In December a shop window has two jobs: it tells people walking past that you're open and that Christmas is coming, and it gives them a reason to stop. Light does both, especially on short December afternoons when it gets dark early. Here are 8 Christmas window display ideas for shops, cafés, salons and small businesses, from a window that shows your own message to candles that switch on every evening without anyone touching them. Each one notes the power it needs, so you can plan sockets and batteries before you start.
1. A message in lights for passers-by
Smart curtain lights hang behind the glass and turn the whole window into a screen. Type your own message in the app, your shop's name, “Merry Christmas” or “Open late on Thursdays”, draw a simple pixel version of your logo, or pick one of 100+ animated scenes. The timer switches them on and off by themselves, so the window keeps glowing after closing time for the people walking home.
Shown: smart animated Christmas lights, 2 × 2 m or 3 × 3 m, 400 LEDs, IP44 for indoor and sheltered outdoor use.
2. Your name in marquee letters
Spell your shop's name, OPEN or SALE in marquee letters along the windowsill or on the counter. They're sold one at a time, so you only buy the letters you need; each one is 22 cm tall with its own switch and runs on batteries, so no cables show in the display. After Christmas they work in every season's window.
Shown: light-up marquee letters, 22 cm tall, A to Z plus a red heart and an “&”.
3. A tree of light at the door
A star waterfall turns a planter by the entrance into a glowing Christmas tree: fix the star to the top of a post, a small tree or a pole and peg the nine strands out in a cone. Choose the USB version if there's a socket nearby, or the solar version with its own panel if there isn't.
Shown: star waterfall Christmas lights, 2 m or 3 m strands, warm white, white or multicolor, 8 lighting modes.
4. Ribbon lights in the display
Wrap a ribbon light around a small display tree or along a garland in the window, and the products in front of it catch a soft glow. The ribbon and the fairy lights go on in one step, and the battery box means no socket is needed in the middle of the display.
Shown: Christmas ribbon lights, gold or silver ribbon, 5 m or 10 m, warm white, cool white or multicolor.
5. Snow on the wall behind the counter
A small projector throws slowly turning snowflakes, Santas and reindeer across the wall behind the counter or onto the ceiling, so the whole shop looks festive from the street with nothing to hang. Set it on a shelf, point it and plug it into a 5V/2A USB adapter.
Shown: Christmas light projector, 16 patterns, throws from about 1.5 to 5 m (5–16 ft).
6. Café table candles that switch on by themselves
Flameless pillar candles give café and restaurant tables the glow of real candles with no flame, no smoke and no dripping wax. One remote switches a set of three on and off and dims them, and the timer turns them off after 2 to 8 hours and back on at the same time the next day, so they're lit when you open without anyone going round with a lighter.
Shown: flameless candles with remote, set of 3 in three heights, white, ivory or smoke grey.
7. A wall of your customers' cards
Run a string of photo clip lights along the wall behind the counter and clip up the Christmas cards customers bring in, children's drawings, team photos or the year's best moments. It makes the shop feel personal, and the battery box means it can go anywhere.
Shown: photo clip string lights, 2 m with 20 LEDs, 5 m with 50 or 10 m with 100.
8. A New Year window for the first days of January
When Christmas is over, the window keeps working: a glowing 2027 in marquee numbers on the sill, a few mini mirror disco balls hanging above it and “Happy New Year” typed into the curtain lights. Four numbers spell the year (two 2s, a 0 and a 7), each 22 cm tall with its own switch.
Shown: light-up marquee numbers, 0 to 9, 22 cm tall, with mini disco ball ornaments.
Before you start: power, timers and delivery
- Power: the curtain lights and the projector run on USB 5V (adapter not included; the projector needs a 5V/2A adapter, not a fast charger), and the star waterfall comes in a USB or a solar version. The marquee letters and numbers take 2 × AA each, the ribbon lights AA batteries, the photo clip lights 3 × AA and each candle 3 × AAA; batteries are not included.
- Timers: the curtain lights and the candles switch on and off by themselves, so the window keeps glowing after closing time without anyone staying late.
- Indoors or out: the curtain lights are IP44 splash-resistant, for indoor and sheltered outdoor use, and behind the glass of the window is the simplest place for them. The marquee numbers and the ribbon lights are for indoor use.
- Outside the shop: check with your landlord or your town's rules before fixing anything to the front of the building or putting it on the pavement.
- Delivery: free tracked shipping, dispatched in 1 to 3 business days and delivered in 7 to 12. Order by mid-November to have the window ready for the start of December, and by 1 December at the latest.
- Returns: unused items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days of delivery.
More ideas
- Decorating the window too? Here are 8 Christmas window decoration ideas.
- Decorating your desk too? Here are 8 office Christmas decoration ideas.
- Not sure what to write on your curtain lights? Here are 48 short messages for Christmas and New Year.
- Still comparing sets? Here's how to choose Christmas curtain lights: 8 things to check.
- Browse all our Christmas decorations or our 12 Christmas gift ideas under $30.