How to Make: Unique Outdoor Christmas Decorations

Chicago Botanical Gardens Outdoor Christmas Decor

The more unique a decoration for Christmas, the more sought after it is, and in recent years outdoor Christmas decor has become a contest of bigger and brighter. Lightshows, government buildings, and botanical gardens are filled with bright lights and brand new designs whether they be lights, motifs, or even hand made crafts. Some of the best shows, in fact, are the ones that make some of their outdoor Christmas decor.

Chicago Botanical Gardens' Original Style

Bright 5mm LED Strings

The Chicago Botanical Gardens is well noted for its light show, which draws in thousands of people each year. One of their most popular display items is their Christmas ball lights, created by installers to look like perfectly spherical lighted bushes. Large outdoor Christmas decorations are a staple to the Chicago Botanical Gardens light display each year.

These lighted LED Christmas balls are very popular decorations and are relatively easy to construct. Making crafts with Christmas lights can bring families together during the holiday season, and creating these lighted Christmas balls would make for a great family project. By coupling Christmas lights with chicken wire, you can make an outdoor yard decoration that exudes an elegant look for any yardscape. The supplies are simple: Chicken wire and some great 5MM LED light strings!

How to Make a Christmas Ball with Chicken Wire

Christmas Ball Lights

Once you purchase your chicken wire, cut it into the size you would like and shape it into a cylinder. Smaller cuts will make smaller Christmas lighted balls, while larger cuts of chicken wire will make larger one. Take the cylinder and form it into a sphere. Chicken wire is easy to bend and very flexible, so creating the circle will be no trouble at all.

Once the sphere is created, wrap lights throughout it, securing them by weaving them in and out of the chicken wire. Make sure the end plugs are available so that you can run power to the Christmas lights ball. Christmas ball lights usually need one string per foot diameter if using LED lights, and two strings per foot if using incandescent. LED lights are highly recommended for larger balls, since the low wattage allows many more strings to be connected, and energy savings are significant.

Once the sphere is bright, hang smaller balls from trees with clips or zip ties, and place large lighted balls on the ground. These homemade outdoor Christmas decorations look great anywhere, so create many to brighten up the entire yard.

Outdoor Christmas Decor with LEDs

Christmas Ball Decoration: Chicken Wire with LEDs

Many have asked, and now you know: Chicken wire balls coupled with LEDs create imaginative round Christmas lights for the yard.

If you'd like to use our images, feel free to do so. We love seeing our pictures used, but please link back to ChristmasLightsEtc.com when sharing. Have fun while you work with these chicken wire balls, and good luck!

Planning for Christmas Lights 2013? Shop Sale!