The holidays are quickly approaching, which means it is time to start decorating. The ability to decorate your car adds a fun and festive touch to your travels each time you head to work, school or the store. Before embarking on a car-decorating journey, it is important to get in touch with your local law enforcement to make sure that it is acceptable to put decorative objects on the exterior of your car. If possible, get a list in writing of what your state or local authorities do accept for car decorations. Once you have the information, then you can gather up your supplies and start decorating.
Holiday Lights: Shine like a Star
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Holiday lights make your vehicle sparkle and shine as you drive during the evening and nighttime hours. You can select many different types of lights, such as battery powered or plug-in types. Avoid yellow, green, red or blue lights. To string lights inside of your car, hook them onto your visors with clips and around the coat hooks near the back windows. Adhesive tape keeps the strings in place. The average price of a set of 100 traditional bulbs is about $5.99, while a string of LED lights is around $11.99. Avoid decorating with lights in a way that would obstruct your view.
Put a Wreath onto the Hood
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Wreaths are a beautiful and traditional way to decorate for Christmas. The size of the wreath is important, as too small of a wreath is hard to see and too large could impact your vision and become a hazard. A wreath about two feet in diameter is just the right size. A plain wreath from the craft store costs as little as $7.99 and you can decorate it with bulbs or battery powered lights. Secure it to your car’s hood and grille with twine or zip ties.
Magnetic Letters for Holiday Greetings
Magnetic letters are a fast and fun way to decorate your car for Christmas and all the other holidays that you celebrate. You can consider phrases such as “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas.” You can find basic magnetic letter sets in toy and educational stores as well as big box department stores. A set of 52 upper and lowercase letters costs about $9.99. Make sure the magnets are strong enough to stay in place once you set them up.
Spread Holiday Cheer with Bumper Stickers
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Bumper stickers are a tried-and-true method of decorating the back of your car. You can find these in many varieties, such as those with self-adhesive backing that attach permanently to your car’s bumper, as well as those that cling on with static and can be taken off. A stick-on bumper sticker costs about $4.99, while the static kind is around $7.99. Since you’ll be purchasing stickers for the holiday season, we recommend going with the static kind.
Bobble Head Santa Makes Everyone Happy
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A bobble head Santa is a fun decoration that kids of all ages can enjoy, and it costs around $9.99. Place this decoration on your dash, console or back ledge and secure it with no-residue adhesives. You can even try finding a singing bobble head Santa; the price is a bit higher, but the kids will love it.
Purchase a Christmas Aerial Topper
Christmas aerial toppers in various festive versions like trees and Santa faces will fit most aerials. These decorations cost about $9.99. Secure it to your car with an adhesive putty around the aerial’s opening.
Bring the Festive Scents with Christmas Air Fresheners
A Christmas air freshener makes your car smell nice and looks festive as well. Hang them around your rear-view mirror and enjoy the delightful smells of Christmas. You can find the festive cinnamon and apple-scented air fresheners at grocery and auto supply stores for as little as $2.
Put on Some Festive Decal Stickers
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Decal stickers attach to your car’s windows. Clean your car before applying the decals, as dirt gets in the way of a good adhesion. The decals come in shapes like reindeer and trees, which can go on your rear passenger windows or your doors. They come off easily after the holidays and cost an average of $6 for small decals and $10 for larger ones.
Turn Your Car into Rudolph, Santa or Frosty the Snowman
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Reindeer car kits include clip-on antlers and a red nose for the front grille. Transform your car into Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer and spread the holiday spirit wherever you go. You can find one of these kits at big box stores and auto supply stores for an average price of $19.99. You can dress your car up like Santa or Frosty the Snowman with a car costume. These are found at mass retailers for an average cost of $20. You can also make your own car costume with a vintage hat and other items firmly attached to the vehicle.
Put a Mini LED Christmas Tree onto the Dashboard
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A mini LED Christmas tree plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter. Choose one with lights that do not blink, as the flashing could be distracting while driving. These little trees cost an average of $19.99.
Get Creative with a Garland
A garland comes in a rainbow of colors and can be used to make a tree design or a simple border around your car’s hood or trunk. A 6-foot length of garland costs about $4.
Keep Everyone Warm with Christmas Throw Pillows & Festive Blankets
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Decorate your passenger or back seat with festive Christmas pillows. Combine the pillows with some festive blankets that will keep your passengers warm and in a festive spirit. These blankets come with various season motifs, such as snowman, reindeer and Santa or snowflakes, and cost an average of $19.99.
Surprise with Christmas Stockings
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Hang a Christmas stocking from the knobs on the back of your car’s front seats. Put some candy and chocolate and surprise your passengers with a nice gesture. Christmas stockings cost about $5 each.
A Bow Is Always In
Use a zip tie to secure a beautiful bow to your vehicle’s grille. A large pre-made bow costs about $10.
Place Some Holly onto the Rear-view Mirror
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Hang a small bit of holly from your car’s rear-view mirror, but avoid placing it in a way that would obstruct your vision, such as the back window. A bouquet of holly costs about $5.99.
Decorations put a festive and fun touch to the inside and outside of your car. When decorating, be sure to only put items in places where they won’t obstruct your visibility. When done in moderation, car decorations are a beautiful way to add to the holiday spirit.
Do you decorate your car for the holidays?
Which types of decorations do you use?