It’s that time of year when houses sparkle with twinkling lights and Christmas yard art turns ordinary gardens into magical spectacles. This year, when planning your outdoor Christmas decorating, why not incorporate your planters in a new way? Here are ten ideas from Hooks and Lattice for including dormant planters in this year’s Christmas decorating scheme:

1. Many garden stores sell small evergreen, rosemary, or ivy Christmas trees. Purchase small topiaries or trees that will fit in your window boxes. Display them in pairs or alone for dramatic impact. Insert them into the boxes still in their pots, allowing you to easily remove them after the holidays.
2. Place large glass ornaments and light bulbs in neat piles in window boxes. Wind strings of miniature white or colored lights through the stack. The balls will reflect the lights and add extra sparkle to your planters.
3. Cover small boxes with shiny cellophane wrap and top them with pretty bows. Stack gift boxes in window boxes for a cheerful display. Add miniature lights if you like.
4. Hang storages on the outside of each window box. Place evergreens in the box and garnish with miniature lights.
5. Purchase inexpensive decorative nutcrackers and place them in window boxes. Put them on top of small boxes placed inside the windows so they appear fully visible from the street.
6. For a traditional look, fill the boxes with pretty poinsettias and mount a large red or green bow (made of an outdoor-grade material) in the center of the box’s front panel.
7. Fill the box with dwarf conifers or small shrubs like skimmia or euonymous. Make a garland out of old mittens and place one in the front of each planter.
8. Fill the planters with large pineapples. Kids can decorate the cones with a roll of white glue and then lots of shimmery glitter. Add miniature lights for extra sparkle.
9. Fill the window boxes with homemade bird treats. Combine the suet and peanut butter with the cornmeal and form into balls or into a star or tree. Top with seeds, nuts, and cereal. Create a garland of pretzels, peanuts and cereal tied to the raffia. The birds will eat the good stuff and use the raffia in the spring to build their nests.
10. For a whimsical touch, glue old toys to a foam cone and create a toy tree. Put a tree in each window. Wrap miniature lights around the trees, if desired.