Christmas projection mapping: light up your house for the holidays

Christmas projection mapping turns your house into an animated holiday display by projecting festive video — falling snow, twinkling lights, Santa scenes — onto your windows and facade, warped to fit each surface with a projector and a phone. It replaces hours on a ladder stringing lights with a setup you can change from the sofa. Here is how to do it, and when to start so you are ready before December.

• A projector — 2,500+ lumens is comfortable for an after-dark facade; more if there is streetlight spill. A short-throw projector helps if you are lighting a window from inside.
• An iPhone or iPad with a mapping app like EasyMapper Studio.
• A USB-C or Lightning to HDMI adapter, or AirPlay.
• Holiday content — snow loops, animated string lights, fireplaces, or a full window "story" scene.
• Weather protection if the projector sits outside — a covered porch, a projector enclosure, or projecting from inside through a window.

• Windows are the classic choice. Project from inside the house onto the back of a rear-projection screen or a plain blind, and passersby see the scene from the street with no gear exposed to the weather. Short-throw projectors shine here.
• The front facade — map the whole front of the house: outline windows and the door, then fill the walls with snow or lights.
• The garage door — a big, flat, bright canvas that reads clearly from the road.
• A single feature — one dormer, a porch, or a bay window, mapped tightly, often looks more polished than a whole-house wash.

1. Set the projector after dark where it can see your whole surface, and lock it down.
2. Connect your phone over HDMI or AirPlay so the projector mirrors it.
3. Map each surface — drag the corners of each layer onto the window frames, door, and wall edges so the content lines up with the architecture.
4. Mask the gaps — hide light spilling onto brick, gutters, or the neighbour's fence so only your chosen surfaces glow.
5. Layer the scene — snow over the whole facade, warm light in the windows, a figure in the doorway. Keep a consistent palette so it reads as one display.
6. Preview and leave it running — the app mirrors what the projector sees; set your loop and enjoy.

Start planning in October and test by mid-November. Seasonal content and short-throw projectors sell out as December nears, and you want a dry run before the first evening you actually want the display lit. A weekend of testing in November beats troubleshooting in the cold on the 23rd.

Bring your own clips — a family photo slideshow, your kids' drawings animated, or a countdown to Christmas morning — and drop them straight into a scene from Photos. The same rig carries across the calendar: see how to decorate your house with projection mapping for any occasion, or the Halloween version for October.