The best outdoor Christmas lights – to give your garden a festive sparkle

Choosing the best outdoor Christmas lights are key for adding a special festive touch to the front of your home. Whether you tend to host around the festive season or you want to impress your neighbours, this is an easy job. Especially since we've done the hard work for you and rounded up the top outdoor Christmas decorations on the market for this year.

From twinkling LED lights to drape around trees, to illuminated reindeers (and gonks) for placing on your lawn, the right lighting plays an integral role in setting the scene for Christmas cheer.

Related: the best artificial Christmas trees for 2024

Why just decorate the inside of your house, when you can spruce up the outdoors, too? With little effort, might we add. These are our top outdoor Christmas light picks for 2024, to decorate your exteriors in style.

The best outdoor Christmas lights 2024

1. Dunelm Set of 3 Light Up Parcel Decorations

Check out these super cute light up presents on offer at Dunelm. They're suitable for both indoor and outdoor use so you can either pop them, by your front door or under your tree, whilst they all differ in size. Choose to display them nestled together or separately, and decide between gold or silver. Each present is decorated with a gorgeous sparkly ribbon and wrapped with lights, and they'll be sure to light up the way to your home – for both Santa Claus and any guests you have over during December. The best part? You can set them on a timer to switch on at the same time every day for ease.

2. Homebase 100 Star Outdoor Christmas Lights

Whether for decorating your back garden or for illuminating the front of your house, these star lights are perfect. A total of 100 of them sit across the 8m string (13m in total) and they come in warm white or bright white. We say to use them for draping from one fence to another in your garden, or decorate your front door with them to make a striking entrance. They're also great for wrapping around tree trunks or draping from one tree to another.

3. Aldi Set of 3 LED Penguins

We're seriously gushing for these LED penguins currently sold online at Aldi. They come as a set and they're all different heights, with an adorable baby pengium in the middle. With gold beaks and bright white illuminateed bodies, they're anything but tacky, but they'll be sure to illuminate your home in comparison to your neighbor's. The kids will love seeing them every morning and eveening, plus theeye can be set on a timer for practicality reasons. They have a 10m lead, too, so that you can place them wherever you like – indoors or out.

Set of 3 LED Penguins, £59.99 for 3, Aldi

4. Wilko Premier 496 LED Gold Tree Motif 1.2m

Hang this twinkling tree on an exterior wall to brighten up an otherwise lacklustre space. It's suitable for indoor use or outdoor hanging, whether by your front door or in your back garden. Measuring 4ft high, it's decorated with just short of 500 gold warm LED lights and it boasts a timer function. Impressive doesn't quite cut it.

Premier 496 LED Gold Tree Motif, £120, Wilko

5. B&Q Mains Operated Static Merry Christmas Silhouette

Spread Christmas cheer with this LED Merry Christmas silhouette light. The simple message is clear for all to see with this design, the illuminated Merry Christmas is perfect to offer season's greetings to passersby and guests. This light is static, so it won't be too offensive for any bah humbug neighbours.

6. Dunelm Light Up Metal Angel with Timer

This angel Christmas decoration from Dunelm is the perfect subtle – yet statement-worthy – outdoor decoration. It's made of metal with a simple frame that's wrapped with warm lights, plus it's on a handy timer so that it turns on at the same time each day. Use it for decorating your front door, illuminating your lawn or for sprucing up your back garden this Christmas.

7. Lights4fun Set of 50 Warm White LED Outdoor Battery Operated Fairy Lights

Sometimes less is more and when it comes to lights, and often keeping it simple can be the best option. Fairy lights are always a winner for instantly creating a sense of ambience, with outdoors being no exception. Fairy lights dressing topiary trees, as demonstrated above, either side of the front door is more than enough of a statement to welcome guests during the festive season. The bonus of simple fairy lights? They're not just for Christmas – you could keep them up throughout the year. This set comprises 50 warm white LED lights on an easy camouflage green cable that measures 4.9m.

8. Homebase Acrylic Gonk 3D with Lantern Outdoor Christmas Light Decoration

This might be the cutest Christmas decoration we've ever seen, and Stacey Solomon fans will love it. This sweet gonk will be sure to light up your front garden – and add a welcoming touch to this space. He's holding a lantern to help Santa navigate his way to your front door, and he's grey in colour so as to blend with your home decor. Who says outdoor Christmas lights always have to be colourful and gargantuan? Not us.

9. Cox & Cox Faux Rattan Light Up Reindeer

Because our list of outdoor Christmas decorations wouldn't be complete without a light-up reindeer, would it? And these ones from Cox & Cox are elegant and striking. With a wire frame for durability purposes, these reindeer are wrapped with rattan and decorated with around 70 warm LEDs for a whimsical display. Choose from a small reindeer or a large one, based on the size of your front garden, and use it to add some elegance to your Christmas decor.

See more: decorate your front door with help from the best Christmas wreaths for 2024

Any one of these lights will have your home sparkling in style this season!