If you have a garden shed, some energetic children, and a little bit of free time, then you have all the ingredients you need to create a magical extravaganza this Christmas – by making a DIY Santa’s Grotto. Read on as we discuss how to make a Christmas grotto in easy bite-size chunks.
It’s simple to do. Some Christmas lights, tinsel and a seat for Father Christmas are the basic components of a Santa's Grotto. It will be great fun for the children to help you decorate Santa’s seat and come up with ideas about how to arrange things. The only hard work involved is giving your shed a good tidy-up – and you’ve been meaning to do that for ages anyway.
Editor’s Note [13.08.24]:
Our guide, “How to Make a Christmas Grotto in a Garden Shed” was first published on December 11, 2015. Today has seen a series of updates with enhancements to most existing content. New sections for Christmas-themed decorations, interactive elements for children, other ideas, the importance of heating and safety tips have been added.
Why you should turn your shed into a Christmas Grotto
Making a magical grotto is a great way of having fun with young children who still have an infectious enthusiasm for Christmas. Everyone can get involved in decorating the garden Grotto to make it an enticing place for Santa Claus to pop by.
When he does show up, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that doing something different for Christmas turned it into the best one ever. There’s an added advantage if members of your family are coming over – it gives the children another place to hang out.
How to make a Christmas grotto in your shed
The first step is to clear out your shed. You’ll need to make sure that it’s a safe place for youngsters. Store your tools and garden equipment elsewhere for the time being. Also, check the surfaces for any rough edges or stray nails that might injure little hands.
Once you’ve got a clear space, then it’s time to plan out the magical grotto. Figure out where Father Christmas is going to sit, where he can put his sack of presents and where the children can sit while they listen. Then it’s time to decorate.
Decorating a shed for Christmas
Let your imagination flow with a range of grotto ideas for decorating a shed for Christmas. Below we discuss Christmas lights, Christmas-themed decorations, tinsel and baubles, Christmas trees and holly, Cushions, throws & rugs, interactive elements for children and a few other ideas.
Christmas fairy lights
You can have strings of fairy lights around the shed, both inside and outside. Battery-powered fairy lights can be wrapped around Santa’s chair. If you’re using powered lights, then it’s a good idea to have a residual current device (RCD) to protect against electric shocks and make sure they are out of reach of the children. Tea lights are another option, perhaps in the garden showing the way to the Grotto. Find our range of solar lights here.
Christmas-themed decorations
Lavishly add Christmas shed decorations around the Santa’s grotto. We particularly love the thought of Christmas presents and stockings not only on the Christmas tree but also cleverly placed around the grotto (taking care that they do not create a trip hazard!).
Decorating an entrance, perhaps with an archway provides an exciting focal point. An archway decorated with garlands, fairy lights and ribbons will potentially captivate visitors and sprinkle a little Christmas magic!
Decorating approach pathways with artificial snow, which could be sprayed, white felt or cotton creates an enchanting path leading to the grotto.
Tinsel and baubles
Hang these from Santa’s chair, the door, the windows, or anywhere the children decide. You can also put up Christmas arts and crafts like pictures of nativity scenes or any traditional Christmas decorations made at school. Spray-on snow can also be highly effective on window panes.
Christmas tree with holly
A fir tree pot plant can be decorated as a Christmas tree. Poinsettias are always Christmassy, while wreaths and garlands made from green trimmings and holly can all be hung around the windows.
Cushions, throws and rugs
You’ll want the garden Grotto to be warm and welcoming, so make somewhere appealing for the children to sit on like a red throw and add cushions. If you have a draught excluder that can also be useful, and it would probably be a good idea to put a heater in the shed, although again make sure you have an RCD.
Interactive Christmas grotto ideas for children
Incorporate interactive Christmas grotto ideas like these to keep children entertained:
- Crafting corner - although primarily for Children, adults will also enjoy a crafting corner. Generously supply this area with crayons, glitter, glue, paper, etc. This is ideal for creating Christmas shed decorations, as well as Christmas cards and ornaments for the garden grotto
- Games - add Christmas-themed games such as Christmas bingo, Christmas charades, Santa’s elves treasure hunt, Pin the nose on Rudolph, and Santa's sack relay race. These will add seasonal delight to children and adults alike!
- Gift wrapping area - provide Christmas-themed labels, ribbons, tape, wrapping paper, etc. This can be a fun activity for Children especially, with adults close by supervising
- Photobooth - in larger sheds and where budget permits you could even add a photobooth. Add props such as elf ears, festive glasses, jingle bell necklaces, reindeer antlers, Santa beards, Santa hats, snowman scarves and tinsel garlands
- Santa's mailbox - set up a special mailbox to write letters to Santa in Lapland. Stock this with Christmas pens, stickers, stationery, stamps, etc.
- Story corner - adults can read Christmas stories to children (especially 5 years and under). Christmas-themed books should be made available for Children to read, classics include "The Christmas Bear", "Mog's Christmas", "One Snowy Night", "The Jolly Christmas Postman", “Father Christmas” and "The Snowman"
Other creative garden grotto ideas
Other Christmas grotto ideas you will not want to miss for your magical Santa’s grotto shed are:
- Candy canes – these are a popular Christmas treat, both for decoration and eating! Incorporate these into your winter wonderland theme and add them to your Christmas tree, etc.
- Festive soundtrack - there is nothing like playing festive music to create a festive atmosphere. Supermarkets understand this, you can do this too, by playing classics varying from Bing Crosby to Shakin Stevens, Band Aid and other Christmas musical favourites
- Holiday scents – add freshness to the grotto air with Christmas-scented potpourri or diffusers. Scents of Christmas, which will stimulate the senses include cinnamon, clove, frankincense, gingerbread, mulled wine, orange, peppermint and pine. N.B. resist the temptation to use wax candles for scents as they are a fire risk
The important role of heating
Naturally, the Santa’s grotto will receive most use in the cold winter months from November through to early January. In the UK, these are among the coldest months of the year, so heating plays an important role.
Creating a cosy, warm environment is crucial to the magic of Christmas. If you are not lucky enough to have central heating extended to your shed, ensure you invest in top-quality outdoor heaters to keep your shed warm. Practice our safety tips mentioned later.
Time for some Christmas cheer
The final step is to invite Santa Claus. If for some reason he can’t make a personal appearance before the night of Christmas Eve, then you may need a volunteer. Don’t forget to give them some tips on dealing with a small group of excited children. In addition to asking each of them in turn if they’ve been good, and giving them a present, your Santa may want to tell them a story or two, perhaps using a seasonal picture book or some props like a carrot for the reindeer.
Not all of these things are essential but the more effort you put in, the more rewarding your Grotto will be. If you’re inspired to give it a go, remember that you just need somewhere that is safe, warm and Christmassy to create a Grotto that will stick in your children’s memories forever. For more ideas about sheds and what you can do with them, click the link to check out our selection of sheds.
View our range of Santa’s grotto sheds here or click the products below
Safety tips and advice for your Santa’s grotto shed
Listed below are just a few safety tips you should ensure when you create your Santa’s grotto shed:
- Child supervision – children should always be supervised by adults and never left alone inside the grotto. Take care to supervise children around heaters (which need a guard) and electrical points
- Christmas tree stability – if you have a Christmas tree, ensure it is securely anchored. This is to avoid the possibility of the tree toppling over, which is more likely when heavily weighed down with ornaments and decorations. The stability of the tree is especially important if toddlers are close by
- Electrical testing – all electrical items in the shed need to be assessed and verified as safe to use
- Exit safety – ensure that exits (and entrances) are not blocked and that visitors can easily leave if they need to
- Fire safety – avoid the use of wax candles (use LED candles instead) and open flames
- First aid kit – ensure there is a first aid kit either in the garden grotto or inside the home
- Safe Christmas decorations – use shatterproof and lightweight ornaments and decorations
- Ventilation – ensure there is sufficient ventilation in the shed, this prevents a build-up of carbon monoxide
Conclusion
When we set out to write our “How to Make a Christmas Grotto” guide we wanted to provide a packed article full of Christmas grotto ideas. We believe that if you implement our Christmas decorating ideas above for a grotto you will be well on your way.
Contact Shedstore
We hope you are inspired by having read our “How to Make a Christmas Grotto” guide. Planning certainly takes time. Shedstore would advise buying Christmas shed decorations and thinking through how you want to approach decorating a shed for Christmas, well in advance.
Contact us to discuss Christmas grotto ideas for your shed in these ways:
- Calls - 0333 003 0518
- E-mails – our contact form enables structured emails to be sent
- Text chat - our live chat app is ideal for real-time text messaging
