Curb appeal means something slightly different to those who live on the lake. Lake houses have two different sides of curb appeal: the street side and the lakeside. We have covered an entire series on curb appeal meant specifically for the street side. To begin the series, click here. However, today I want to focus on the lakeside curb appeal, which is unique to lake homes. Decorate your lakeside for Christmas with lights, greenery, and other ideas in order for your home to look inviting, festive, and fun.

Your neighbors across the canal and fellow lake lovers passing by in their boats warrant extra attention to the backside of your home. They will see this part of your home and may never see the front side. However, decorating your lakeside is not just for others; it is also for your own enjoyment. A great feature of most lake houses are the large windows that enable gorgeous water views; therefore, you owe it to yourself to decorate the backyard and dock.

A great tip is to decorate your home and yard so that it looks beautiful during the day and night. Greenery, garland, and outdoor bows beautify a home in natural sunlight. It does not have to be super fancy or expensive. Check out In My Own Style to see how simple greenery and a red bow dresses up a dock into something festive and beautiful. She even has a tutorial for making large bows.

At night, lights set your home apart. If you put Christmas lights on your home, don’t forget the back of your house. Continue the same lighting pattern to create a cohesive look. You can also use string lights on your dock, pier, and/or boat. Arguably you get double reward for your lighting on the water since the lights reflect beautifully.

One idea I saw was to place light-up deer on your pier. At night it looks like deer are standing on the water. Instead of putting a Christmas tree outside you make a simple one by running lights up to a post. The inflatable decorations would also showcase your yard from the water.

Lakeside curb appeal is important year round, but the holidays give us an excuse to really decorate. Have fun with decorating for Christmas on the lakeside of your home.