Plywood Christmas Lawn Decorations

Patriotism on parade

BRISTOL –– Owning a home on the Bristol Fourth of July Parade route guarantees a front-row seat to one of Rhode Island’s largest and longest-running celebrations. And with that privilege comes responsibility.

Each year the town paints a red, white and blue traffic line down the middle of Hope Street, but residents are unofficially in charge of creating the rest of the backdrop.

Prompted by a mix of patriotism, town pride and friendly competition between neighbors, many Bristolians go all out dressing their homes in red, white and blue.

“It’s just what we do here,” said Susan Brown, who lives near the beginning of the parade route at 941 Hope St.

The house’s location in the midst of the festivities was a major selling point when Brown bought it 12 years ago, and she hasn’t missed a year of decorating since.

Every year she spends hours outfitting her home — painted white with a candy-apple-red door — with bunting, flag banners, a ribbon wreath and planters filled with red, white and blue miniature petunias, geraniums and impatiens.

Nearby at 910 Hope St., Michael Jodoin puts a more unusual spin on the tradition. For the last five years he has painted a giant flag on his front lawn using marking paint and stencils carved out of plywood. The idea came to him one day while he was mowing his lawn.

“It struck me how perfect the size was for a flag because it was rectangular,” Jodoin said.

Last year, he also created a wooden walkway on which he handwrote the names of the thousands of Bristol residents who have died in combat. Over the course of the holiday, many veterans stopped to add their own names.

“The reason I’m really into the Fourth of July is that one of my biggest regrets in life is not joining the military,” he said. “It’s a way to show my appreciation to our troops.”

Jodoin also enjoys meeting the people who stop by to take photos of his creations and gets a kick out of watching drivers do double takes as they pass his home.

Head down High Street this time of year and you also can’t miss Tammy Mojkowski’s house.

The canary-yellow two-family home is covered with the typical bunting and flags, but also includes many unconventional elements.

How to make Santa Claus yard decorations - Shop Christmas Here

You have the Christmas decorations inside you need. The tree is all trimmed. Presents are ready, some under the tree.  Now plan and make a Santa Claus yard decoration.  Bring joy to your neighborhood and excitement to all the boys and girls!

See slide show How to make Santa Claus yard decorations

Things You’ll Need:

Exterior marine plywood

jigsaw

sandpaper

paints and brushes, primarily red and white and a few others

real Christmas accessories to add to yard theme

CHOOSE SANTA YOU WANT AND CUT OUT PLYWOOD. Get your Santa Claus display idea from magazines, on-line, store displays, and skethes like the author’s Santa.  Choose a pose that allows you to select Santa on paper, transfer to white-painted plywood. Use exterior grade marine plywood.  Cut out using  jigsaw, paint Santa.  Make a support easel to erect Santa in a central location in yard. Add other accessories to display. SELECT OTHER CHRISTMAS ITEMS TO ADD AROUND SANTA CLAUS DISPLAY. Find ideas from same sources as you found Santa.  Make cutouts of plywood or particleboard similar to what you did for Santa.  Paint and put around Santa display. Try some toys, wrapped gift boxes, and Christmas decorations. Add Elves and Rudolph, maybe a sleigh. You could put Santa’s sleigh on the roof. Place a Christmas tree nearby with presents under and a cutout of milk and cookies. Keep cutouts simple and in the Christmas spirit. ADD RUDOLPH, HE GOES WITH SANTA. Select a spot near Santa to erect a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer display with a glowing red nose and the original Gene Autry song playing on a continuous loop along with old Christmas favorites like the Chipmunks song.   Put up a Merry Christmas Sign with an Elf painting the letters.  Select pictures you like,  sketch them, cut out, paint and display. Be imaginative. Make things joyful to go with the season. Secure all displays to ground so they don’t disappear during the at night. Spot light the yard displays and include some complimentary decorations for your porch. Involve your family in making and placing the decorations. Make this an annual event, adding a few new Christmas yard decorations each season!

Tips and Warnings:

Make checklist of what you need by sketching your display theme idea.

Simplify cutouts, use simple outlines, paint in details. Glue or staple on added accessory items.

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