How to build a north pole for your outdoor Christmas decorations. It's over seven feet tall and was very inexpensive to make.

Step 1: Materials

To build one of these for yourself you will need;

1 - 7' PVC pipe 4" diameter
1 - Roll painters tape
1 - Can red spray paint
1 - Can green
1 - Can black
1 - 4' x 1/2" rebar
2 - Wood blocks to fits inside pcv(I used landscape timbers)
1 - handful of small screws
2 - small brackets 1/2
1 - 18' Red rope light with clips
1 - 18' White rope light with clips
1 - 4" globe light with extension cord
1 - 3 way plug connector
1 - coroboard sign (recycled from elections)

Step 2: Building

- Start by cutting your pvc to length.
- Using the painters tape, wrap a double wide strip all the way down in a spiral pattern.
- Spray paint with red, let dry then remove tape.
- Plug in your red and white rope light to soften them up. Attach one rope clip in the middle of each stripe in a line all the way down.
- Wrap the rope lights tightly around the pole inserting into the clips as you go. I covered the last few feet of rope light with black tape to hide it, but that is up to you.
- Cut a wood block about four inches long to fit inside the top of the pole. Screw through the pipe into the wood to hold it in place. This will give you a base to screw the light fixture onto.
- Splice and connect extension cord wires to your light and run it down through the pipe and out the bottom.(Be careful with hooking up electricity. If you don't know what you are doing call someone that does)
- Cut another wood block to fit in the bottom a few feet long. I used landscape timbers and they fit perfectly. Attach the two small brackets to the top and bottom of the wood to hold the rebar in place. You could also try to drill through the wood and put the bar in that, but whatever you do make sure it's strong.

Step 3: Decorating and Installation

I made a north pole sign, but most people should recognize what it is without one.
Using a recycled election sign made from coroboard I painted it white and trimmed in green. The letters I did in photoshop and cut them out to make a template to paint in. The fake greens and ribbon just got zipped tied on.

- Installing
Put a bulb in the light and hammer the rebar into the ground as far as you need. Slide the pole over the rebar and into the brackets. Plug in your lights to a 3 way connector and into your house however you can. Enjoy your handywork and have a Merry Christmas.

For more Christmas how to's try Planet Christmas