The holidays are supposed to feel magical, but sometimes decorating your home with Christmas lights can feel more stressful than joyful. Maybe you’ve stood in your yard staring at a tangled bundle of lights, wondering how on earth you’ll safely get them up on the roof this year. Or maybe you’ve thought about skipping lights altogether because you’re tired of doing the same old thing. Many Omaha homeowners love the look of festive lights, but they aren’t sure where else to put them besides the roofline.
At Brush & Roll Painting, we’ve served Omaha homeowners since 1996 with painting and home projects that require skill and attention to detail. This year, our team has become certified and trained to install professional-grade Christmas lights. That gives us the knowledge to talk about safe, creative, and long-lasting holiday lighting ideas that go beyond the basics.
This article will show you different places to put outdoor Christmas lights, besides the roofline, that can make your home feel warm and welcoming without looking like every other house on the block. You’ll walk away with practical, creative ideas for lighting up areas beyond your roof. By the end, you’ll know how to bring holiday cheer to your property in ways that are both safe and stunning.
Your driveway is the first path that leads visitors toward your home, and adding lights here creates a welcoming entrance. Lining the edges of the driveway with stake lights is one option, and you can choose steady white bulbs for a classic look or multi-color lights for a playful style. If you have pillars, brick columns, or mailbox posts near your driveway, wrapping them with string lights or garlands instantly sets the tone before guests even step out of the car.
Think about how practical this can be, too. During icy Omaha winters, extra driveway lighting makes it safer for family and guests who are walking in from the street or parking spots.
Framing windows and doors with Christmas lights can make your home look picture-perfect from both inside and outside. Outlining windows with clear lights emphasizes the architectural design of your home. For front doors, adding lights around the frame can act like a glowing picture frame that draws the eye directly to your entryway.
If you hang wreaths or garlands, consider weaving lights into them. A lit garland draped around your doorway or garage instantly adds warmth. For symmetry, frame each window on the front of your house the same way. This creates a balanced, cheerful look that pairs nicely with lights on your roofline if you still want that feature.
Decks often get forgotten during holiday decorating, but they can be one of the coziest spots to highlight. Wrapping the railings with lights is the simplest way to brighten the space. You can also outline the edge of the deck floor for a glowing effect that makes the structure pop at night.
If you have furniture on your deck, think about stringing lights above it or even weaving them through a pergola or umbrella. Many Omaha families like to enjoy a fire pit on their deck in the colder months. Having lights around the area can make those winter gatherings feel even more festive.
Pergolas, gazebos, and arbors are natural frameworks for Christmas lights. Wrapping the posts, beams, or roof slats with lights can create a glowing canopy that looks stunning on snowy nights. Even if your pergola is in the backyard where fewer people see it, lighting it up creates a magical view from inside your home.
Some homeowners like to mix icicle-style lights with traditional string lights for pergolas. Icicle lights hanging from the crossbeams create the illusion of dripping snow or frozen patterns, which fits perfectly with Nebraska winters.
Lighting walkways is another way to bring function and beauty together. You can line paths with stake lights, or you can weave lights through low shrubs that border the walkway. This guides people safely to your front door while adding an inviting glow.
For families with children or pets, a well-lit walkway makes playing outside in the evenings safer during holiday gatherings. Imagine your guests strolling up to your home, greeted by sparkling lights guiding them along the way. It creates an experience before they even step through the door.
Many Omaha homes have large garage doors that face the street, and these wide openings are perfect canvases for lights. Wrapping lights around the garage frame balances out the front of your home, especially if the garage takes up a big portion of your curb view.
If you have a side entrance or mudroom door, don’t forget about it. Decorating smaller entries with a simple lighted garland or outline shows that every corner of your home gets attention during the holidays.
Trees and bushes are classic spots for Christmas lights, but there are many ways to make them look different from your neighbors. Instead of wrapping every branch tightly, you can drape net lights over bushes for even coverage. Tall trees in your yard can be wrapped in spiral patterns that make them visible from far down the street.
In Omaha, where snow often sticks to branches, the combination of glowing lights and snow can create postcard-like scenery right in your front yard. It is one of the simplest yet most rewarding places to decorate.
If you have a fence around your yard, lights can make it stand out as part of your display. Wrapping the top rail of a fence or weaving lights through the slats creates a glowing border around your property.
Railings on front steps can also be wrapped. This not only adds decoration but also helps people see where they are stepping when ice or snow is on the ground.
With so many possible places to put lights, it’s easy to get carried away. The best displays have balance. If you light up every single part of your yard, nothing stands out. A good approach is to choose one or two focal points, like your front door and driveway, and then add secondary lighting to guide the eye around the rest of the house.
Think of it like painting a room. Accent walls and trim highlight the main features without overwhelming the whole space. Holiday lights work the same way.
While decorating is fun, safety has to come first. Omaha winters bring icy conditions, and climbing ladders or running extension cords can be risky. Certified installers use professional-grade clips, cords, and timers that are designed to withstand Nebraska’s weather. They also know how to balance circuits so you don’t overload outlets or trip breakers.
Even if you plan to install lights yourself, make sure your cords are rated for outdoor use, and avoid hanging lights when snow or ice is present on ladders or roofs.
At the start, you may have felt like holiday lighting was limited to your roofline, but now you’ve seen how many possibilities there really are. From driveways to decks, pergolas to pathways, and windows to garage doors, your home can shine in ways that highlight both safety and style. By thinking beyond the obvious, you create a display that feels personal to your family while still being welcoming to neighbors and guests.
Brush & Roll Painting has been serving Omaha homeowners since 1996, and our team is now trained and certified in professional holiday light installation. If you’re ready to make your home shine this season, click the button below to get a quote.
If you’re not ready to get a quote for your lighting project just yet, be sure to visit our holiday lighting installation pricing calculator. This will allow you to enter custom details of your project and then learn all about the cost you can expect.