How To Hang Wreaths on Exterior Windows for Christmas

Greetings! Hope your week is going great!

How to Hang Wreaths on Exterior Windows

 

The porch isn’t decorated, yet.  This is an old pic from a past Christmas showing the wreaths across the front of the house.

 

Wreaths hung on windows across the front of a home has to be my most favorite Christmas decoration of all.  I’ve been hanging them on my home now for around 28 years, first at our old house and for the last 21 years on this home.  Each year when I hang them, I think back to the first time I saw them on the front of a house.  I marveled at the tremendous effort it must have taken to hang all those wreaths, envisioning long hours on a very tall ladder.  Then one day the proverbial light bulb went off and it hit me just how easy it would be to hang them.

wreaths-on-exterior-windows-for-christmas

You may already be hanging wreaths on your windows, but if not, this post is a little tutorial showing how I hang mine each year. I have wood windows but if you have metal windows, be sure to check out some pictures I’ve added to the end of this post.

I have 13 windows on the front of my home.  When you first decide to hang wreaths, there’s a bit of an initial investment.  After that, they last almost forever.  I did purchase new wreaths about 10 years ago but that was just because the first ones I bought were pretty skimpy.  Wreaths have come a long way over the years–they are much more realistic and fuller-looking now.

Measure Your Windows
Measure your windows before purchasing your wreaths.  You don’t want them to be too small or too big.  Apply the Goldilocks factor here.  For comparison, my windows are 32 inches wide and my wreaths are around 21-22 inches wide.

There are several ways to hang them.  You could buy those suction cup thingies that stick to windows.  I prefer hanging them from ribbons, I just love the look of a wreath hanging from a pretty ribbon.  If you do wish to hang them with ribbon, be sure to buy outdoor ribbon.  You’ll need about 4-5 feet for each wreath depending on the size/height of your windows.

I prefer to use 2 1/2 inch wide ribbon for my hanging ribbons.  The ribbon I originally used to hang my wreaths was narrow.  (See first picture of the house above to see the narrow hanging ribbon.)  When that ribbon eventually began to shred after many years of use, I bought wider ribbon and I much prefer that look.  (See picture just above for wide ribbon look.)

Attaching the Ribbon
After you’ve purchased your wreaths and your ribbon, you’ll need to cut the ribbon and wrap it around the top of your wreath.  Previously I stapled the ribbon together after wrapping it around the top of the wreath.  That lasted for many years but eventually, the staples began to cause the ribbon to shred.  That’s when I changed the hanging ribbons out to the wider 2 1/2 inch ribbon.  I hot glued it together after wrapping it around the top of the wreath and it has held.  (see pic below)

Tip: Be careful if you use hot glue to hold the looped ribbon together because you can feel the heat through the ribbon, and it’s definitely hot! You only need a little to hold, if you use too much, it will melt the ribbon.

 

I purchased ready-made bows at Michael’s for half-price after Christmas one year.  I chose bows with long flowing tails.  They look so pretty swirling in the breezes all during the month of December.  Again, there’s a little investment in the beginning for your bows, but if you purchase the velvet-like bows/ribbons meant for outdoors, they will last for many, many years.  My bows are around 8 years old now and as you can see, they still look new.  You can place your bows at the top of your wreath or at the bottom–whatever look you prefer.  I prefer them at the bottom, just love how that looks.

 

Update 2019: If you’re looking for beautiful bows at a very affordable price, check out these: Red Christmas Bows.

That’s the best price I’ve seen for gorgeous bows like the ones I use for my exterior wreaths. I purchased a dozen this year so I’ll have them when my bows eventually need replacing. They look beautiful and the reviews are excellent!

 

Hanging the Wreaths
Once you have all the hanging ribbons attached to your wreaths and all the bows are wired on, it’s time to hang them. If you have double sash windows like I do, lower the top sash about a foot and push your be-ribboned wreath out the top.  Hold fast to the end of the hanging ribbon or you’ll get some extra exercise running down to the yard to fetch it back.  I speak from experience.

 

I used to use a push pin through the ribbon into the top of the window, always using the same tiny hole each year. Someone mentioned in the comments that they just tie a knot in the end of their ribbon instead of using a pin to hold the wreath in place.  I did that this year (2012) and it worked great! I’ve been using that method ever since and it makes the task of hanging the ribbons go super fast.

Three things to note if you do use the “knot” method as opposed to the “pin” method.

1.  It takes a little finagling to get the knot in the right place.  I had to tie and untie each one a few times to get the wreath hanging at the level I wanted, but next year I won’t need to tie a knot since it will already be there.

2. Be sure and label somewhere on the ribbon, which wreath goes in which window. Since your windows will vary in height/length around your home or from one floor to the next, this will make it easier since you don’t want to waste time tying and untying knots or trying to figure out which wreath goes where.

3.  Tying a knot would probably not be a good idea if you’ll use candles in the windows some years but not every year.  I hang my wreaths at a different height when I use a candle in the window because I like to have the candle visible shining through the center of the wreath. If I don’t use my candles, I normally let the wreaths hang a bit lower. If you have vinyl or metal windows, the knot way of hanging them may work best.

 

For Metal or Vinyl Windows:
Iris, a reader of BNOTP, sent this picture below showing how she hangs her wreaths. Iris wrote, ” I followed your tutorial and did wreaths in my windows. The windows are metal so I wrapped the ribbon that actually hangs the wreath around a small block of wood (1x2x2) and stapled the hanging ribbon to the block of wood.

I lowered the top window, l put the wreath outside and closed the window with the block of wood on the inside. The wood serves as a “stop”. This allows you to get a perfect length of ribbon on each wreath and will be all ready to hang again next year.”

I love this idea! It would work with wood, metal or vinyl windows and you could write which room/window the wreath goes in on the block of wood.

Hang Wreaths on Metal or Vinyl Windows

 

Here’s how Iris’s wreath looks from the outside.

Hang Wreaths on Windows

 

Normally I let the tail of the ribbon drape down, but this year I decided to pull out my ancient candles and use them in the windows along with the wreaths.  So I pinned the tail of the hanging ribbon up with the pushpin.

I haven’t put the candles in the windows for many years.  In the past, I tried battery-operated candles but they were not nearly as bright as the electric ones.  So I donated those and stuck with the electric.  I just set the candle over the window lock and then run the cord through the side gap where the shutters close.  There’s just enough space for it to fit.  I usually tape the cord in place on the window with a small piece of masking tape.  You could also place the candle on the window sill if you prefer.  My shutters won’t close with it there, but that would work for curtained windows.  Just make sure the bulb isn’t touching the fabric or anything else that could burn or catch fire.

Oh, this year I noticed the flickering bulbs in Walmart.  They were around .97 cents each.  I bought some but after trying just one, I think I’m going to return them.  They are really pretty, but not very bright.  I may give them another try.  They really were pretty flickering red and orange in the window.

 

I made another change since I’m using the electric candles in the windows again for the first time in many years.  It’s a big improvement over what I’ve done in the past and was prompted by having a secretary in front of the outlet I would normally use.  I didn’t want to unload everything out of the secretary to move it, so I decided to use the outlets on either side of the room.  One is behind the trunk on the left and the other one is behind the round bedside table on the right, barely visible in the photo below.

It was still a bit of a pain getting behind the trunk on the left and the table on the right to plug in the extension cords.  They would be easier to move or reach behind than the hutch, but still a pain.

Hardwood Flooring for the Guest Room

So I headed over to Big Lots (Walmart has these, too) and purchased several of these extension cords with the foot-operated, on/off switch.   I bet you use these for your Christmas tree.  They are the best things!  You just step on it to turn your lights on or off—no fumbling behind furniture or trees to get to the outlet to unplug the lights on the tree, or in this case, the windows.

I definitely recommend this for window lights if you can hide it behind a table skirt or something nearby.  I put one downstairs in the living room and I can turn the candles in both windows on and off with just one step.  This is going to make turning the candles on and off a cinch this year.  Another great option would be timers for your candles.  I saw bunches of those at Walmart, as well.  I may try those next year.

 

A final daylight view–see what I mean about the long ribbon streamers hanging below. Love that look!  I hung the wreaths a tad higher than normal on the top windows so the candle would be right in the center of the wreath.  Normally they would be down just a bit lower and the tails of the bow would be almost touching the window sill.

 

A previous year’s view of the dormer windows with the garage windows below.  This pic was taken with the skinnier hanging ribbons, before I changed them out for the 2 1/2 inch wide ribbon.  The wider ribbon just looks so much better than the skimpy narrow ribbon for hanging.  I see camellias about to flower out in this pic, too.  I guess the camellia does this every year around this time.

 

Outdoor wreaths look as pretty from inside as they do outside.

Additional tip:  If you live in an area that gets a lot of wind during the month of December, you may want to tie some fishing line to the bottom of your wreath and anchor it with the lower window.  Or, you may wish to hang your wreaths from suction cups or some other method other than with a hanging ribbon.

We only get strong winds one or two days during the winter season so it’s never a real problem at my home.  I’ve been having wreaths in this manner for 25+ years successfully.  However, if you live where it’s super windy, you may find you need to attach your wreaths in a different manner or anchor the bottom half down.

hang-wreaths-on-windows-view-from-inside

An evening view:  I think I may need to dial down the wattage on those outside lanterns.  I never realized how bright they were until I took this picture.  You’ll need to wear sunglasses if you visit my house at night!

Did you notice the “Blue Hour” was approaching as I took this pic?  Of course, I couldn’t see that through the camera–that sneaky Blue Hour.  You can read all about it here: The Secret of the Blue Hour.

 

Here’s how the wreaths looked for Christmas 2013…

Hang-Wreaths-on-Exterior-Windows-for-Christmas-1

 

And in 2017 after a big snowstorm hit Atlanta…

Christmas House with Wreaths in Snow

 

What’s your favorite Christmas decorating idea each year?  Do you hang wreaths from your windows?   Do you also use candles in your windows?  Has anyone found any really bright battery-operated candles?  Love hearing your ideas!

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Comments

  1. Oh I hope you like your new camera. I just bought this year the Nikon D90. I'm still learning all my functions but so far I'm very happy with it. Also a new 60mm micro lens and I'm having so much fun playing with it.
    It's so scary buying a new camera..you hope it's not a dud and it gives you what quality you are looking for. They sure are not cheap. The Nikon replaced my old fashion film Minolta..How I miss the old ways but am enjoying the ease of digital…oh yes, love your home..nice picture…

  2. FABBY'S LIVING says

    How lovely dear Susan, you're house looks so gorgeous and festive! You did a great job with those pretty wreaths, I would do that in my windows til I die!! Thanks for sharing. Happy decking.
    FABBY

  3. Calypso In The Country says

    Your house looks stunning! Thank you for the tutorial too! My neighbor just put wreaths on her windows and I was admiring them thinking I would like to do that! Now that I know that ladders are not involved, I may consider it for next year! I am already behind on enough to add another project for this year though…
    Great job!
    -Shelley

    • I hang my wreaths out the window like you but I use clear command strip hooks, turn them upside down and stick them inside the window. Make a little slit in the fabric and done.

  4. ourlifeinaclick.blogspot.com says

    We finally made the investment this year and are hoping to hang them (your way) this weekend. I can't wait to see how they look. We were thinking of using ribbon but between your tutorial and a few others we checked out, we decided on the ribbon method. I think it will look prettier too.

    Your house looks beautiful!!!

  5. Looks so pretty. I don't hang wreaths, and have stopped using the old electric candles b/c this house doesn't have a Christmas light switch like my Raleigh house did. 🙁 (I'm lazy.) I'm glad you said that about the extension cords b/c I didn't know they made those. My new Christmas tree came w/ a switch like that, but I didn't know a/b the cords. Was in Books a Million over the weekend and picked up Hoffman Media's Christmas in the White House publication about past Christmases in the White House. There is a mantel in there that looks very similar to the Pottery Barn entry that you hacked for your front porch. Made me wonder if the Pottery Barn designers got their inspiration from seeing that.

  6. I just hung my wreaths on my front windows and do it the same way you do. No ladders over here! As for the lights in my windows, I might have to give these extension cords a try. For years I've been hooking up timers in every front room of my home. There are extension cords all over the place that I try to hide behind furniture and under rugs. But the look on the outside is just beautiful. The funniest thing is when half of the lights are on and the other half off! Enjoy your new camera. I recently bought the Nikon Cool Pix, not ready for the big one yet, and it also takes a lot of blurry pics. Can't figure out what the problem is.
    Marianne 🙂

  7. A Kitchen Witch says

    That's so pretty!

  8. vignette design says

    Thanks for the tutorial. I have a similar house with a similar amount of windows, but was overwhelmed thinking about hanging wreaths in every window. You've inspired me! It's just the initial investment I guess–then where to store 13 wreaths!? I love your home and it looks fantastic all decked out!

  9. Beautiful, and a really great tutorial. My problem is I have these darn screens that are permanently in place! And I am not handy!! Your home looks so warm and welcoming. xo

  10. Ann@A Sentimental Life says

    I love candles in the window, my favorite thing. I also hang wreaths, well my husband hangs them!
    I am amazed when people have their candles all lit. Mine seem to fall out of the window and the bulb goes out…the battery ones are not bright enough? But I did get some at Home Depot for my weekend house. The kind with a timer. They worked great, just do not like the color as well. But they last, I realized when I was home in Feb I had forgotten to take one out of a window and it was still lit!

  11. Designs By Pinky says

    I don't do wreaths on my windows because we have SO MUCH else going on outside! I REAL sleigh with a life sized Santa and reindeer on the porch is just one thing:) As far as candles, yes we do that every year. You can put them all on TIMERS and then you can forget all about them and they even come on and off if you aren't there!!!!! We went to Fl. one year and it looked like we were here! Just a thought. XO, Pinky

  12. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Ann, that was one long burning bulb!

  13. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Pinky, I may have to try that. I saw timers at Walmart, but didn't think about them for the windows. Next year. 🙂

  14. Beautiful! I have always wondered how to hang the wreaths, but I've never tried it. I do use the window candles, though. A few years ago I bit the bullet and bought the ones with the light sensors from JoAnn's. (They usually go on sale for 50% off at some point during the holidays.) No more turning them on and off! When it gets dark, they come on. This year I'm working on the garlands like you made last year for the columns on the front of the house. Maybe next year I'll take on the wreaths!

  15. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Marianne, you may want to return it if you still can…just in case. I'm glad I did today. The new one seems to be working fine.

  16. Susan, Your home looks beautiful dressed for Christmas. I love using wreaths and candles on the windows. I'm looking for new candles as three of mine didn't work when I took them out of the box. I don't know of any nice battery operated ones though.

  17. I love your wreaths! I have hung wreaths on our windows using command hooks and they work well.
    I love the foot tap gadget! I have one for my tree. I decided this year to plug the candles in to a timer! The easy and lazy way to do it!

    • We just bought the clear Command hooks that are supposed to hold up even in cold temperatures. They are quite expensive and you have to buy refills on the glue part every year, but it seemed to be the only solution since we got new vinyl windows and couldn’t use nails on the frame. Spent a fortune on the Command hooks and realized when we got the packages home that they say to NOT use them on windows! Where the heck else would you use them outside?!? This ribbon idea sounds like the answer we’ve been looking for. I’ve missed our 10 wreaths on the outside every year ever since we got the new windows, so I’m really looking forward to seeing them back up this year.

      • I hope this works for you, Kelly! That is weird that they won’t let you use them on windows. I once tried to use a command hook on an outside porch column to hold the end of some garland. It worked until it rained, then it let go.

        • I found electric candles on Amazon that I use year round. They have sensors that automatically turns them on when it’s dark and off when the sun comes up in the morning. I LOVE them. This is the link for those: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K32OZDI?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages01 I did have to buy suction cup holders, because we have cats. Naughty, naughty cats! The first ones I bought sucked and only about 3/4ths of the ones in the package actually worked. However, I just bought this new style and the reviews are good. I haven’t put them up yet, because they just arrived yesterday, but I hope they work better. http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NC5SDLS?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 Also, I would advise you, if you are interested in these, to buy up a BUNCH of back-up bulbs, and a few back-up candles in case one falls and breaks. Because I’ve had past experience with buying candles and lights at different times, then realizing they didn’t consistently match across the front of the house, I am paranoid about running out of bulbs and not being able to find replacements that are the exact same color tone and wattage of what I already have. The bulbs that go with these candles on Amazon, for some reason always take a long time to come – especially during December when I want them the MOST! Anyway, these candles have worked well for me for two years and are bright and friendly in the windows.

  18. Hi Susan- your home looks lovely with the wreaths! What a classic colonial style home and the wreaths are just perfect with it.
    We have wreaths too, but I mount them from the inside. I have a light weight brass piece that was formed to slide in at the top of the window and hold the wreath. Our winter weather gets a bit aggressive and the wreaths can get to blowing in the wind and banging the windows so that's why I keep them inside. I want to update mine this year and I think it would be nice to have the long tails like yours.
    We have timers that run the lights and that works great, but I like your idea too!
    Sorry about your camera but glad they honored an exchange. I picked out a new one but I didn't go with an SLR style (had my eyes on the D7100) I decided to stick with a point and shoot, but still a Nikon. Told Dan not to give it to me until Christmas!

    • Lizabeth, I just now stumbled upon “Between Naps on the Porch” and your post (yes, 9 years after) is what I was looking for! You said you mount your wreaths from the inside. That’s what I’m going to do, but are your wreaths lit? Mine are, and the lights are multi-color. I was wondering: in your opinion, are multi-color lit wreaths in windows is considered tacky? I have seen no photos on Pinterest, etc. showing any – just green wreaths with bows, unlit. Thanks for your opinion in advance!

  19. Yep, do the same thing on our house and the wreaths look wonderful! I'm glad I've mastered the art of making good bows (and am always making them for neighbors!) Big red bow on the light post and a huge wreath on the front door with a red bow and we are ready to rock around the Christmas tree!! You are right, Susan – the type of windows you have will determine how to hang them. We have the crank open Anderson ones so I crank them open, hang a wreath on each side and then crank the window closed. The ribbon fits snugly and all is well. Susan – you should consider a spot light on your front door – I think that would look awesome!

  20. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Susie, I am a pretty good bow maker but these were so inexpensive, I couldn't make them for that. 🙂 I have used a spot light in the past…may be too lazy to pull it out again this year, though.

  21. Alison @ The Polohouse says

    Susan,
    Your house looks like the front of a Christmas card! Seriously!

    I have used plug in candles in my windows, in our last house, but never this house. I love them but there are a couple windows in our living room that would require a ladder to get to them every year so I have never used them here.

    I hang wreaths on our outdoor railing above the porch and on every light along the garages and several other spots. Love the look of them on the windows….so East coast! Reminds me of houses in my hometown.

    Thanks for sharing your hanging secrets with us!
    xx
    A

  22. Susan,

    As always…your house looks beautiful! Your timing couldn't be more perfect. I haven't hung outside wreaths in a few years and was just telling my husband I want to start it again. One problem we had was with them blowing around in the wind and turning around. Any advice with that. I'm a fussy sleeper and it annoyed me at night plus the bows would flip over.

    We just secured them by closing the window on them.

    Love the look!

    Betsy

  23. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Thanks, Betsy! I wonder if you could wrap some green garden twine (or something that would blend in with the wreath and not show) around the bottom of the wreath, then tie that to a 3M hook that you stuck on the window. Maybe that would keep the bottom anchored down against the window.

  24. brilliant. simply brilliant!

  25. Brayton Homestead Interiors says

    how fantastic of you to share your secrets, thanks…

    Karen

  26. Wendy @HerBallistic Garden says

    I have to admit…it's a simple fix for hanging wreaths I'd have never thought of! I use two Gold,Cream battery operated operated candles in each window. I picked them up at Home Hardware on sale a few years ago. The batteries lasted for weeks in them, because they also only turned on at night by themselves…like a night light I guess. I didn't have to switch them all on like my old ones. Very pretty from the street!
    xo

  27. Your house looks beautiful. This might be something for me to try!

  28. it looks beautiful! May I ask, how do you store your wreaths to keep the pretty ribbons from getting crushed?

    I have sensor candles that I keep in my windows all year long. They go on at dusk and off at dawn. Once the plug is in the outlet, no need to worry about remembering to run them on or off!

  29. Chatty Crone says

    Your home is beautiful Susan. sandie

  30. Your home is just lovely! I love the look of wreaths on windows, have been doing it for years too, no matter where I lived. The color of my bows has changed from time to time. Last year I wanted a more rustic, farmhouse look and hung the wreaths from a brown twine, from the hardware store, and used red bows on the wreaths. I will do that again this year, but using a different color red for the bows.
    We don't hang wreaths upstairs, as I have trees in the windows.This year we are planning to have a southern snowman, made from grapevine with a spotlight on him at night. Should have happened last weekend, but just not enough hours in the day!

  31. Olive Cooper says

    Brilliant you are! The pushpins are a great idea and I have wondered how this was done. Perhaps after Christmas we will dive in and buy the wreaths.

  32. laxsupermom says

    I haven't hung outdoor wreaths on our windows, because that would mean pulling out the extension ladder and propping it on our ice covered driveway. Those double sash windows look like a dream to work with. Your house is so pretty with the outdoor wreaths! Thanks for sharing.

  33. martinealison says

    Il est toujours intéressant de vous lire… Un grand merci à vous pour ce partage d'astuces… les photos de votre maison sont superbes …
    gros bisous

  34. I know it is all beautiful, Susan. I used to hang wreaths in our windows, and I used the same method you are using. I switched to pine sprays with red bows in the center a few years ago. You can see them in my banner photo.

    I'm like you. I tried the battery lights, but I prefer the electric. They give a better "glow". I do have mine all on timers, and I love it. I do have the button floor switch on our main Christmas tree, but I am thinking to switching it to a timer, too.

    I've been sick with a terrible cold and cough. This is the third week, and I am slowly getting better. Now my sweet husband has it.

    I hope you will join us every Pink Saturday during the holidays as we celebrate together.

  35. FabShabbyRoses says

    Love your decorating ideas! Thanks for sharing! you have a beautiful home and a gorgeous guest room! I knew I had to leave you a post when I saw that dollhouse in the yellow, I'm assuming guest room? It's wonderful! I'd love to hear the story behind it and some more revealing pictures of it. I'm a dollhouse nut and this one is just beautiful. Thank you!
    Carolyn

  36. Mrs C with Style says

    I love the wreaths!! Your house is so pretty! You do have a lot of windows:) Love how it looks at night!

  37. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Someone asked about how I store the wreaths to keep the bows from getting crushed. I hang them in a storage area in the bonus room, up under the eves. The heat isn't probably that great for them, but it's the most convenient spot I have for storing them.

    • Debbie Hurst says

      I take my ribbons off and store them separately, takes time to put them back on, but preserves the ribbons. Love the room also. Where did you get your linens and is that a yellow. Don’t search very much, so please reply to my e-mail address.

  38. OMG, that's exactly how I hang my wreaths!!! I think we might be geniuses – what do you think?

    Love your home!!

  39. Oh, I did want to mention that I also glued felt behind my wreaths so the metal on the wreath frame didn't hit the windows and rat-a-tat-tat all night long on windy nights.

  40. If you ever decide to buy new lights, they now have timer lights that are 8 hours on, 16 off. The only time you have to worry about the lights is the first time you plug them in, the husband and I usually run around trying to do them all as close to the same time.

  41. Your house looks beautiful. We use the candles, but not the wreaths. I had figured out how to do them without climbing. In hopes to do the wreaths, I checked several of the windows and I can't get some of the open. (Dang painters!) So, I will save my money & just go with the candles this year.
    Beckie

  42. Susan I have not read your whole post because it helped me with the translator …..
    hoping to improve my English :))))))))
    I want you to know that I always follow, even if no comment …..
    Your wreaths are very very beautiful and shiny :)))))
    a hug
    Sabry!

  43. Oh, your house looks so beautiful and festive! I hang wreaths on the outside of the windows also, and I do it with ribbon like you do. But my windows are metal, so no push pins. I got some heavy duty clips (I guess they are meant for paper) at the office supply store that have a very strong grasp. I bring the ribbon inside like you do and fasten the end to a little edge that juts out of the window frame. I've been doing this for 8-10 years now, and haven't lost a wreath to the wind or snow yet! I keep thinking one will blow off in a storm, but they hold fast! It helps that the windows are tight.

    Your blog is lovely!

  44. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Magpie, that sounds like a great way to hang them from metal windows! Thanks for sharing your technique for hanging wreaths!

  45. I love wreaths with ribbons and window lights also. So classic. hung wreaths with ribbons in my saltbox home in Bellbrook, OH, back in the 90's. I placed the wreaths in the upstair windows jusr like you did. I received a lot of compliments from my neighbors since our house was one of the first ones seen as people would come home from work in our neighborhood. We still use the wreaths in the windows in our Niceville, FL, home.Your home is beautiful. Seeing your home has gotten my creative juices working overtime. Your blog is the first one I look at every day. We also have a sunroom with white wicker furniture. I also collect Dept. 56 and I have a bedroom with a brass and white bed which my daughter's daughter now sleeps in when she visits. Keep up the good work.

  46. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Anonymous, thanks so much! Sounds like we like many of the same things.

  47. Lakeshore Cottage Living says

    Your house looks magazine perfect with those wreaths. Thank you for the tip on this…I have been wanting to do this at our house too. We have several different sizes of windows across the front so I was wondering if it would be the same look…I guess I will have to try it to find out! 🙂

  48. The French Hutch says

    How nice you got a new camera. Bet your going to love it…….Beautiful decorations, love the wreaths. Your home is such a beautiful style, perfect for Christmas decorations. Can't wait to see more pics from the new camera.

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

  49. Jane@Cottage at the Crossroads says

    Susan,
    Your house is just beautiful bedecked with the wreaths and the traditional red ribbons and bows. We hang wreaths in our windows, too. We tried the battery operated candles, too, but ditched them after one year. Do you think Santa will bring me a nice camera?

  50. Ivy and Elephants says

    Hi Susan,
    This is a wonderful tutorial. You have me staring at my windows trying to figure out how to do this. My windows are different, but if there is a will there is for sure a way. Thanks so much for sharing your elegant home with us.

    Paula

  51. Heaven's Walk says

    Wow…..that is soooooooo pretty, Susan! What a clever girl you are! lol! Your house looks so festive and welcoming. 🙂 I use battery operated timer pillar candles in my front windows. They glow so nicely at night. My little Christmas tree in the urn on the front porch is on a timer, too. Definitely the way to go! 🙂

    xoxo laurie

  52. Alycia Nichols says

    REALLY sorry to hear about your camera, Susan, but glad you got another one that you like! We hang wreaths on our outside windows, too. Our home, like yours, is Colonial-style, so it looks really great. We actually screwed a hook (I think it's called an eye hook) into the wood around the window a few years ago, and we hang the wreaths from that. For the upstairs windows, though, I wonder if we could do as you suggested? Hmmmmm….I'll pitch the idea to hubby! Have a great week!

  53. Yvonne @ StoneGable says

    Great tutorial! That is just how I put mine up. Although it took us years to figure out the best way! We add an extra wire at the bottom of the wreath and secure it on the bottom inside sill. We get tons of wind… you would think we live on the open prairie.
    Your house looks gorgeous with all the wreaths.
    I really like your saying about being behind… so am I.I don't think I will catch up this year!I need "staff" or "elves". Either one will do! If they come I'll send them to you when they are done at my house!~

    xo Yvonne

  54. I love the wreaths ourside also. If I wasn't having medical problems I would do that tomorrow myself.

    It just looks so pretty. I usually have one huge lighted wreath on my house between the windows

  55. Just Spiff It says

    Thank you for validating my wreath fetish at Christmas – I am a huge believer that every window should have a wreath at Christmas. We just moved to a new home in a new state 18 months ago…………..and we ended up with 8 extra wreaths!! Oops!!

  56. What a lovely home! It is magazine material. I am so hooked on your blog now. Thank you for all the tutorials. Have a Merry Christmas!

    Wishing you well,
    Nenette West

  57. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Thanks, Nenette! Merry Christmas to you!

  58. Jordan@the2seasons says

    My mom just sent me this post. Thank you thank you!!! I want to try to do this for our house this year and I wasn't quite sure. I love how it looks. Last year we were not quite unpacked and I am thrilled to really decorate this year. Your house looks beautiful with the decorations. Thanks again!

  59. For many years I hung wreaths on our windows. We don't have double sash windows, just single sash (they only open from the bottom up), so I hammered a tiny nail in the top of each exterior window frame and hung the wreaths from the nails. One year, though, it was very windy. The wreaths blew in the wind, back and forth, back and forth. They stayed up well, but when Christmas was over and I took them down, the screens had an arc-shaped tear inscribed in them from the bow wire scraping across the screen hundreds of times. We had to replace the screens and they were expensive b/c that exact size wasn't an in-stock item, just special order.

    I have never hung wreaths outside since that time!

    My recommendation to wreath-hangers: make sure the bow wire is tucked back into the greenery where it won't damage your screens!

  60. Erin~Just*Grand says

    Love the wreaths and your hanging technique. My old house windows have been painted shut for years, so alas, this won't work for me… I do admire the look, though. Also, I wanted to pass a tidbit along to you about the Blue Hour- that same time, in the evening, right after sunset but before dark, is also called "the Gloaming"… For some reason, I love that word! Maybe it's the memories and feelings it evokes… Just FYI….

  61. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Erin, I love that word. I have a love affair with words sometimes…it's the old English major in me. lol Here's a definition of the Blue Hour from Wikipedia:
    "The blue hour comes from the French expression l'heure bleue, which refers to the period of twilight each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. The time is considered special because of the quality of the light at this time of day."
    Erin, my windows were all painted shut a few years back when my house was painted. I discovered it at Christmastime when I attempted to hang my wreaths. I was NOT happy. I called my painter and MADE him come unstick them. He wasn't thrilled about it but I was fit to be tied. I kept wondering what would have happened if there had been a fire. I had no way to unstick them on the outside…and they (the painters) should not have left them in that condition. So he did come back (although reluctantly) and unstick them all.
    You may want to consider it just for safety reasons, if you have an upstairs. Thanks for telling me about the gloaming…neat word!

  62. Your house with its windows bedecked with wreaths looks lovely. I like the fact that the wreaths look just as nice in the daylight as they do at night.

  63. ❁Velma ~Down Our Country Road❁ says

    Looks beautiful!! I don't hang wreaths from my windows but now you have me thinking….
    I use timers on all my lights. So much easier than having to go around turning them all off, which is a royal pain. Plus, if I'm not home, I love to come home to a lovely lit house. 😉
    Love the new camera by the way. Such crisp, colorful pics!

  64. Where have you been all my life? I cannot tell you how much I needed this particular post. I have skipped the second story and contented myself with first floor wreaths on all the windows. NO MORE. I am going to march myself upstairs first thing in the morning to see if I can get the double sash windows to come down from the top and then presto bravo thanks to you I will be hanging wreaths for the first time in (gasp) twenty-five years from the second story of this house. So excited! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  65. Debbie@Debbie-Dabble and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas says

    Susan,
    I have been hanging wreaths on my house for years and I use suction cups!! Yes, the big ones from the Dollar Store.
    I tried the red ribbon like you have but I am up on a hill and it is always fairly windy and the wreaths would blow around and bang the windows!!
    The suction cups keeps them in place and no movement!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

  66. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Debbie, Oh, I see. A suction cup definitely sounds better for your location. Thanks for sharing that. That may be why some folks use the suction cups instead. 🙂

  67. I have always loved the look of wreaths hanging from every window and after reading this, thought I can do that!!

    Then I remember I too have screens, don't you have screens, did you take them all off? I could, take them off, but yowzers what a pain. Guess I'll just have to enjoy yours 🙁

  68. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Hi Sally,
    I took mine off many years ago because when I had the house painted, the painter recommended I leave them off. He said they just trap dirt. Also, I noticed in all the new subdivisions, the houses never had screens on the front and the houses looked so much brighter, more cheerful without the gray cast of the screens. Here in metro Atlanta, builders sometimes put screens on the back of houses, but pretty much never on the front. In fact, most subdivision covenants for the past 10-15 years actually prohibit screens on the front of houses. Almost no one opens their windows here. It's usually too hot or too cold or too much pollen to open windows. My subdivision doesn't have covenants against them, but I just liked how much brighter the house looked without them. Screens would definitely be an issue for wreath hanging, I'm afraid.

  69. Thank you so much for the tutorial!!! I have a 5/4 & a door brick faced Georgian Colonial like yours (without the lovely front porch!) and followed your tutorial! Wow – what a job, but so worth it! I got the wreaths from Walmart at $2.97 ea and the red bows at $1.97 ea plus a roll of red ribbon.
    I do have storms/screens – so i had to finagle it a little but finally got the rhythm down towards the end – AND a head start on spring cleaning – what are all those creepy cocoons that live in the storm tracks? And how did a tiny dead frog get up to the second floor?
    Thank you again!

  70. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    cweb, lol I know what you mean about the bugs and stuff. It always takes me a while to hang them each year because I end up cleaning all the window out of spider webs and "stuff." I can't believe you found a frog on the second floor!

  71. Amy @MaisonDecor says

    Cruising through some of your holiday decorating tips and I love the wreaths in the windows look. I have a center entrance colonial with the same look as your home and then 3 dormer windows on the top of the house. Problem is this house has built in screens, and in Boston area we do open and close windows. So I have to live without this classic look. I also admired when you added the front porch overhang, it looked fantastic then and still adds such elegance today. That is one feature I would love to add to my home.

  72. I, too, have had the problem of messy cords for the candles, or battery operated ones that are just too dim, or even sensored ones (but they only come on when it is really dark; since I have two security lights on one side of my house, the sensors in the candles on that side of the house won't work at all!) I like to have the lights on when I come home from work in the late afternoon and have tried just about every kind of candle out there. This year, I found some at Wal-Mart that are battery operated with built in timers–not sensors! They stay on for 8 hours and turn off for 16. I was skeptical, but tried them and Love them! The bulb is bright, and they worked from just after thanksgiving til i took them down on New Years.

  73. Susan BetweenNapsOnThePorch says

    Those sound perfect! I think I'll look for those this next Christmas. It would be wonderful to not have cords to deal with and to have them come on automatically…and have them also be bright. I don't want to sacrifice the brightness factor. 🙂

  74. Nancy Rickhoff says

    I’m doing wreaths like this this year! So pretty! My question for you is how do you keep them from blowing around in the wind?

    • We do get a little wind each year but it’s not normally enough to cause any issues with the wreaths. We sometimes will have really strong winds for maybe 1 or 2 days during the Christmas season. If the winds are REALLLLY strong, they will bounce around a little but normally it’s not too bad. I have had one or two flip over during the month or so that they are up, but that’s very rare. If I see one flipped over in the wind, I just raise the lower part of the window, reach up and flip it back over, but again, that only happens maybe once a year. It didn’t happen even once last Christmas season, so it’s pretty rare for the wind to be that breezy here. If you live in a super windy area, you may want to attach some type of suction hooks to the bottom of each wreath and press them against the glass…or somehow anchor them. Hope this helps a bit.

  75. I have hung wreaths from my windows for over 20 years now. They add such a warm touch along with window candles to welcome family and friends. I reuse my wreaths each year and instead of sticking a push pin in my wood window I tie a knot in the ribbon and close my double hung window up and the knot keeps the wreaths in place and no damage to the wood window frame. It makes it easy to adjust the length so they are all hung at the same level of the window without damaging the wood. Also it is a good alternative for those who do not have wood windows to insert a push pin in.

  76. Thank you for this! I bought my first house this year and have always loved this look but never knew how to achieve it. I’m off to Michaels to get started! One question… where do you get such great wreaths? I’m having trouble finding nice simple ones. Thanks!

    • Sara, they can be hard to find. Don’t settle though because you’ll be using these for the next 20 years, so invest in some good ones that are meant for outdoors. Do you have a Pike Nursery where you live…not sure if they are in other areas. They carry nice Christmas stuff. It’s been so long, I don’t remember now where I got the wreaths. Check Gardenridge, Old Time Pottery, and Lowes. Lowes often has nice Christmas decorations. Home Depot may, also. Even check Sears. You may have to do a bit of driving to find good ones, but I think it’s worth it since you’ll use them forever. 🙂

  77. Thanks so much!! One more… what length are your candles… I think I saw the 9″ and a 12″.

  78. Thank you for sharing your decorating ideas. New house and we just hung the wreaths and candles in all the windows. They look beautiful! I purchased all battery operated wreaths and candles. The wreaths are Bethlehem lights and the candles are luminaria. All purchased from QVC. Happy holidays!

  79. Susan,
    We just moved into a new colonial home last year and I have been waiting for a year to put wreaths up in my 9 window. I just bought mine from Home Depot. They are classic natural 24 inch wreaths and they come in a pack of 6. (So, I had to buy 12 of course). They are offering free shipping and I used a coupon code for $5 off. (BFHD2012) The bunch of 6 wreaths is $52. The wreaths are decorated with pincones and red berries.

  80. For many years I did the artificial wreaths with red bows and hung them as you do, without the use of a ladders. However, I just love fresh greens so the last few years I have purchased live wreaths at Sams Club, which have a mix of greens and berries. Last year I made natural burlap bows and that has been my favorite look with our house and shutter color. This year I purchased red burlap ribbon from Pick Your Plum so I may try that. I gather greens and natural things from the woods for my urns.

  81. I appreciate so much the time you take with these posts-I always get such good ideas from them! Your house looks stunning, as always, and I look forward to seeing more, more, more!!

  82. I love how your house looks with the wreaths up. I can’t put up wreaths like you because I have the combination storm windows. I would need to get on the porch roof. I do have a front door with sidelights and wall fixture with 3 sided bay windows on each side of the front door . We place a wreath under the light on each side of the door. The porch is 36 feet wide and I swag lighted garland across the railing.
    If you plan ahead catch the 75-90% off sales after Christmas. I keep a list of what I need (as I decorate) for next year and stock up. Extention cords, hooks and replacement bulbs are cheap then.
    We do the electric candle in the windows, each one has a timer built in and it goes on just before we get home and goes of by midnight. I have them go on about a minute apart so it looks like someone is lighting them. 🙂
    love your site and am trying to catch up
    rick

    • That is sooo smart…keeping a list as you go along so you know what to buy during the after Christmas sales. I need to do that, too. HA…love that you have the lights set to come on that way…now that is attention to detail at its best! It would be fun to go outside and watch it happen, one window at the time. 🙂 Thanks, Rick! PS: Hope you get this comment. I don’t think the plugin I’m using to notify of replies to comments is working.

  83. I’m late in reading this. but I have a few things that I do when hanging my wreaths. I put a string on the bottom of the wreath ( like the ribbon on the top of the wreath), and bring it under the bottom window to hold it in place in case the wind makes it move. I also sew or staple th ribbon ends together and then when I bring the ribbon inside at the top, I put a small piece of thin dowel thru the ribbon, so that the weight, if covered with snow or wind brings the wreath down. After many years of decorating my windows with wreaths I have found this successful, but I guess I live in wind prone area. Always like the look of the wreaths…….

    • Karen, thanks for this suggestion. Another reader was having a lot of trouble with wind and was wondering how to deal with that. We don’t get that much here so it hasn’t been much of a problem. Appreciate those suggestions for folks who do live in very windy areas.

      • Thank you both SO much. We loved the wreaths on the house (so did the neighbors) once we figured out how to silence them. My husband ended up using heavy duty fishing line to secure them from two sides, running it through the closed windows. That took care of the banging & twisting so we could sleep some during the holiday season. 😀

        NOW – how do you store all your wreaths? I typically keep all my Christmas stuff in clear bins with red lids (easy to spot) but don’t think it will work for the nine out door wreaths. Thanks so much!!!

        • Great…glad you solved that. 🙂 Check this post and you’ll see a picture where mine get stored. I basically just put nails in the eves of the attic storage off the upstairs living room and hang them in there. In the photo in that post, I’ve already removed a lot of them, but you can see the nails in the trusses and you can see some of the wreaths hanging on the wall to the left and on the back wall of the attic.

  84. Susan,
    Thank you so much for sharing. I think I’m going to try this for my home this year. Your home is absolutely beautiful. Thank you for taking the time to post things in a way we can all understand. Sounds simple enough. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

  85. joni davis says

    i love your “better than pb” garland! In reference to your window candles and extension cords—i found some battery operated candles at big lots last year called “Simple On” that are easy to use and are almost as bright as electric. I live in an old home that doesn’t have any outlets under the windows and always had to struggle with extension cords–which i hated! These candles are 8 hour on and 16 hours off. They use 2 AA batteries, and i have one candle that i left up since before Thanksgiving 2011—it was still burning when i put the rest of them out this year! Big lots had them in stock again this year and i bought some more because they were so good—and $4 each!
    And by the way–i absolutely love the blue bedroom in this post!

    • Thanks, Joni! And thanks for the tip on Big Lots. That’s the only reason I’ve resisted the battery operated was that they were never as bright. I’ll have to check the ones at Big Lots out. $4 is a great price on them.

  86. I love this blog and this is the first time I ever thought I had advice to share! I live on the windy New England coastline. The first year we put up the wreaths they became frozen with ice backwards against the windows. Those that weren’t stuck with ice to the panes, became like frozen missiles bashing against the panes with the wind. it looked awful and scared the children when the wind blew.

    It took me 2 years to figure out how to keep the wreaths firmly in place during blizzards and northeasters. We tacked a small white finish nail at the top of the top sill and another at the bottom of the bottom sill. Then with a helper, we hang fishing line from the top and pull another fishing line strand in from the bottom. When it is tight and secure, we close the window and tie the bottom fishing line against the bottom nail These tiny nails have been in the same spots for 20 years and nobody ever notices them so we don’t take them down. I also store the wreaths in two oversize trash barrels that have lids I painted with a warning that the contents are holiday wreaths, not trash.

  87. Hi,

    Your home is absolutely beautiful. You are very clever and creative. My windows swing out so I’ll have to figure out a way of hanging the wreaths next Christmas.

    Thanx for all your ideas. Keep ’em comin’…!

    John

  88. Susan, what a great suggestion! That is one of those ingenious ideas that makes me want to slap my forehead and say, Why didn’t I think of that? What an easy (and safe) way to hang the wreaths. It seems most everyone has double hung windows, so it’s really ideal and takes the pain, aggravation and inadvertent injury (lol) out of hanging wreaths. I can’t wait to try it this year. Thank you so much for sharing that.

    Your house is just gorgeous. Inside and out.

  89. Mary Gottlieb says

    Susan ~
    For those looking for a wreath storage solution….this was ours.
    Up to the attic – Place 2 large hooks the distance apart needed to accommodate your wreaths….
    I purchased plastic “chain” and cut 2 – 6″lengths and put the two end links of each over each hook. We bought
    the kind of wooden dowel you would use for a clothes closet and cut it long enough to fit all the wreaths plus 2″ each side. The dowel ends were inserted into fold of the hanging chain at either end … I string the wreaths (bows left intact)like beads along the dowel and cover with a plastic sheet to keep dust free. Come Christmas decorating
    time we “unstring” the wreaths, fresh and uncrushed, and hang them. This out-of-the-way storage
    doesn’t take much space and can be installed in a garage, basement or any available area. Has worked well
    for us 20 years…and the 24 wreathed and lighted windows are a treat for passing sightseers….Well worth the
    effort in joy-giving.

  90. Lynn Quade says

    Thank you so much for posting this. The wreaths look so pretty. I always wondered how people did this so I finally went out seeking ideas and you had it all in one place.

  91. Debbie Murphy says

    Would you please share with me the names of the various fabrics used in the “blue” bedroom? I absolutely love it and have meant to ask you about the various fabrics for some time now.
    My thanks in advance for your kind assistance-
    Deb Murphy

    • Thanks, Debbie! It’s been so many years since I put that room together, my memory is a bit rusty. The bedding is Ralph Lauren and the comforter, bedskirt and shams were all part of a set called “Porcelain.” For many years you could find it online various place. I think RL still makes a blue/white bedding line some years so you may find something similar by him. I have no idea about the blue and white check chair and ottoman since I found those in the very back of an antique store on the south side of ATL that has long since closed. That store had antique stuff in the front and new stuff in the back and it was with the new stuff. There’s no brand name under the cushion so don’t know who made it. After I purchased the bedding, I went in search of another fabric/pattern I could add to the room and I found the yellow and blue floral fabric by Sanderson in a fabric/decorator type store called Persnickety. I told them the size of my windows and they had their workroom make it into balloon valances for me. I’ve forgotten the name but I remember it had the word “ribbon” in it because there’s a blue ribbon running through it. The tableskirt was a really common fabric I found in that same fabric store. I don’t remember the name of it, but I saw it in many fabric stores for years and years after that. Unfortunately, Persnickety closed not long after I bought my fabric there. I still love that bedroom after all these years. I decorate the way I like and I tend to love it for a long, long time, so my room tend to stay in time warps. Blue and White has always had a hold on me. 🙂

  92. I love the way you’ve decorated your windows with the wreaths and candles! It looks beautiful!! Can you advise which candles you use if you have any tricks on opening and closing wood windows as I have a challenge with them each year! Thank you.

    • Thanks, James! The candles I use are ancient, electric ones I’ve had for 20-25 years. I tried battery operated ones one year and they just weren’t very bright. You can see them in this post: https://betweennapsontheporch.net/hang-wreaths-on-your-exterior-windows-a-tutorial/ This year I purchased timers for them from Home Depot…going to see if that will work instead of running around every evening plugging them all in. I have to place mine on over the lock of the window…you’ll see that in the post. I can’t place them on the window sill or the shutter will not close. So I try to have them shine through the center of the wreath. Then the cord goes through the edge of the shutter. I usually have to use an extension cord, too. I don’t like seeing the cords but just don’t like how dim the battery operated ones are. Maybe they have come out with better battery ones now…it’s been a few years since I tried those. I remember seeing the battery operated ones in JoAnns last year and I think they automatically came on when it got dark. Some folks I think said they do like those on that previous post in the comments. Read the comments on that post I’ve linked above because I think there were some suggestions about candles in that post.

  93. I’m all over this Susan! Thanks for the tutorial! Now I need to go find 10 faux wreaths and ribbon. Since I have double hung windows, it should be fairly easy. Why didn’t I think of this!? Delores

    • Delores, you will love how it looks! It really is easy as long as your windows aren’t painted shut. lol That’s the only time I had an issue was right after my house was painted. I had to get the painter back out to unstick all the windows.

  94. Faith Moore says

    I love the look of the wreaths also. I have screens in my windows and cannot determine how to place the wreaths that I bought before I realized I did not know how to hang them. Oh well…

    • Faith, there may be a way to hang them with wreaths, it would probably be a bit hard though…you would have to unhook the screens and lower them a bit to get the wreath over the screen. Definitely would be a two-person job. I’m also a bit worried the wreath might snag the screen. I never open my windows so don’t miss having screens. I removed them when I had the house painted right after we moved here because I just like the way the front of the house looks without them.

  95. I hang my wreaths from the inside too. Instead of a pin or knot, I make a loop at the end and insert a pencil, bamboo skewer, straw, or even a jumbo paper clip in the loop. It’s just thick enough to prevent the ribbon from slipping through the crack in the window. Measure the distance from the wreath to the loop so all wreaths will hang the same distance.

    • Karen, I love that idea! That’s so much better than knotting it because you can adjust the length for the years you have candles in the window. Brilliant idea! Thanks so much for sharing it!

  96. Wendy Smithey says

    Thanks for the ribbon tips, my husband reglazed and got all of our windows working this summer so hopefully I can try the ribbons vs the command hooks. As to the candles, I use the electric candles, but have a great lighting system. We use the remote control devices that you plug the cords into. I have 9 windows on the front 5 up 4 down. Bought 2 packs of remote controls with the same frequency on the off on switch. Stand in the foyer and turn on the upstairs and the downstairs in 2 clicks. Thought about timers, but my husband is a fireman and really would rather the drop cord type of things only be switched on when we are here with them.

    • Wendy, I love this idea! I don’t really want mine on while I’m gone either. I purchased a set of the remote thingies last year on Amazon and used them for the trees and front porch garland…I should do the same for the candles. Where did you find yours? I’m hoping I can find them for a bit less than what they were on Amazon.

      • Wendy Smithey says

        i found my first set at W-mart they were about 18.00 for 3 outlets and a remote. Last year i lucked into 2 more packs at Lowes on clearance after Christmas, they were 4.00 each. I bought those as well thinking this year I might ad some exterior illumination (just not planning to tell my hubby until after the fact).. Hope that helps

  97. First of all I could nto read all the comments because there are too many, so someone may have mentioned these things: I am looking to hang wreaths this year but the tops of my windows were painted shut from the outside by previous owners. UGH. While leaning out a lower window to try and loosen it I discovered a tiny eye hook at the top of the sash. Someone hung wreaths before!! I had planned to use the ribbon method, and as someone else mentioned, wrap or glue a small dowel into the inside ribbon to keep it from slipping out. I guess I will be getting some fishing line instead. That means I might not get to it this year since it is already the 12th.
    About the candles ant timers and batteries and plugs: I have been using window candles for many years and I have found the best place to get them is Michaels. They usually have a sale on them at several times during the season and they run about $3 on sale. Mine are all electric. The battery ones just use batteries WAY too quickly. My current home has a plug on every window wall so I have not needed the battery ones, even in the bathrooms. I use them in every window since the back of the house is visible from some angles. There are 3 kinds you can buy from michaels: with a switch, with an 8 hour timer, or with a sensor. I have all 3 in various places. I use the switch in our bedroom so I can turn them off at bedtime (though I often forget to go up and turn them on so this probably isn’t a good solution). The other bedrooms (since our kids can sleep through anything) have 8 hour sensors and they go off around midnight. If you use those the key is to plug them all in at the same time at the beginning of the season. In some of the other rooms I have the sensors, so they go off in the morning. I would never go around and plug them all in at the beginning of each evening and off at bedtime or in the morning. My mother in law does that and I think she is crazy.
    This year (new house as of Dec 2012) I added some icicle lights to our two front porches. Target had the supplies for a song back before Thanksgiving. I had measured each porch so I knew how long the light string needed to be. I found strings of 300 icile lights at Target that would fit both porches. I also found these TERRIFIC “outdoor” 3M hooks made JUST for hanging lights. These worked beautifully. I hope they stay up through the years since they are clear. We’ll see. I also got white outdoor extension cords for around $6, to bring tha light cord down the wall of the white porch to the plug. Then I found the most amazing thing, for less than $10!! Westinghouse makes a sensored timer. The one I bought takes 3 plugs from outdoor cords. I have the icicle lights from both porches plugged into it as well as a lighted door wreath. The timer senses dusk and turns all 3 sets on at that time. Then you can set it for all night (dusk to dawn), 2,4,6, 7, 8, or 10 hours after dusk. I have mine set for 7 hours so they go off around 2 am. Perfect! I have not had to go outside once since I installed them!
    I hope my suggestions are helpful to some folks. If you have any ideas about the wreaths and the tiny hooks at the top of my windows, let me know. I assume fishing wire is best…

    • Great info, Katie! Thanks for sharing this. If I ever build or do a major renovation on a house in the future, it will have an electrical outlet under every window. You are so luck to have that! I’m not a huge fan of the fishing wire idea just because the wreath just sort of ends up perched there. I’m not really crazy about the suction cup on the window idea for that reason. I like for it look more natural where you actually see the wreath hanging from a ribbon and I love the look of the ribbon. This is all completely personal preference though…some folks may not like the ribbon look. If you decide to add a long hanging ribbon (using the ribbon that’s made for outdoors and doesn’t fade and lasts for many, many years) maybe you could tie a small craft ring (wood or metal) onto the ribbon at the height needed and hang the wreath/ribbon from the hook with the little ring. I’m envisioning a ring that’s an inch or two wide, wide enough to get the ribbon through it to tie it off. Once you determine the proper length for ribbon, mark the back of each ribbon with the room/window it goes it so the next year you don’t have to guess what wreath goes where. Don’t know if this would work for you situation…just tossing it out there in case.

  98. Great info, thanks! I just bought 7 wreaths for the front of my house. I always wondered HOW to hang them with the ribbon. I think if I were to do this (I might, maybe next year, running out of time) instead of putting a knot, I would fold the end a few times and staple it.

  99. Christina McCall says

    I know it is way past Christmas, however I loved reading every single comment. I have been a single mom of 3 girls for 26 years, so now that I am entering into an “almost” empty nester phase in one year. I am planning beyond the “extensive decorating” I have been doing to the inside of the house. Basically I love it all, and with all of your wonderful tutorials on so many DIY PB looks, etc…. I am having a great time planning each season and making my list, catching the sales. So as I will be busy with my oldest daughters wedding all of this shopping and planning is for the addtional decor for the holidays. I can’t wait to get to put the wreaths on all of my windows. Thank you for all of your suggestions!! It helps when you are always on the go.

  100. Christina McCall says

    Hey Susan, it is me again. I just found the post on making the wreaths and all of the wonderful suggestions for turning on the lights, various ways to secure the wreath etc….. I really want to thank every one for your comments. They really are very helpful and saves so much time from “re-inventing” the wheel or knocking your brain to death wondering “how to do something since I have so much on my plate right now. Susan as I have said in a few post this is my main project for the year since I went a bit overboard last year with my tablescapes, but here is my question. I see how beautiful your windows are, but is there a post that you show us how you decorate your front door area? If you do will you please e-mail me the link, or just post a comment below. I am sure I am not the only one who may be wondering the same thing. If for some reason I have missed that post, I do apologize since I am still new at navigating my way through your ideas, creations, etc….Just let me know what you do to your front door and if I am not mistaken I think I saw some garland around your front door frame, but I would LOVE to see your front door totally decorated and see it all pulled together. PLEASE share with me what you do, because I know it will look fabulous and really tie in those windows. Thanks so much. If you send me a link or e-mail with pictures showing me how, please mention that in the comment below. Thank you so much!!!

  101. I Love wreaths in windows, but my husband won’t let me hang them because it might scratch the outside. We have new Pella wood windows with vinyl on the outside. Have you had a problem with scratching. I might add that we live in flat farm country and the wind can be brutal. Also want to tell you, I use candles that have timers in them. On for 8 hours off for 16.
    I love them because I plug them in and forget about them. I got them at JoAnn’s.

  102. I want to hang wreaths as I see them all over our neighborhood, so thanks for this detailed information!! One note on the candles, which you may have already discovered for yourself — You can use light-sensor candles so they are only on at night and automatically turn off in daylight.

  103. Christina McCall says

    Hello Susan, well I believe I have made a few posts on these outdoor wreaths in the past, but now the time has come that I want to start working on these this week. So I have a few questions that are kind of stressing me out. I have looked at SO many ribbons and I get a bit overwhelmed when there are so many choices that are staring you in the face and you have other things to do. Thank you for sharing that your ribbon is
    2 1/2 inches wide. That is very helpful! Can you please tell (really HELP) me with the following questions so I can get this project finished. Here goes:

    1. How many loops are on your bows 8-10-12??
    2. I noticed two long tails after the loops (how long are those)?
    3. I also noticed the mail long tails (which are gorgeous), will you please also tell me how long those are as well.
    4. Where is the best place to go to buy electric candles?
    5. I have heard many comments on where to get some items (Big Lots, Lowes, Walmart, etc……, do you have any suggestions on the smartest places to go to save me time, money and mistakes. I usually go to Hobby Lobby for everything.

    Like I said I am pretty crafty, but when I think too hard I never get any project made. I was looking at the latch on my windows and thought, how in the world will a candle sit right in the center of the wreaths. Thank goodness you cleared that up for me. I have looked at packaged candles at Hobby Lobby, but did not open any package to see if there is an area that will sit and fit to cover the latch on the windows. Knowing that electric candles are the way to go is wonderful.

    P.S. I did notice a post mentioning a husband went to Lowes (I think) and got a ‘timer” so that when they come home they just turn on all of the lights (upstairs and downstains instead of going to every room) and set the timer for for when they go off. That is a brilliant idea! I think they went to Lowes for that. Well, you have my e-mail, If you do not mind answering my questions, I really would appreciate it. It seems that once I entered blog land last year I did not finish a lot of projects and they are carried over to this year, add wanting to put a wreath on every window(adding another project) makes for a busy November. Any help you can provide about the questions I asked would be so wonderful, helpful and take a lot of stress off of me wanting these done quickly and perfect. Thanks again Susan!! I am so excited to get these done. I look forward to hearing back from you 🙂

    • Hi Christina, I just pulled one out and the bows have 12 loops. I found those in Michaels, ready-made…on sale.
      The hanging ribbon is 45 inches long, along some are too long and I just tucked them up or let them hang down. Just buy a big roll of the outdoor ribbon and cut the hanging strips to the size you need them. Be sure to use outdoor ribbon so it will hold up. Mine still looks new and I’ve used it for many years.
      There are four tails on the bows, two of the tails are 10 inches and 2 of the tails are 22 inches. That’s one of the reasons I purchased these bows is because I loved the long flowing tails hanging down
      I bought the electric candles I have so many years ago (like 25-28 years ago!) I’m not sure now where I bought them…probably Walmart of Kmart back then. I’ve seen the battery ones that turns themselves off and on in JoAnnes. I think lots of stores have those. You may want to check JoAnnes, Michaels and Walmart for those. Maybe they are as bright as the electric ones now. The electric used to be a lot brighter so that’s why I’ve always used those. Oh, a lot of the hardware stores like Lowes, HomeDepot and Ace have the candles, too. I bet True Value has them also. Just buy good wreaths and you’ll never have to buy them again…they last forever pretty much.

  104. Love this look, I am trying to figure out how I can do the same on our home this year, however it is a newer home so only the bottom half of our windows open and they slide upwards. Makes it a bit more challenging. 🙁 On a side note, though, I do have candles in our windows that are battery operated and timed and I love them! I think they are beautiful and they have lasted a while. I ordered ours from QVC. They are luminara brand – so a bit more pricey but for the real flickering look, and the fact that there are no wires AND they automatically turn on and off, you can’t beat it. 🙂 Here is the link in case anyone is interested: http://www.qvc.com/Set-of-2-Luminara-8-Flameless-Window-Candles-with-Timers.product.H201177.html?sc=H201177-SRCH&cm_sp=VIEWPOSITION-_-1-_-H201177&catentryImage=http://images.qvc.com/is/image/h/77/h201177.001?$uslarge$

    The base on these is also fairly slim, so perfect for those of you who don’t have large window sills to support anything with a wide base. Happy decorating everyone!

    • Thanks for that link, Kira! Kira, are they are pretty bright? Can you see them from the road okay? I’ve been hoping to find some non-electric candles that are as bright as the electric ones…or pretty close. 🙂

    • Debra Ruffing says

      I have the candles similar to these from Kmart. They are wonderful.

  105. Christina McCall says

    Susan, I truly want to thank you sooo much for taking the time to pull out your own wreath and let me know the measurements, etc….. I am now putting things I want to do on a Word document, where in the past I just took pictures and they stayed in some drawer and decorated for the season if you could remember what drawer the pictures were in. So now I have made word documents on the post I like and print them off, put them in sheet protectors and organize them by month/holiday if needed and organize them in a big notebook. That way when each season hits I don’t have to re-invent the wheel or go to “My favorites” stored on the computer. It does take a bit of time to do this for the first time, but I know that I want to do year after year (sometimes I will change up some things) but it will be so easy to have these photos and post remarks that I feel are pertinent at my fingertips. After the photo section I have a colored sheet of paper (appropriate for the main color of the holiday and have recipies I find from various sites. It is just in the early stages, and I think year after year I will add more ideas or recipies if I see something that catches my eye. It is a lot of work at first, but just like you mentioned with the wreaths, it is work at first but then it is easy the next year. So I know having all of those photos in a binder sectioned off just helps me know where everything goes instead of guessing. (I also have the photos on my computer as a backup), but it is just so easy to flip to the month or whatever and pull out what project you are working on with your notes when you are out shopping. The pictures go with me and it makes the shopping process less stressful. Again, thank you so much for taking the time to get our your wreath. I kind of feel behind the 8 ball, but my “Wreath on everydoor” is about to go into sheet protectors and this weekend I am going to make all of my necessary notes and hit the stores. Wish me luck!!! Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, then the shopping for the kids etc….UGH. There is just always something to do. But that is kind of the fun. PS…I loved seeing the post where you put a Walmart sled ornament on each place setting. Do you know that I just went to Wallyworld and bought a few more ornaments and that idea never crossed my mind. Walmart, here I come again. Also hoping the dishes are out now. I keep checking for the BH&G plates and they are still in the early stages. Well that is all I can handle for this year. (Ugh would like to do the garland around my columns this year, but that may have to wait for next year). I will send pictures if I get that organized…lol Thanks Susan 🙂

  106. SO glad you mentioned about tying the bottom part of the wreath down. Kansas City is the new Chicago when it comes to wind, and my fear has always been waking up in the morning to find our outdoor Christmas decor over in the next county! I’ll make sure to tie down! Thanks!

  107. I put a wreath on our front door the first Christmas we lived here. The wind so strong it took the paint off the door and our lights came off the gutters. This year I am looking for decorations that wont blow away.

  108. We love this look too and have been hanging wreaths on our windows for about 15 years now. The only problem is we can’t hang them like this because of our Kansas winds. We use a 3 nail approach and wire the wreath to 3 different places on the outside of the window. It keeps the wreaths stable in our wind and and off the top of the house. The initial time investment takes awhile but it’s well worth it. We hang 26 wreaths on the house and one very large one on each barn every year and it is the most beautiful farm in our county.

  109. I do this method also. I just slide the ribbon around the wreaths and then tuck them at the top of the top sash of the window and shut the window. I have never had one fall. Let me tell you about wind! It is so windy it has torn off the siding from the side of my house twice and never once have I had a wreath fall. I have new windows…so that helps. If I tied a knot I would have to do a bow to cover it…hehe! I am just like that…and I hate to see cords by my trees. I will be posting them on the blog if I ever get things cleaned up so I can take the photos without the world knowing what chaos I really live in for a month or more while I am doing my trees…I own 80 trees and all but two are 7 1/2 feet all or more…up to 12 feet. I am not putting all of them up this year. I just can’t stand the clutter of all the bins and stuff!

    And for battery operated lights, try the ones from KMart. They are fabulous. I just bought 3 more packages in case they ever give up the ghost. And I will be putting them in the new windows in the new kitchen…so I needed more! : )

    • Good to know about the candles…thanks Debra! Where do you usually put all your trees? Is 80 a typo…do you really put up 80? That sounds amazing!

  110. I found some electric candles with photo-cells built in so that they come on at dusk and go off at dawn. Before that we used timers but I prefer photo-cells.

  111. Lisa Schenck says

    Hi~we live in Texas and do not have the windows that open at the top…wish we did! How could you hang the wreaths from the ribbon with “regular” windows? Just wondering…we have always had wreaths on our windows and I hang them with suction cups, but love how it looks with the ribbon coming down from the top. Thank you!!!

    • I love the ribbon look too. Umm, sounds like you definitely need the suction cups to hold the wreath in place. If there was a way to stick the ribbon up there with double-sided tape or something like that, you could tie a ribbon to the top of the wreath and stick the end of the ribbon to the top of the window to give the appearance the wreaths were hanging from ribbon. But short of getting on a ladder, not sure how you would reach up there to do that. I think it would be too dangerous hanging out a window to stick it up there. You would need some long arms or a something to press the ribbon/tape into place. I wish I had a solution, Lisa.

  112. Dana Weber says

    The ribbons are lovely & my home is the same style as yours. We have, for years, attached the wreaths inside the bricked openings using spring-loaded curtain rods, spray painted black, threaded through the wreath wires, & aligned with the window pane frames. The ribbons/bows can then be attached in varying ways but the wreath stays secure. And the removal doesn’t require a ladder, only a extension pole or boat hook. The rods have lasted for years!

  113. Thanks so much for sharing this tutorial. I tried several times to hang my wreaths up on my windows. First I used those clips, well they fell several times and I just took them down. Next, I tried a command strip and they fell down again. LOL! So I gave up on the idea even though I loved the look. Now I am heading off to Michaels to get my ribbon and wreaths thanks to your wonderful advice. Can’t wait to finally hang wreaths up in my windows, heck I might even add some candles to them. God bless and Merry Christmas!

    Cathy

    • Thanks so much, Cathy! I hope this works for you! If you don’t find the ribbon at Michaels, check the fabric stores or places like JoAnns and Hobby Lobby. Merry Christmas to you and your family! XO

  114. Would love to hang wreaths from the two upstairs windows, but they open from the bottom, not the top. And there are screens outside too. Is getting up on a ladder the only solution? Or do you have another creative idea?

    • Theresa, I’m not really sure how you can do it with the screens in place. If the screens weren’t there, you might be able to use suction cups, although I’d be careful hanging out the window to affix those. Not worth the risk of falling. I’m also a little worried if you hang a wreath atop a screened window, that the wreath might damage the screen when the wind blows.
      If you come up with a system, please take some pictures and email them to me to share. I know there are probably a number of folks in a similar situation.

  115. I just came across your post a few days ago and I am so excited on how to hang wreaths on windows. We have a two-story colonial and I have always loved that look but wasn’t sure how to do it. Hobby Lobby has their 24″ wreaths 50% off which makes them $5 so I bought what I need for next year but my question is about the ribbon. You said to use outdoor ribbon but I can’t seem to find any. Where did you get yours? Does it say outdoor ribbon?

    • Wow, great score on the wreaths and those sound like the perfect size. No, I don’t think it says outdoor ribbon on the spool…it’s just the kind that you so often see used for outdoors because it holds up so well to rain and such. It’s has kind of a nylon/plastic type feel on the back and is kind of felt-like/velvet on the front. Hard to explain. You may want to save a picture from the post that shows a closer view of the ribbon, email that to yourself, then when you’re shopping for bows, you can show the picture to a store clerk who may be able to help you find it. Any store you go in, if you tell them you want red ribbon for outdoor use, they should know what you need. I found all my bows at Michaels. They were on sale for a greatly reduced price so instead of trying to make my own, I purchased them ready-made. Check Hobby Lobby, JoAnns…even Lowes or Home Depot may have them. They are pretty common and pretty easy to find this time of year…unless they are sold out. I just googled and found this on eBay…so you can see how they describe it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Waterproof-Velvet-Ribbon-Christmas-Red-Holiday-Wreath-Craft-Outdoor-Bow-15-yds-/251751594439?pt=Ribbons_Bows&hash=item3a9d9079c7

  116. Sabine, Germany says

    Hello,

    Your decoration, your house, your ideas, the way you realize it – PERFECT! I guess you can only do this in the US or maybe Great Britain – never seen such a beautiful thing here in Germany! Even the house and inside room (shown above, the light blue one) looks like we imagine the typical American way of live! Congratulation – I wish I can see this once on my own, because I might not to be able to realize it here ;-)!

    Thanks for brighten my day and regards from

    Sabine

  117. Beautiful, lovely, nice, I must try that.
    Realy great idea for window decoration. I’ll try it for next Christmas. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    Mia

  118. I have used the door wreath hangers for my window wreaths. Put the wreath on the hook part, bring the ribbon up to hide the hanger, and then hang it on your window. I used to have problems with the wind blowing my wreaths off the window. The wreath hanger holds them securely.

    • Cindy, are you able to close your window completely and lock it with those? I have a few of those hangers that I use on doors and some are pretty thick. I’m not sure I’d be able to still lock my window using one of those on my style window. That’s great it works on yours and I can see how that would be helpful in windy situations.

      • Yes I was able to close my windows and lock them. The picture shown with the wreaths on the house looks just like our former home, porch and all. I loved the way the wreaths looked and I also used the sensor candle lights that would come on at dusk. I had to have a special suction cup hanger for those. I would put them on the window just above the sill on the inside.

      • I hope my previous post came through, but to answer your question incase it didn’t, yes I could close and lock my windows. I just used cheap wreath hangers that bend pretty easily.

  119. Dottie Dockery says

    Thanks for the tips! I will definitely be putting your suggestions to good use this year!

  120. Can anyone recommend how to incorporate string lights? We have oversized (very large windows!) and want to add some string lights to the wreath to add some night time ‘pop’. We are considering running the electrical cord behind the ribbon into the house to plug in. Has anyone done anything similar that they can share?

    • Erika, I know they make battery powered lights but those probably wouldn’t be as bright and it would be a pain to change the battery. Wonder if they make solar=powered ones that recharge during the day. If they did, they probably wouldn’t be as bright either.

  121. This is our first christmas in our house and I found your blog just in time! And combined it with a few nutty Michael’s door busters…. Heellllooooo Christmas! Thanks for the post and all the tips.

  122. Thanks for the tips on hanging wreaths in windows. I have wooden windows, and instead of securing wreaths with pushpins, I use thumb tacks on the tops of the windows. The windows close because thumb tacks have flat heads. Since I keep the top sashes closed, the thumb tacks keep the ribbons firmly in place, and you never see a hole. Also, I leave the thumb tacks in the windows all year – they’re now about 12 years old! They’re always there waiting for me the day after Thanksgiving!

  123. My outside windows are vinyl siding and vinyl windows. I can’t lower the upper window to put a board in to secure the ribbon. Any suggestions…?

    • Brenda, the only thing I can think of would be to use suction cups on the outside of the window. You can find those online and in most stores like Walmart or HomeDepot. The problem comes in reaching high enough up on the window to attach the suction cup and then the wreath. Even if you raise the lower window a small amount and reach out, you would need super long arms to attach the suction cup and the wreath. You would probably have to do it from outside on a ladder. I think I’d hire someone to do that…maybe a painter who is used to being on tall ladders.

  124. Anything suggestions for hanging wreaths from windows that don’t open from the top?Mine are vinyl. Have no overhang.

    • The only thing I can think of would be to use suction cups on the outside of the window. You can find those online and in most stores like Walmart or HomeDepot. The problem comes in reaching high enough up on the window to attach the suction cup and then the wreath. Even if you raise the lower window a small amount and reach out, you would need super long arms to attach the suction cup and the wreath. You would probably have to do it from outside on a ladder. I think I’d hire someone to do that…maybe a painter who is used to being on tall ladders.

  125. So pretty. I’ve hung wreaths for years on my windows too. Last year my husband thought of a small piece of wood, similar to the wreath shown, to hold my candles in the windows. Next year I’m thinking about doing lavender ribbons. I’ve seen some lavender trees this year and they are just gorgeous!!!

  126. I have wreaths that I purchased three or four years ago for my!Front porch. My front porch has 14 windows! I just new it would be gorgeous. But the part I didn’t factor in, was the full length window screens on the outsides. So not only can I NOT use suction cups, but I can’t put the ribbons through to the windows because the screens don’t slide, they are the full size of the windows. Any thoughts??

  127. Okay, so this is my 2nd Christmas putting my wreaths out on our windows and I’ve encountered a problem this year that I was wondering if you have had before. When I opened the top window to bring the wreaths inside (my windows are like yours) I was bombarded with tiny gnats that had evidently nested inside my wreaths! We live in North GA so we’re almost an hour north of you, and I know we had a fairly warm winter, so maybe that’s the cause of the gnats? I didn’t encounter it last year so I was just wondering if you’ve had this problem before and if so, if you had any suggestions. Thanks!

    • Nope, never had that issue. In my 25+ years of hanging them on my windows, the only thing I have ever found in my wreaths is the occasional leaf that blew by and got stuck on it, but even that’s rare. Were they on all your wreaths?

      • Yes, all of them. It’s the strangest thing! I guess I’m just attributing it to the fact that we had such a warm winter. Crazy!!

  128. Lisa polinsky says

    Any suggestions on how to this if your windows only open from the bottom?

    • Lisa, I wonder if you could raise the lower window, then reach up and attach one of those really strong, clear, suction cups I’ve seen available, to the center of the upper window, then hang the wreath from that. Check in some of the comments on this post because there may be other suggestions mentioned down in the comments.

  129. We have used wine corks, instead of pieces of wood, to act as window stops for the ribbon when we hang our wreaths. Cork is lighter and only the ribbon is seen. Easy to staple or glue the ribbon to cork or even use double sided tape.

  130. joan clanton says

    your wreaths are so festive! i have hung mine with a loop of ribbon. i put the wreath outside the top sash with a pencil (or a similar sized dowel) through the top of the loop and shut the window on the ribbon and the pencil keeps it from slipping. the pencil holds the wreath securely and the look on the inside is minimal. it’s the same idea as others have used with a block of wood. i just think it’s a whole lot easier for most people to find a pencil. also– to keep the candles in place on windowsills, take the bulb out of the candle and trace around the circumference with a sharpie on to a 6 or 8″ strip cut from a milk jug. cut the circle out and slide the plastic over the candle and shut the window on it to hold it in place. barely noticeable and works like a charm!

  131. Thank you for posting this inspiration five years ago! This is our first year…Like one of the responses above, we used strips of wood (1/2 inch quarter round in our case) to keep all the wreaths on the outside of our Cape Cod at the same height. We used a staple gun to attach the wood strips to the ribbon loops and hung 26″ bows from the bottom of the wreaths. The outside of our house looks very festive and we love it! Thanks again, Jim.

    • Thanks, Jim! That’s such a great method for hanging them, using the wood piece. The wreaths on the outside windows has to be my favorite Christmas decoration, just love it. You’;; want to do it every year, now! 🙂

  132. Tracy Gotz says

    My vinyl windows do not open from the top. Suggestions for hanging the wreaths in this type of window?

    • Tracey, the only thing I could thing of is you buy those really strong suction cups that have the hooks on them, and open the bottom window, then reach up and stick the cup onto the top window, then hang the wreath. Just don’t fall out the window!
      I know there are a lot of comments on this post but read back through some of them because, it’s been a while, but I think some other folks made suggestions on how to hang them from windows that don’t open at the top. The suction cups are the only thing I can think of. If you did that, you wouldn’t use the hanging ribbon, just hang the wreath onto the hook that’s on the suction cup.

  133. Tracy Gotz says

    Also, how do you decorate the outside of front doors with lights? How do you make them stay on. Vinyl siding. Thanks!

    • When I tried command strips on an outside column once, it didn’t hold due to moisture. I bet they or some other company makes a product that will. I just googled and found these that are water resistant…not sure if they would work for outdoors on a porch but might be worth a try: http://amzn.to/2iTSoAJ

  134. Susan, A little tip for those concerned about candles………sensor’s, battery or electric, etc.
    We changed all of our light bulbs in our window candles from the 7 watt bulb to all LED. They only pull about 3 watt’s. We have 12 candles and my husband said they only pull what a 40watt bulb would pull. So, we don’t worry about timers, sensors,etc. We leave them on around the clock. The LED bulbs are a lot brighter as well.

  135. I just found your site, I love Christmas time and cant wait to hang the wreathes from the windows. we bought this new house with a front similar to yours in May a was thinking when buying this house will look super with all the wreathes on the window and the front porch decked out, then i’m going t spot light the house

  136. Wreaths on windows, with red bows, are also my favorite Christmas decoration. I always put up my wreaths and window lights on December first. I have vinyl windows, so using nails or tacks is not an option. I loop a length of ribbon around the top of the wreath and staple the loop together. Then I lower the top sash, slip the wreath out, insert one half of a white plastic straw into the top of the loop, then close the window with the straw on the inside. The straw and the tiny bit of ribbon are not even visible. I’ve used this method for 22 years. I even reuse the straw halves each year, replacing only the straws that are lost.

    • Rebecca, That sounds like a great method. I do something similar, the ribbon is wrapped around the top of the wreath, then stapled together, although lately I’ve started using hot glue since staples have a tendency to tear the ribbon over the years. Then I just tie a knot in the ribbon at the spot/length where it needs to be for then length of that window. When you lower the wreath out the window and close it, the knot will catch it. 🙂 I have each wreath/ribbon labeled with the room it goes in, so I don’t have to guess. It only took me about 30 minutes this year to hang all the wreaths, this system is super fast. A reader suggested the knot method a few years ago and it works really well. Wish I had thought about it years ago!

  137. Hi! Thanks so much for posting this. If you have a single hung window is there no way to hang the ribbon from the top? I really love the look of the ribbons!

  138. Thank you so much for this help. We are hanging our wreaths right now. I paid under $30 for 7 windows. We may put 2 on our shed windows. I think this is so classy. We don’t have double sash windows so we opened the bottom, took out the screen and thread the ribbon through the top of that bottom window. Thanks again! Reminds me of the house in Home Alone! 🙂

  139. Does anyone have guidance on how to secure the wreaths to keep them from banging/scraping against the windows in windy conditions? We’ve had to bring ourw in on several nights because the noise is just too much. Thanks!

    • You may want to attach small clear suction cups to the glass/pane of the windows, then tie a clear piece of fishing line to the lower part of the wreath and attach that to the suction cup to hold it against the window. We get some wind here, but it’s usually just a few times during the month of December and never so much I’ve had to bring them in. Hope my suggestion helps!

  140. What is the good place to buy the wreaths from? Thanks!

  141. Norma S Broyles says

    I did this as you instructed. My house looks awesome. My problem is I don’t have a double pain window. So I use the suction cups. Any suggestion because one of them keep falling off. lol.

    • Norma, check and see if the window is dirty in that one spot. Or, you may just need a new suction cup. They become kinda brittle and don’t work as well after a few years of being exposed to the elements.

  142. Maria Crocco says

    I’ve also been hanging wreaths from my windows for years, windy winters in NoVA so wised up and decorated both sides with my bows….problem solved! 🙂

  143. I would have to take all my screens out which is a pain! I wish there was a way to hang the wreaths without removing my screens or damaging them.

    • I removed all the screens on my home about 20 years ago when I was having the house painted and the painter recommended it. He said that screens trapped dirt and spiders against the molding and windowsills. It’s too hot here in Georgia to have windows open except for a few days in the spring and in the fall. The rest of the year, either the A/C or heat is running, so I haven’t missed them at all. I never opened my windows before unless I was having hardwood flooring installed and they were applying polyurethane.

      The new subdivisions being built here in the Atlanta area over the past 20+ years do not allow screens on the front of a home, the homeowner’s associations forbid it, I think because screens darken the appearance of a home and I guess they want all the homes to look consistent. They still allow them on back windows, but not on the front. I don’t live in a subdivision that prohibits them, I just prefer the look of my home without them. If you hung the wreaths over the screens, it would most likely damage the screens when the wind moves them around, so probably not worth the risk.

  144. Trisha Imler says

    Your house looks beautiful! I’m inspired! I wish my windows pulled down at the top. Guess I’m getting the latter out. I use candles for my windows and they have timers, set and forget the batteries last a while also. I bought them at Tractor Supply last year, no more cords and they suction the the window.

  145. Just dropping by to thank you again for the inspiration of this fantastic post. This is year 3 of hanging wreaths with loops and long draping bows outside of our Cape Cod revival for the holidays, and we got an early start this year by getting them up today 🙂 Last year an oddly coincidental number of Colonials in our neighborhood began hanging wreaths similarly, so it will be interesting to see if this continues to “spread” in our neck of the woods. Thank you!

    • You are so welcome! It’s funny how it spreads! 😉 That’s exactly what happened here and in my previous neighborhood. I love those long flowing ribbons, so pretty moving in the breezes! I just finished hanging all the wreaths on the top floor, getting ready to do the first floor next. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

  146. Thank you for taking the time to make this great post! I followed it and just hung five wreaths in the front of my house. One thing I wanted to mention…we didn’t have the blocks of wood the one reader suggested. Our windows are metal and we needed to wood stopper. We used old jenga pieces and it worked great!! Haha!!! Thank you! Great post!

  147. What if you don’t have double sash windows?

  148. Lauren Morgan says

    Your how to hang wreaths was just what we needed to do our simple ranch’s windows. (wish I could include a photo)

  149. Any suggestions for newer homes where the top window doesn’t open. Have no idea.

    Thanks

    • Cindi, the only thing I know to do would be to buy those suction type cup thingies with hooks (like these: https://amzn.to/2Qc2UVf) then raise the lower window, reach up and attach the suction hook, then hang the wreath on it. Probably take someone with pretty long arms to do that…to reach up high enough. Also, you would need to be super careful that you didn’t fall out the window during the process. It might be a bit of a challenge to get the wreath onto the hook, but I’m not sure.

  150. I didn’t have any wood or jenga pieces, but had extra pinecones. I hot glued those to the ribbon and they make a pretty and useful stop on the ribbon.

  151. Love it
    I will try to do this next year… so pretty

  152. Susan Sprieck says

    Great ideas! Our home is on a lake and our new, energy efficient windows dont open (the wind off the lake is pretty strong!). Our home also has aluminum siding. Any thoughts on how to hang wreaths on our lakefront windows?

    • Umm, sounds like you would have to hang them from the outside since the windows don’t open. Maybe you could use really strong suction cups that are designed to hold wreaths and such on windows. It looks like there are several types available here: https://amzn.to/2r8tJOk
      If the wind is really strong off the lake, you may want to put a thin piece of wire or twine around the bottom of the wreath and anchor the bottom of the wreath to the window with a second suction cup so it doesn’t bounce around in the wind.

  153. Gorgeous Susan, I like how you linked back to this post today. Wonderful tutorial. We have a stucco house and lack the double hung windows. I really enjoy your photos and hard work putting this all together. Keep it up!

  154. Hello!! Would love to know where you purchased your wreaths, or if anyone can guide us in the right direction. Thank you!!

    • I purchased mine many, many years ago in my local Pike Nursery, I think. It could have been Michaels but I think it was in Pike Nursery. That was probably 20-25 years ago.

  155. Wow it looks really beautiful! I’m about to do this on my colonial, but wanted to clarify. You wrap one end of the ribbon just around the wreath and hot glue the “tail” to the ribbon making a loop, and this holds them up no problem? Has the glue bond ever broken? I’m about to do 10 windows and want to make sure I get it right!
    Thanks!

    • That’s how I did it and for the most part, that has worked fine. I’ve had a couple of hanging ribbons come unglued over the years, but only a couple. You have to be careful when you’re hot gluing the two parts of the ribbon together because the hot glue is so hot, it can melt right through the ribbon. It doesn’t take a lot of hot glue to hold. It won’t last forever, but the majority of my hanging ribbons are still holding up.

  156. Laura Riopel says

    Love your decorating ideas- thank you for sharing the useful info and pics of your beautiful home!
    Hoping you can answer a question. Is it okay to use 2 different size wreaths? I have 2 sizes of windows. Thank you!

  157. Peggy McCormick says

    I totally love the wreaths on the windows. Unfortunately, I don’t have windows that open from the top, so manipulating to hang w ribbon from the top, would take some brainstorming/adjusting/rethinking solution. As with most decorating, I find that it always requires patience and tweeking and retweeking. I enjoy your suggestions. Blessed Holiday’s to you.

  158. Beautiful! Thanks for the tutorial!

  159. I love wreaths hanging on the windows. It’s one of my favorite Christmas looks on our house. We use electric candles. We use timers on them. They all come on and go off at the same time. Unfortunately, we do not have double sash windows like you do. We have to use suction cups to hang the wreaths. We use four suction cups for each wreath. One on the top, one at the bottom, and one on each side. Then, they do not move around in the wind.

  160. The wreaths look so beautiful on your house. Thanks for the tutorial. I don’t hang wreaths on my windows but I love the look. I do put candles in the windows and used electric for years. However. A few years ago I purchased Bethlehem lights battery operated with timers and absolutely love them. I bought them from QVC. They come in different finishes as well. They are very bright in the windows. They take C batteries and they last all through the holiday season. Love them!!

  161. I would really love to know how I can put wreaths on my second floor double hung windows that have full screens. We are in Northern Ontario, Canada where you usually don’t climb ladders in the winter.

    • I wouldn’t hang them over the screens. I’m guessing you would have to remove the screens for the Christmas season. I removed the screens from my windows many years ago after a painter told me they trap dirt/debris. Also, I think my house looks better without the darkish screens over the windows. I live in the south (Georgia) and there are very, very few days I would ever open my windows. Here’s a lot of folks remove the screens from the front of the home because they like how the front looks without them, but leave them on the back (where normally the family room is located) for those few spring/fall days when the temps are more moderate.

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