Get Creative and Festive! 

Seven ideas to decorate your farm for the holidays

The seasonal change from fall to winter means hay rides are replaced by sleigh rides, fall mums become fragrant pine boughs, and corn mazes transition to Christmas tree farms. It’s such a warm and inviting time of year, isn’t it?

Advertise your holiday spirit

The spirit of Christmas on a farm runs deep—think of all the holiday movies set on farms and involving rural life. How about you? Do you have farming traditions when it comes to Christmas decorations?

Here are some fun and creative ideas to help get you started and inspired.

Spray paint hay bales! You could load them up in a pyramid shape to make it look like a Christmas tree, stack on top of each other to spray in white “snowmen” or get more ideas through apps like Pinterest.

Image from Pinterest.com

Hang oversized ornaments in your trees. Who says that Christmas trees are only for inside? Search “large outdoor ornaments” or DIY outdoor Christmas ornaments for all types of inspiration.

Hang oversized stars and/or wreaths on the barn. Barns usually have so much empty space on the outside walls—it’s a big, blank canvas to hang the most creative of decor ideas! Most farmers are lucky because they have the equipment to get up nice and high; load up the tractor bucket or tall ladder and have fun.

Involve the animals. Whether it’s the family portrait which includes the farm dog or livestock, farm animals and Christmas always tend to go viral. Perhaps you’ll want to hang wreaths around the neck of your goats or even horses! One farmer from visitjersey.com even made a video about making Christmas sweaters for her cows.

Image from visitjersey.com

Christmas cards with the family are a popular way to send holiday cheer to your loved ones, and including your dog, favorite cow, and more can surely add a unique chuckle and feel to your holiday cheer efforts. My friend Alesha has a pet squirrel that gets excited for this time of year!

Image from Alicia Halbritter

Hang Christmas lights around grain bins, tractors, combines and more. Anymore, you really don’t need to plug Christmas lights in. They make battery or solar powered lights which for decorating farm equipment. Whether putting it on display in your yard, from parades to tractor shows and more, nothing is quite as festive as rural life on display through new or vintage farm equipment.

Photo courtesy Funny Farm Rescue Animal Sanctuary

Dress up! Does Santa drive a tractor and a sleigh? Driving a tractor in December already makes for rosy cheeks, so why not live in up in a Santa suit?

And if you prefer a religious approach, some farmers create live nativity scenes with their animals. Baby Jesus in his manger was always shown with goats, sheep, cows, donkeys, and more coveted animals in the Bible. “Jesus is the reason for the season” and how better to celebrate than on the farm than recreating his birthday.

Don’t forget the gate! Gates and fences are a huge part of the farm and offer bountiful opportunities to get festive. Run lights, garland, bows and more along your fence line to stand out from the rest.

Farmers just have an extra decorating advantage with all the equipment, space, crop commodities and more. What are your favorite ideas to take your acreage to new heights for the holidays? Post great pictures, put them on your next family farm Christmas card to share the happiness and beauty.