Christmas Lantern Ideas: 13 Glowing Ways to Decorate Your Porch, Mantel and Table

Christmas lantern ideas are the easiest way to make a home feel warm and welcoming the moment someone walks up. A lantern is like a little stage. Whatever you put inside, greenery, ornaments, a tiny tree or a strand of lights, suddenly looks special. You probably already own one or two from fall, and the dollar store and thrift shops are full of them this time of year. The secret is to fill them with battery LED lights instead of real candles, so they stay cool, safe and can sit out all evening on a timer. We got so many ideas from this lantern decorating video that we had to try them ourselves. Here are our favorite ways to make lanterns glow this Christmas..

Christmas Lantern Ideas for a Glowing Front Porch

This porch shows how a group of lanterns can light up a whole entry. Black, white and gold lanterns in different sizes sit on the steps, each filled with greenery, red ornaments and warm battery LED lights. One hangs in a swag on the door with a big red bow. Mixing heights and colors makes it look collected over time, not bought all at once. Every light is battery powered and on a timer, so the porch glows each evening by itself. Which lantern would you fill first..

You will need: lanterns in a few sizes, battery LED fairy lights or LED pillars with timers, greenery, shatterproof ornaments, a big bow.

How to make it: 1. Group lanterns in odd numbers by height. 2. Fill each with greenery and ornaments. 3. Add LED lights with timers and tuck the battery packs out of sight.

Lantern Swag With Greenery and a Big Bow

Swap the usual wreath for a lantern swag this year. Hang a black lantern on the door hook, then wire bunches of evergreen, cedar and pine cones around the top so they spill down both sides. A big red velvet bow at the top ties it all together. Fill the lantern with battery fairy lights so it glows at night. It looks like it came from a fancy florist, and you can reuse the lantern every season. If your entry needs more ideas, our winter entryway ideas are full of easy tricks. Would this suit your front door?

You will need: a lightweight lantern, an over the door hook, evergreen bundles, pine cones, floral wire, a large velvet bow, battery LED fairy lights.

How to make it: 1. Hang the lantern on the door hook. 2. Wire greenery bundles around the handle so they drape down. 3. Add pine cones, the bow and the fairy lights.

Christmas Lantern Ideas: Mason Jar Lanterns With Fairy Lights

Mason jars make the cheapest lanterns you will ever find. Wrap a wire handle around the neck, drop in a strand of tiny battery fairy lights, and tie twine and a pine sprig around the rim. Line a row of them along a porch railing or hang them from a branch. They twinkle like a jar full of fireflies. You can make a dozen for the price of one store bought lantern. This is one of those Christmas lantern ideas kids can help with too. How many jars do you have in the cupboard?

You will need: glass mason jars, craft wire, battery LED fairy lights, jute twine, small pine sprigs.

How to make it: 1. Wrap wire around the jar neck and form a handle. 2. Coil the fairy lights inside with the battery pack on top. 3. Tie twine and a pine sprig around the rim.

Porch Steps Lined With Lanterns

A lantern on every step makes guests feel like they are walking into a holiday movie. Use matching black lanterns for a clean look, each with a battery LED pillar inside. Tuck a few evergreen sprigs at the base of each one. Keep them to one side of the steps so there is plenty of room to walk. Timer pillars turn on at dusk and off at bedtime, so you never have to think about them. Of all the Christmas lantern ideas here, this simple one makes the biggest impact from the street, and neighbors notice it right away. How many steps lead to your door?

You will need: matching lanterns, battery LED pillars with timers, evergreen sprigs, non slip mats if steps get icy.

How to make it: 1. Place one lantern on the side of each step. 2. Set an LED pillar inside and turn on the timer. 3. Add greenery at the base of each lantern.

Lantern Filled With Ornaments

This might be the quickest idea of all. Fill a lantern to the top with shiny ornaments in two or three colors and set a sprig of greenery on top. The glass panels make it look like a jewelry box. Shatterproof ornaments are best, so nothing breaks if it gets bumped. Use it on an entry table, a kitchen island or a bookshelf. It takes about two minutes and uses ornaments that did not fit on the tree, which makes it one of the fastest Christmas lantern ideas you can try today. Which colors would you pick for your home?

You will need: a lantern with glass panels, shatterproof ornaments in two or three colors, a greenery sprig.

How to make it: 1. Open the lantern door. 2. Fill it with ornaments, larger ones first. 3. Close the door and lay a sprig of greenery on top.

Christmas Lantern Ideas: A Mini Bottle Brush Tree Inside

Put a tiny tree inside a lantern and it looks like a snow globe you can open. Pour in a layer of faux snow, stand a small bottle brush tree in the middle, and weave a strand of tiny LED fairy lights around it. A gold lantern feels warm and festive, but black or white work too. Set it on a mantel or a side table where people can see the little scene up close. Christmas lantern ideas like this make lovely gifts as well. Who would love to get one?

You will need: a lantern with glass sides, faux snow, a small bottle brush tree, mini battery LED fairy lights.

How to make it: 1. Pour a layer of faux snow into the lantern. 2. Stand the bottle brush tree in the center. 3. Wrap the fairy lights loosely around it and hide the battery pack.

Lantern Centerpiece on a Long Table Runner

Three lanterns of different heights make a beautiful centerpiece for a long dining table. Lay a burlap or plaid runner, set the lanterns down the middle, and fill the spaces between them with greenery, pine cones and red berries. Battery LED pillars inside give a soft glow without any worry at dinner. Keep the lanterns low enough that people can still see each other across the table. It looks special for a holiday dinner and stays up all month. Are you hosting this year?

You will need: a table runner, three lanterns in different heights, battery LED pillars, greenery, pine cones, berry picks.

How to make it: 1. Lay the runner down the center of the table. 2. Space the lanterns along it. 3. Fill the gaps with greenery, cones and berries, then turn on the LED pillars.

Lantern With Faux Snow and Pine Cones

A lantern filled with faux snow and pine cones has a cozy cabin feel. Pour in a thick layer of snow, nestle in a few pine cones of different sizes, and weave a fairy light strand through so it glows from within. Pine cones from the yard are free. For a frosty look, brush the tips with a little white paint first. It works on a porch bench, by the fireplace or even in a bathroom. This simple look stays pretty all winter long, well past Christmas. Where would you set yours?

You will need: a lantern, faux snow, pine cones, white paint and a brush (optional), battery LED fairy lights.

How to make it: 1. Brush pine cone tips with white paint if you like and let dry. 2. Fill the lantern with faux snow. 3. Nestle in the cones and add the fairy lights.

Christmas Lantern Ideas: A Lantern Trio on the Mantel

Three lanterns in small, medium and large sizes give a mantel instant balance. Group them on one side, then run a long greenery garland across the rest of the mantel. Battery LED lights inside each lantern make the whole wall glow in the evening. Keep the fireplace unlit when lanterns and greenery are on the mantel, or use them on a faux fireplace. Odd numbers always look more natural than pairs. Christmas lantern ideas do not get much easier than this. Do you have three lanterns hiding in a closet?

You will need: three lanterns in different sizes, a greenery garland, battery LED pillars or fairy lights, small command hooks.

How to make it: 1. Lay the garland along the mantel and secure it. 2. Group the lanterns on one side from tall to short. 3. Add the LED lights and tuck a little greenery at their bases.

Lantern With a Tiny Christmas Village Inside

A tiny village inside a lantern is pure magic. Set two or three small ceramic or paper houses on a bed of faux snow, add a few mini bottle brush trees, and tuck tiny LED lights in and around the houses. The lantern frame makes it look like a shop window. It is a perfect way to use village pieces when you do not have room for a full display. Kids love to peek inside and find all the little details, so it is one of our favorite Christmas lantern ideas for families with little ones. Which tiny house would you put in yours?

You will need: a large lantern, faux snow, two or three small village houses, mini bottle brush trees, tiny battery LED lights.

How to make it: 1. Pour faux snow into the lantern. 2. Arrange the houses and trees. 3. Tuck LED lights between them and hide the battery pack at the back.

Painted Craft Stick Lanterns

If you love a good craft night, make your own lanterns from craft sticks. Glue sticks into square frames, stack and join them into a box shape, then paint them white or red. Glue vellum paper inside the sides so the light glows softly through. Set a battery LED tea light inside. They cost pennies and are a great project for kids and grandkids, with tacky glue instead of hot glue for little hands. A row of them on a windowsill looks so sweet. Who would you make these with?

You will need: craft sticks, tacky glue, white and red acrylic paint, vellum paper, scissors, battery LED tea lights.

How to make it: 1. Glue craft sticks into four square frames and let dry. 2. Glue the frames into a box and paint it. 3. Line the sides with vellum and add an LED tea light.

Lantern Wrapped in a Wreath

Slip a small wreath around the middle of a big floor lantern and it instantly looks dressed up. A boxwood wreath works well, and a plaid bow adds farmhouse charm. Set a battery LED pillar inside so it glows at night. This look works on a porch, beside the fireplace or at the foot of the stairs. If the wreath is too big to slide on, hang it on the front of the lantern with a bit of wire. It is a great way to reuse a small wreath. Where would yours stand?

You will need: a large lantern, a small boxwood wreath, a plaid ribbon bow, floral wire, a battery LED pillar.

How to make it: 1. Slide the wreath over the top of the lantern or wire it to the front. 2. Tie the plaid bow at the top of the wreath. 3. Set the LED pillar inside and turn it on.

Galvanized Lantern With Red Berries

Galvanized metal and bright red berries are a classic farmhouse pair. Fill a galvanized lantern with winterberry branches and cedar sprigs, letting a few stems poke out the top. Tuck warm LED fairy lights between the branches so the berries glow at night. Faux berries last all season and look very real. This is one of those Christmas lantern ideas that can move from the porch to the kitchen table and back. It also looks great next to a galvanized bucket of greenery. Would this suit your style?

You will need: a galvanized lantern, red winterberry branches or faux berry stems, cedar sprigs, battery LED fairy lights.

How to make it: 1. Place the berry stems in the lantern, letting some rise above the top. 2. Tuck cedar sprigs around them. 3. Weave the fairy lights through and hide the battery pack.