Cozy Christmas Back Porch
6 ways to create a cozy Christmas in an outdoor entertaining space to make any holiday gathering warm and inviting.
We’re dubbing this the party spot, y’all!
From now until January 1st, our back porch is pretty much where all of the action will happen for friends visiting for laid-back Christmas get-togethers and guests visiting for New Year’s.
Whenever we first toured this house and were thinking about buying it 3 years ago, this was the spot that totally sold us on this house.
It had SO much potential, and with a little love, it has become our favorite entertaining spot in the house for summer pool parties and cozy s’mores roasting on cold nights by the fire.
And it’s my and Robert’s favorite spot for date nights in after we put the kids to bed.
So for Christmas this year, we used some things from Walmart to create a modern rustic lodge look out here with lots of cozy textures and ambient lighting.
We have big plans one day to turn this old mini-fridge nook into an actual electric fireplace, but until we get to that point, this $37 faux fireplace facelift did the job just for looks alongside our fire pit table for warmth.
(Thankfully, it doesn’t get very frigid here in the Charlotte area.)
Full disclosure: Robert decorated this back porch basically all by himself while I was laid up with flu. I know, right?! He’s officially getting promoted from “assistant to the designer” to assistant designer.
I grabbed a bunch of faux fur throw blankets, chunky knit blankets, and punches of red from Walmart at his request because the guy lives and breathes Christmas.
He’s already told me he wants to dress up as Santa one day when his hair turns white in 30ish years.
Yes, I’m married to Buddy the Elf, and it’s adorable. Besides the syrup in spaghetti thing.
6 Ways to Create a Cozy Christmas
1. Mix lots of warm textures.
We chose lots of chunky cable knits and faux fur textiles for pillows and blankets so guests can stay warm.
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2. Add string lights.
Turn off all of your exterior lights besides a strand of string lights to create an ambient glow.
We already owned this flocked pre-lit skinny Christmas tree, so we added extra twinkle with these two 4′ pre-lit trees on either side. They already had pinecones and red berries attached and looked cute all on their own, so we left them naked with just a $5 white fleece blanket tucked around the bases like a skirt.
3. Use fresh greenery.
I love picking up fresh greenery from the local Christmas tree lot just for that amazing pine smell. Mmmmmmm. The best part is you can usually get tree trimmings for free. Just ask. Attach branches together with some wire to make gorgeous fresh garland.
4. Light a few candles.
There’s nothing cozier than candlelight.
We love eating dinner out here on mild evenings under the string lights, so I set the table with some fresh greenery from the tree lot, these candle holders, and our go-to everyday gray dishes.
5. Don’t forget a heat source.
Our winters are thankfully pretty mild, so a propane powered fire table is just enough.
6. Make a wood stack.
A stack of wood adds that rustic vibe.
For our “mantel”, I just used our old stockings we had in storage, with a DIY repurposed canvas I made from this poster, these mini trees, lanterns, and more fresh tree lot branches.
Bring on the s’mores and cocoa because we are ready!
If you want to know about any of the sources we used on this porch, you can find it all here:
- Mantel Art
- Mini Christmas Trees
- Glass Lanterns (similar)
- Ivory Knit Stockings (similar)
- Faux Fur Blanket
- Ivory Faux Fur Pillow
- Red Nordic Print Pillow
- Ivory Oblong Pillow
- Red Cable Knit Sweater Pillow
- Red Cable Knit Blanket
- Cream Chunky Knit Blanket
- Black Leaf Hurricane Candle Holder
- Red Napkins
- Gray Speckled Dinner Plates
- Gray Speckled Appetizer Plates
- Birch Candles
- Gold Taper Candle Holders
- 4′ Christmas Trees
- Flocked Pencil Tree
- Ivory Fleece Blanket (makeshift tree shirt)
- String Lights
- Black Lanterns
- Wooden Armchairs (similar – ours are discontinued)
- Wooden Bench (similar)
- Fire Table (similar)
- Round Jute Rug
- Ceiling Fans
Have you cozied up any of your outdoor spaces?
This is the first time we’ve ever decked out this spot big time for Christmas, and I think it needs to happen every year from now on.
