Plaid Bow Hanging Christmas Decoration
30 in. Woodmoore Battery Operated Mixed Pine LED Pre-Lit Artificial Christmas Wreath with Timer and Plaid Ribbon
DirtBuster Single Picture Frame Black 22 in. x 36 in. Personalized Door Mat
ONE+ HP 18V Brushless Cordless 1/2 in. Hammer Drill and 1/4 in 4-Mode Impact Driver Kit w/ (2) Batteries, Charger, & Bag
Vintage Father Christmas Decorations
If you have been around me long then you know I love to mix old and new when decorating. In this corner, we have a new lamp post and tree and an antique sled and enamel wear pot. So let's talk about how these accessories play into the story.
Christmas Lamp Post
The lamppost creates a warm glow for your guests and a light to help Father Christmas find his way back to the cottage. This vintage black lamp post is another great find on Home Depot's website. It reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas movies, Narnia.
If you have seen the movie then remember the scene when Lucy ventures from the wardrobe into the snow-covered forest and she comes to a lamp post. Well, this is the lamp post. Isn't that cool!!
This traditional lamppost has a vintage look to it which makes it work nicely with newer items. When shopping for decorations for your vintage porch look for items that have an aged look or are a style from another decade.
Now that the lamp is in place let's position the other items.
Vintage or Antique Sled
I have been looking for an old sled for a couple of years. During the spring I found this sled tucked away in an antique store. I think she was ready to get rid of it because I got it for a song — cheap.
If you have a sled stand it in the corner and place a plaid ribbon on it. I have had this ribbon for years and years. Because it has wire in it I could easily freshen it up and make it look somewhat perfect again.
Santa's Christmas Trees
You can't have Santa's porch without a Christmas tree.
Grab a Christmas little tree and place it in a bucket or an enamel bowl like this one I found in an antique store in Atlanta. Toss some mini battery-powered lights and you have another sparkling light source for Father Christmas farmhouse porch.
Farmhouse Christmas Bench
So to finish our Cottagecore porch holiday decor we need a bench for when Father Christmas comes home from the longest night of the year. If you already have a bench on your porch then you are good to go but if not we have you covered with our simple DIY bench post.
This is a simple bench to make and with a coat of paint and brown wax, you have the perfect rustic bench for your porch.
Christmas Core Aesthetic
Now we need a few accessories to polish this farmhouse style look. Grab Father Christmas's boots, or your daughter's. LOL! And place them in front of the bench.
Then add a bowl full of firewood, evergreen branches, and pinecones. Toss in oranges if you have some left.
Next, sit a present down on the bench and a lantern on top because you know when Santa leaves at night he always needs light to guide his way.
Then lay across the bench some reindeer sleigh bells. This was another fun find in a thrift store. You can find winter and Christmas decorations in thrift and antique stores any time of year.
And like magic, your Christmas core aesthetic porch is done.
Now that we have a more rustic Christmas farmhouse porch on the front of our house let's talk about those twinkling Christmas lights because the best part about Christmas is the lights.
Christmas Lighting
The last and important part of your cottage farmhouse Christmas porch is the lighting. The holidays come to life when you add sparkling twinkling lights but unsightly cords can ruin the whole vibe.
But fear not, I have a solution to that problem.
My little Christmas mini trees have mini lights that are battery-powered, and the wreath is battery powered too. But the garland is not so lucky.
In the past, I had a cord running along the side of the porch to an outlet outside but Ryobi has come to the rescue. Check out this cool contraption.
This is a miniature generator inverter with a light, two USB ports, and an outlet. All you need is a charged Ryobi battery and you are set.
I turned it on just after dusk and the Ryobi inverter was on at 11 pm that evening. What a great find! Now I have a welcoming porch without unsightly cords.
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed this Christmas porch tour. Now for the really fun part.
Turn on all your lights and invite your friends and family over for the holidays. This dreamy small porch will make eyes light up when people and children come to visit. It gives a warm and cozy feel to what is in store inside your home or maybe I should say Santa's cottage.
The citronella lamppost is the perfect addition to the porch. I love gaslighting on a front porch so the lamppost gives that same look. These lamp posts will look amazing on other farmhouse Christmas porches!
Speaking of Father Christmas here is how the story goes.
Once upon a time during WWII lived a sweet old man in the woods in a country farmhouse cottage. He had an old lamp post on his small porch that was always lit to find his way home.
He has a love for all creatures. Leaving oranges and berries for the birds and pine cones for the squirrels and chipmunks.
All year long you will find a little bench on his porch filled with his boots and reindeer harnesses except for December 24 because on that night something magical happens all over the world.
It is a night when he sets an example to be generous and bring peace to the world. Love one another instead of war.
If you go to visit someone this Christmas and there is a doormat that says Claus then know that you might have found the real Santa's farmhouse cottage.
Happy Decorating, or maybe I should say, Merry Christmas!
