Ah, the joys of driving through your neighborhood around the holidays “oooh”ing and “ahhh”ing over the lights and joyous decorations that you see as you pass by each house. It’s a beautiful sight to see – so joyous and warm and inviting – it really is the epitome of the holiday spirit.

But there’s always an inner battle between your household and your neighbors between who can have the best holiday decorations each year, and it’s a battle that you just might win if you take some of these extreme home decorating ideas for this holiday season.

A Walk-In Gingerbread House

At Halloween, there are haunted houses. During the holidays, why not set up a walk-through gingerbread house in your yard?

Your house will be the attraction of the neighborhood, especially among the kids, if you set up a house that’s decorated from top to bottom in twinkling lights and fresh green wreaths. Inside, set up a display similar to those you see in malls when Santa visits – put in a big throne and have someone manning the Santa station at all times so kids can come visit and sit on his lap to tell him what they want for Christmas.

Make sure you decorate with lots of over-sized decorations. Think about a regular gingerbread house with all of the candy canes and gumdrops and pretty decor and replicate those same decorations on a much larger scale for a wildly successful walk-in holiday gingerbread house!

Santa and Sleigh on the Roof

No holiday house is complete until it’s decorated with a life size Santa sitting in a huge sleigh atop the roof of the house. And don’t forget the reindeer, too! Nine giant reindeer, including Rudolph, of course, make for a complete Santa scene that looks as real as can be.

For added effect, rig up some heavy-duty wiring into a nearby tree next to your house. Install the first few reindeer in the pack so that they look like they are lifting off up and away into the sky by securing them to the anchored wire. The neighborhood kids will love the illusion, and you’ll revel in knowing that no one else in your neighborhood thought of the idea before you!

A Singing Choir of Angels

Fortunately for you, this scene is fairly easy to pull of thanks to modern technology. All you really have to do is buy a few huge lit choir angels and place them in your yard. You can even buy ones that are attached to motors so that they move, or you can always install your own motors to customize the movement of your angels.

Then, all of you have to do is play some music around the display that goes with the movement of your angels, and you have yourself a giant singing choir of angels. Choose songs that are more hymnal than the classic holiday jingles, but be sure to mix those in here and there, too.

A Huge Christmas Tree

Nothing says the holidays like a giant Christmas tree in your yard that’s decked out in lights, ribbons and garland galore.

Choose the largest tree in your yard, or even bring in one from another location (we’re talking huge Christmas trees, like along the lines of the Rockefeller Plaza tree) and bring in the fire department with their huge ladders to help you get the lights strung all the way to the top of the tree. Don’t forget a large lit-up star on top of the tree to complete your holiday yard, and be sure to add the little details, too, like the ribbons and garland!

Your yard will be sure to be a hit with these extreme holiday decoration ideas – but remember to be creative, be original and don’t be afraid to go over the top!

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Ann Michaels is a freelance writer who loves preparing for Christmas. Her favorite day of the year is when she gets to bring out her life size Santa displays and start setting up her yard for the holidays!