The holidays are upon us! And while your backyard pool is usually the focus of fun during the summer, there’s no reason you can’t keep it the focus for the holidays. Halloween has passed, Thanksgiving is 2 weeks away and then Christmas and New Years will be here before we know it. Luckily, the weather in Central Florida still allows us to enjoy being outside even when it gets chilly, so why not keep entertaining your guests by decking out your beautiful backyard for the holidays? Here are some fun ideas on how to decorate your pool and back yard for the upcoming fall holidays. Stay tuned for winter holiday decorating tips!
Halloween
Halloween is always a fun holiday to really go over the top – and your pool is a great place to take your decorations to the next level. Try out these Halloween decoration ideas to transform you pool into spooky scene everyone will enjoy:
- Pool Dye: First things first – find a non-toxic party pool dye that won’t run the risk of staining your pool (very, very important!). Coloring your pool water is a great way to bring your pool into the decoration mix. You can go for an eerie red or ghoulish green to really take your outdoor Halloween decor to the next level. And don’t worry, within three to five days the color will filter out.
- Lighting: Lighting is always the best to give your decorations that extra-spooky effect. Strobe lights, lanterns and lots of candles lit around your pool are great option to get the mood right. LED lights are also a great option and are light enough to float on your pools surface. That plus the pool dye mentioned above is guaranteed to look eerily fantastic!
- Jack-O-Lanterns: There’s no way around it – Halloween equals pumpkins. Carve some and light from within, leave some whole and please them around your backyard. You can also purchase plastic ones from your local craft store that you can reuse – real pumpkins can be pricey! Place an LED light in the plastic pumpkin and strategically place around your pool, or let them float around the surface of the water. Your guests will definitely be impressed!
- Dry Ice/Bubbles: This one may be a bit out of your comfort zone, but there is a way to do this that won’t harm your pool. You may be a bit leery of this one, but don’t you worry, there’s a trick to it. First and foremost, make sure there will be NO swimming at your holiday party. If you opt for bubbles, simply add some laundry soap to the water and direct your pool return to the surface. After your party is over, shocking the pool will break up the foam and then run the filter. If you want to go for the ultimate spooky effect of dry ice, make sure to take all safety precautions and you should probably save this one for adult-only parties. But no matter what, bubbles and mysterious dry ice fog are fantastic features for an outdoor Halloween party.
- Halloween Decorations: Glowing hands, skeletons, tombstones, and spider webs are all great Halloween decorations to add to your backyard…get whatever you have down from the attic! For a DIY glowing hands craft, get some latex gloves and put a glow stick in each of them. Blow up the gloves, tie off and let them float along the pools surface. Spooky!! Grab your spider webbing, place it in the bushes and let the larger pieces (skeletons, tombstones) take center stage by making a scary graveyard in a strategic place in your backyard.
Thanksgiving Holiday
Thanksgiving is the holiday that brings family together. Luckily, Orlando and Central Florida are usually still warm enough to enjoy this holiday outside. So as you bring your family together, consider gathering in your backyard oasis and decorate your pool and landscape with these fun ideas:
- Plastic Pom Poms: This is a fun DIY craft the whole family can get involved in. Simply purchase some inexpensive plastic tablecloths in fall colors (yellow, orange, red, brown, gold). Fold them like an accordion, use a string to tie around the middle and cut each end with patterned scissors. Then start separating the layers on each side. Once they’re all puffed out, glue the end of the pom pom to a base that will let it float around in your swimming pool. Check out this tutorial!
- Mini Golden Pumpkins: You may find you’ve got quite a few pumpkins left over from your Halloween decor, but don’t throw them away! They can be repurposed for your Thanksgiving decoration. You can keep them natural and place around your backyard, or for a more sophisticated, elegant look, create a centerpiece with your mini pumpkins by spray painting them gold.
- Fall Colored Garland: Garland is a great way to decorate for any occasion but find or make some with a wide array of fall colors and it is great for decorating outdoors. Hang garland over your fence, around your deck or just over the swimming pool for a detail that is sure to please.
- Lighting: Lighting always has a way of setting the tone and will make your swimming pool look more attractive. Try some floating lights on the surface of your pool or string LED lights to accent your pool and the surrounding areas.
- Pool Dye: Take your pool dye from spooky to warm by going with color tones like orange or pail yellow. Again, don’t forget to find non-toxic pool dye that won’t stain your pool.
Pools by Bradley is Here for YOU
All of us here at Pools by Bradley live and breathe our mission of designing and building your ultimate outdoor pool atmosphere – but the most important thing is we want you have FUN! We intend to inspire you to improve the recreational time you spend with your family and friends in your new outdoor environment – especially during the Holidays. Adding decorations to your pool and your backyard is a GREAT way to do that! Our motto is “take care of the customer and everything else will take care of itself”. When you choose Pools by Bradley to help you build your dream pool, you can rest assured that you’re choosing the very best. As a local family owned and operated company founded in 1996, we have received numerous design awards and honors. Pools by Bradley is rated as one of the top 50 pool builders in the U.S., plus recognized as the “Best Pool Company” in Orlando by Orlando Magazine several years in a row! We offer custom built pools and spas with additions ranging from water features and lighting effects to rain curtains and water slides…the sky’s the limit! Contact us online or call us today at 407-323-7496 to see how we can help you build the pool of your dreams!
