Which Christmas House Are You? 5 Outdoor Christmas Decorations for 5 Kinds of Street

Updated 1 November 2026 · By the 10Grains team

Above: one street, five front gardens, and one paper-cutout neighbour who has opinions about all of them.

Walk down any British street in December and you'll find the same five houses. There's the one that's tasteful and finished early. There's the one with children, where the decorations are mainly crayon. There's the one with something funny on the lawn, the one with something cheeky on the drive, and the one you can see from the main road.

Outdoor Christmas decorations come in two main kinds: light-up figures, like a reindeer on a metal frame wrapped in LEDs, and inflatables, which a small fan blows up into something very large indeed. Both look brilliant after dark. They need different things from you: space, a socket, a plan for the wind.

So we've matched five of ours to the five houses. Each one gets the sizes that matter, the honest catches, and a real product photo next to the scene. Or take the quiz and we'll tell you which house you are.

Everything we recommend

1 TastefulReindeer & sleigh 2 FamilySanta postbox 3 FunnyPolar bear 4 CheekyBiker Santa 5 Go bigSnowman balloon

How we matched the decorations

We're the retailer, so we're not pretending to be neutral, and we haven't tested these in a storm. What we did was read every listing: height, footprint, cable length, lights, weather rating and what comes in the box. Then we asked which of those matters most for each kind of house. Every figure below comes from the supplier's published specifications, and every decoration gets a "worth knowing" section, because no decoration suits every garden.

1Tasteful: a light-up reindeer and sleigh

Everyone has a neighbour like this. The house is done by the first of December, nothing flashes, nothing sings, and the whole thing looks like a Christmas card. Warm white, a bit of glitter, one red bow. If that's you, you want a light-up reindeer that does the work quietly.

Real product photo

Tasteful

White and Red Reindeer and Sleigh Christmas Decoration with 170 LEDs

A glittering white reindeer and a small sleigh, lit by 170 warm white LEDs.

See it at 10Grains

Why it suits you

It glows warm, not wild. All 170 LEDs are warm white, so the reindeer and sleigh give a soft, even glow instead of disco colours. It suits brick terraces, cottages and smart front doors.

It's a proper size for a front garden. The reindeer stands 118 cm tall on a 59 × 29 cm footprint, big enough to see from the pavement but not so big it takes over a small lawn. The sleigh sits low beside it.

It looks good in daylight too. Unlike an inflatable, a light-up figure doesn't sag when it's switched off. The white mesh, gold antlers and red bows still look festive at noon.

Worth knowing

It's for covered outdoor use. The listing rates it IP44 for covered outdoor use, so a porch, a sheltered spot by the door or a front garden near the house is ideal. Keep the power adapter dry.

It needs a socket. It's mains powered with a 5 m cable, so plan where the plug will go before you pick the spot.

Some assembly. You'll put the metal frame together and secure it when it arrives.

Key specs

2The house with kids: a Letters to Santa postbox

The wellies by the door are tiny. The radiator is covered in crayon drawings of reindeer with six legs. And at some point in December, somebody very small is going to need to post a very important letter. This house doesn't need more lights. It needs a postbox.

Real product photo

Family

Red Letters to Santa Postbox for A5 Letters

A red steel postbox for Santa letters, with a slot for A5 paper and a front collection door.

See it at 10Grains

Why it suits you

It turns the letter into an event. Writing to Father Christmas is half the fun; posting it is the other half. A proper slot and a little door to collect the letters from make it feel official.

Letters actually fit. The slot is 18 × 4 cm and takes paper up to A5, and the box is 47 cm tall, about knee height for an adult and just right for a five-year-old.

Stand it or hang it. It can stand on the floor or be wall-mounted with the two screws that come in the box, so it works in a narrow hallway.

Worth knowing

It's decorative. It's a Christmas postbox for your own house, not a Royal Mail box. The letters stay with you (which is rather the point).

Check the spot. The listing doesn't give a weather rating, so we'd keep it indoors or somewhere sheltered, like a porch.

Paper size. A5 is the maximum. Fold an A4 letter in half and it fits.

Key specs

3The heating's not on yet: a polar bear and penguins inflatable

There's a rule in this house: the heating does not go on until December. Everyone's in two jumpers, there's a hot water bottle in every room, and the front garden is fully committed to the theme. A polar bear. Penguins. If you're going to be cold, be cold on purpose.

Real product photo

Funny

6.4ft Polar Bear and Penguins Christmas Inflatable

Two penguins in bobble hats riding a big white polar bear, nearly two metres tall.

See it at 10Grains

Why it suits you

It's funny without being rude. Penguins riding a polar bear is the kind of joke the whole street gets, from toddlers to grandparents.

It's big for the box. At 196 cm tall and 168 cm long it's nearly two metres of inflatable, yet it packs down into a small carton when Christmas is over.

It lights itself. Five white LEDs inside make it glow after dark, and the built-in fan inflates it as soon as it's plugged in.

Worth knowing

It needs ground space. Allow about 80 × 168 cm of lawn, plus room for the guy ropes. Measure before you order.

The fan stays on. Like every inflatable, it only stays up while the fan is running, so it needs a socket within reach of the 3 m cable.

Weather. It's IP44 rated and comes with 4 ground stakes and 2 guy ropes, but bring it in during heavy rain, snow or wind.

Key specs

4Midlife crisis: Santa on a motorbike inflatable

Santa has been doing the same job for a very long time. This year he's bought the leather waistcoat, found some sunglasses and swapped the sleigh for a motorbike. If your house likes a joke, and especially if someone in it has also recently discovered motorbikes, this one's yours.

Real product photo

Cheeky

5.5ft Santa on Motorcycle Christmas Inflatable

Santa in sunglasses on a motorbike, with the presents strapped on the back.

See it at 10Grains

Why it suits you

It's the one people photograph. A reindeer is lovely. Santa on a motorbike gets pointed at. If you want the kids on the school run to stop and stare, this is the one.

It's a good driveway size. At 165 cm tall and 180 cm long it has real presence, but it fits beside a car on most driveways.

It lights up. Four internal LEDs make it glow after dark, and the fan inflates it in minutes.

Worth knowing

The cable is short. The power cable is 1.9 m, shorter than most, so you may need an outdoor-rated extension lead to reach a socket.

It needs anchoring. It comes with 6 ground stakes and 2 drawstrings. On a block-paved drive, tie it off to something solid instead of staking it.

Weather. It's IP44 rated, but bring it in during heavy rain or snow.

Key specs

5Visible from space: an 8ft snowman hot air balloon inflatable

Every street has one. The house you can see from the end of the road, the one that gets a mention in the local Facebook group, the one the neighbours direct delivery drivers by. You don't decorate for Christmas; you put on a show. You need the tallest thing in the garden.

Real product photo

Go big

8ft Santa and Snowman Hot Air Balloon Christmas Inflatable

Santa waving from a hot air balloon shaped like a snowman, 250 cm tall.

See it at 10Grains

Why it suits you

It's tall. At 250 cm it towers over an adult, so it's seen from the end of the street and over a front hedge.

It has a narrow footprint. For all that height it only needs about 80 × 85 cm of ground, so it fits a small front garden.

It's built to stay put. It comes with 6 ground stakes, 4 drawstrings and 2 sandbags to hold it steady, and internal LEDs light it up after dark.

Worth knowing

Tall means wind. A 2.5 m inflatable catches the breeze. Use all the stakes, ropes and sandbags, and take it down when a storm is forecast.

The fan stays on. It only stays inflated while the fan is running, so it needs a socket within the 3 m cable's reach.

The neighbours will know. This is not a subtle decoration. That's the point.

Key specs

The five decorations side by side

Figures are the supplier's published specifications. Scroll the table sideways on a phone.

Christmas inflatable or light-up reindeer: which should you buy?

The two big families of outdoor Christmas decorations solve different problems.

• Light-up figures (like our reindeer and sleigh) are metal frames wrapped in LEDs. They hold their shape day and night, give a softer glow, and suit a calm, classic look. They're usually smaller, and they don't need a fan running.
• Christmas inflatables are polyester shapes blown up by a small built-in fan. They're huge for the money and pack into a small box, which is why they're the go-to for funny or show-stopping displays. The catch: they only stay up while the fan runs, and they need anchoring.

Rule of thumb: if you want your house to look pretty, go light-up. If you want it to make people laugh or stop, go inflatable. Plenty of houses do both, a reindeer by the door and something daft on the lawn.

Three things to check before you buy outdoor decorations

What we left out, and why

Christmas trees. A different decision with different measurements. Browse our Christmas trees if that's what you're after.

Battery-only decorations. Handy where there's no socket, but run time and battery changes are their own topic. All four powered picks here are mains powered.

Wreaths. Lovely, but most of ours are battery-powered and listed for indoor use, so they didn't fit a front-garden guide.

Not quite your house? Browse all our Christmas inflatables, light-up reindeer and figures, or the wider Christmas decorations range.

Meet your guide: the 10Grains team
We're a small UK team who read spec sheets so you don't have to. Which Christmas house are you, or got a question about one of these? Leave a comment below and one of us will reply.