The holiday season is upon us, and it’s time to transform every inch of your home into a winter wonderland. While there are some wonderful ideas to decorate your garage door, and while we want to see you win your neighborhood decorating contest, we also want to make sure your garage door and decorations make it to January without getting damaged. In this article, we’ll share how you can elevate your home’s holiday curb appeal without dishing out money to repair or replace damaged garage doors or decorations.

Light it Up

Christmas lights around garage door

One of the simplest yet most impactful ways to add holiday charm to your garage door is through lights. Wrap strings of twinkling fairy lights or LED strands around the edges of the door or create a mesmerizing light pattern across its surface. Opt for classic white lights for an elegant touch or go for colorful strands to match your overall theme.

When hanging lights, make sure they aren’t placed on the door frame right next to where your garage door meets the frame. You could risk your door getting caught on the string of lights if it’s too close. It’s always best to hang lights around the door frame so it’s on the exterior which ensures you minimize the risk of your door or a car getting caught.

Another tip is don’t pin or puncture your door or the weather seal around the door frame. The weather seal is meant to seal the outside of your garage door, hanging, poking, or sticking anything to it could damage it and therefore impact its ability to seal your door properly.

Garland Galore

garland with lights and red ribbon over garage door

Adorn your garage door with lush, evergreen garlands. Drape them above your garage door or affix them vertically along the sides. Intersperse the greenery with ribbons, bows, or pinecones for a more textured and festive look. Consider using faux garlands for durability and ease of reuse year after year.

Ensure that the garland is secure. It’s not uncommon for garland to fall because it’s typically heavier than lights and like lights, you want to make sure your garland isn’t hanging too low where something like your vehicle doesn’t get caught on it as you are entering or exiting your garage.

Magnificent Wreaths

big wreath over garage door with lights

Hang oversized wreaths above your garage door for an eye-catching focal point. Choose wreaths that complement the style and color scheme of your home’s exterior. You can go for traditional holly and pine or opt for unique materials like birch branches, ornaments, or even a DIY monogram wreath for a personal touch.

If you operate your garage door, never hang a wreath on the garage door itself. As your garage door operates and moves up the tracks, bigger decorations like wreaths can get stuck and will most likely get damaged. If you don’t use your garage door, then decorate away, just make sure you remove any decorations before operating again.

Personalized Messages or Images

christmas decals for garage doors

Get creative and personalize your garage door decor with a festive message or image. These are popular with Halloween decorations for garage doors but instead are Christmas-themed decals that are typically magnetic so they can easily adhere to steel doors. These magnetic decals usually come with letters or you can get packages that include Christmas decorations like snowflakes, bells, or snowmen. You can also cut out letters or get magnetic letters to write a holiday greeting to people passing by.

Another great idea is this “Days till Christmas” garage door countdown. We saw this on Etsy and thought it’s a fun way to remind yourselves and everyone else how many days there are till Christmas. If you have panels, make sure you place these magnetic numbers fully on the panels of your door and not in between seams as they have shown in the example of the product. This ensures they stay on your door and remain in place while your door is operating.

garage door countdown days till christmas

It’s important to make sure you place them in the middle of your garage door panels and never where panels meet. This ensures your garage door still operates smoothly.

Also, stickers or decorations that involve adhesive could cause damage to the paint or coating on your door. It could also leave a residue that may be difficult to clean and can make it more difficult to paint your door in the future. It is also important to note that most garage door warranties cover normal wear and tear but this wouldn’t include damage caused by decorations.

Create Christmas Illusions with a Light Projector

Product image taken from this projector light on Etsy

A very safe way to decorate your garage door for the holidays is with a light projector like these LED Snowflake projectors available on Amazon. Your garage door is the perfect blank canvas for a fun light show and it doesn’t require attaching anything to your garage door.

Decorating your home is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit, just be smart and always remember sometimes less is more when it comes to decorating your garage door. Around the door, go for it! But also keep in mind how your decorating is impacting your garage door’s ability to operate safely.

Disclaimer: We do not recommend or receive any commission or any benefit from the products we share in this post. These are added only as examples.