Before and After: Netflix’s “Mr. Christmas” Transformed This Bare Backyard Into a Holiday Light Show

Whether you’re searching for holiday decor ideas or want to watch something that ignites seasonal cheer, Netflix’s “Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas” might be the (red and green) ticket. In the show, Mr. Christmas—aka interior designer Benjamin Bradley—gives festive makeovers to homes in need of seasonal joy, which everyone is yearning for these days. And if you’re looking to deck out your exterior space in particular, which has been a focus since the pandemic began, one episode’s outdoor makeover will give you plenty of inspiration.

In episode four, Mr. Christmas visits Morristown, NJ, to help out the Radcliffes: Illana, Bob, and their three children, Asher, Bennett, and Leo. The family celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas, and while they’ve tried to represent both holidays in their small home, it’s only resulted in a cluttered clash of colors and items. But once Mr. Christmas realizes they have a large amount of outdoor space, he knows that by fully utilizing their front and backyard, the Radcliffes can have the holiday setup they’ve always wanted.

Before getting to work, Mr. Christmas brought the Radcliffes to the New York Botanical Garden Train Show, where he took note of the kids love for all the lights and nature-inspired decor. To recreate that at their home, Mr. Christmas uses only white lights to avoid taking the focus off of nature with flashy colors and effects. Additionally, since lights are of large importance to Hanukkah and Christmas, he knows that will be a visual way to represent the two holidays.

In the front yard, he bordered the windows, roof, and garage with garlands and lights. One large Christmas tree and four saplings were planted in the front, each representing one of the Radcliffe children (with a baby on the way). Additionally, Mr. Christmas set up a lit reindeer to add an extra festive touch, and made sure to place a menorah in the window to tie the two holidays together.

But the backyard is really where the magic unfolded. To create the feeling of an extra room, Mr. Christmas built a wooden pergola to create an ideal outdoor hangout for the family. He wrapped the wooden beams with strings of Edison light bulbs and hung 32 lanterns to create a luminous glow, again tying it in with a menorah in the window. And of course, more Christmas trees were added, because why not?

While there was a lot of focus on creating the outdoor light show, there were plenty of transformative moments indoors, too. You’ll just have to watch the episode on Netflix to find out for yourself!