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Every year the first thing I pull out of the Christmas bins is the garland. A few strands of greenery on the stairs and mantel and suddenly our old farmhouse smells and looks like December, even before the tree goes up.
Here are 28 Christmas garland ideas I gathered from decorators and crafters I love. You will find staircase garlands, mantel garlands, garland for mirrors, hutches, windows, doors and the dining table, plus easy homemade garlands like popcorn, cranberries, dried oranges, felt, twigs and paper chains. Each one links to the site it came from, and I added how to get the look at home. For more mantel ideas on a budget, see our cheap Christmas mantel decor, and take the greenery outside with our front porch Christmas decor ideas and Christmas door decorating ideas.
1. Hang the stockings from the stair garland
SaveCredit: Blue Sky at Home
No mantel big enough for everybody’s stocking? Hang them from the staircase instead. This full garland runs the whole banister with ornaments tucked in and a stocking hanging from every few spindles.
Secure the garland first, then loop each stocking hanger over the rail between spindles so the weight sits on the wood and not the greenery. A small tree at the bottom of the stairs finishes the look.
2. Magnolia and pine with a cluster of brass bells
SaveCredit: Rambling Renovators
Big glossy magnolia leaves mixed with pine make a stair garland that feels a little Southern and a little old fashioned. A drop of pinecones, frosted sprigs and a string of brass bells hangs down the newel post.
Plan on garland about one and a half times the length of your rail if you want it to swag, plus a few extra feet to hang down at the bottom. Tie the bell cluster on last with twine so it hangs straight.
3. Velvet ribbon and dried oranges on a real looking stair garland
SaveCredit: Blesser House
This one is my favorite kind of garland. A realistic pine strand gets loaded with soft gray green stems, dried orange slices and long tails of blue velvet ribbon.
Zip ties or twist ties hold the garland to the rail without scratching the wood. Wire your extra stems and orange slices in with floral wire, then tie the ribbon in loose bows so the tails trail down the spindles.
4. Mix a little real pine into a faux garland
SaveCredit: Melanie Lissack Interiors
The trick to a faux garland that smells like Christmas is a handful of the real thing. This designer uses about 80 percent faux greenery and 20 percent real cut pine and eucalyptus, then dots in dried oranges and pinecones.
Wrap the faux strands around the banister between the spindles until it looks full. Tuck sprigs of real pine under the garland wire, add faux sprays for texture, and wire on orange slices. Set a few lanterns with battery candles on the bottom step.
5. Layer cheap thin garland until it looks lush
SaveCredit: Making It Lovely
If your garland looks skimpy, you probably do not need a new one. This stair garland is several inexpensive spruce strands plus a cypress style strand wired together.
Lay everything out on the floor first and wire the strands together about every 12 inches. Wrap the lights back in, attach it to the rail with coated picture wire, and finish with a gold ribbon.
6. Point the needles down so it looks real
SaveCredit: A Turtle’s Life for Me
Here is a tip I wish I had learned years ago. Real garland hangs with its needles pointing down, so fluffing a faux one in every direction is what makes it look fake.
Wire the garland to the rail, bend every branch toward the floor, then fluff. Wrap LED lights loosely so the needles do not bunch, add a few glittery ornaments, and tie long champagne ribbons at the top of each swag.
7. Double up two garlands with rope and bells
SaveCredit: The Inspired Room
Two different garlands hung on top of each other look fuller than either one alone. This railing has a cedar strand and a pinecone and berry strand tied together with twine.
Dried blood orange slices are threaded on fishing line and tucked in, and a thick nautical rope knotted at the newel post holds a set of old brass bells. It gives a cottage staircase a homey, coastal farmhouse feel.
8. Weave a velvet ribbon through a mantel garland
SaveCredit: Postcards from the Ridge
A plain fir garland on the mantel becomes something special with one long ribbon. This one has a rust colored velvet ribbon woven loosely in and out of the branches with a few pinecones tucked between.
Fluff the garland well before you hang it. Push the ribbon down into the greenery every foot or so and let it pop back up in soft waves.
9. A dried flower garland with long ribbon tails
SaveCredit: Melanie Lissack Interiors
For something softer than all green, try a garland packed with dried flowers, grasses, oranges and seed heads. Long dusty pink ribbons drop from the wreath above all the way past the firebox.
Start with a pine base on the mantel and wire bunches of dried stems in so they all face the same way. A string of dried orange slices across the fireplace opening ties it together.
10. Frame the whole fireplace with garland
SaveCredit: Blue Sky at Home
A tall fireplace can carry two garlands, one along the mantel and another framing the wall above it. Here the top garland is made from three pieces running up the sides and across the top.
Use small hooks or nails along the trim to hold the upper garland. Hang a word sign or a small wreath in the middle so the frame has something to show off.
11. Shotgun shell light garland
SaveCredit: Vintage Southern Picks
This one is for the hunting families. Old shotgun shells slip over the bulbs of a light string, then the whole thing winds through a faux pine garland on the mantel.
Punch two holes and a slit in the base of each shell, then snap a bulb into each one so it cannot slip out. You need one shell for every bulb, so a 100 light strand takes 100 shells.
12. A strand of fresh cranberries in the greenery
SaveCredit: The Merry Thought
A single strand of fresh cranberries draped through a cedar garland adds just the right pop of red. It costs a bag or two of berries.
Thread a needle with heavy thread or fishing line and push it through the center of each berry. Lay the strand over the garland in loose swoops. The berries dry and darken over a week or two, and they still look pretty.
13. Garland around a big mirror
SaveCredit: Blue Sky at Home
A mirror doubles the glow of a lit garland. Drape the garland across the top of a large framed mirror and let it run partway down the sides.
Hang a wreath in the middle of the mirror and line the console with little lit trees in silver pots. Every twinkle light shows up twice in the reflection.
14. Frosted garland along the top of a hutch
SaveCredit: Blue Sky at Home
If you have a hutch or buffet in the dining room, the top of it is a perfect place for garland. This one has frosted branches, pinecones and burlap bows trailing down the corners.
Lay the garland across the crown and let the ends fall a few inches down each side. Fill the shelves below with Santas, reindeer and your prettiest winter dishes.
15. A garland runner down the dining table
SaveCredit: Designed Decor
A narrow garland down the middle of the table makes an instant centerpiece. Here it winds around brass candlesticks with a few silver ornaments tucked in.
Pick a thin garland so plates still fit. Skip the lights unless the table sits near an outlet, then add candlesticks, a bowl of ornaments or a few dried oranges and pinecones.
16. Drape a wall shelf in the entryway
SaveCredit: Designed Decor
The entry is the first thing guests see, so give it a little garland too. This floating shelf above a shoe bench is draped with greenery with a wreath hung right below.
Command hooks under the shelf hold the garland without nail holes. Add a small potted tree and a lantern on top and you are done in ten minutes.
17. Garland over the kitchen window
SaveCredit: Making it in the Mountains
Do not forget the kitchen, since that is where we spend most of December anyway. A garland hung across the top of the window with a wreath in the center makes doing dishes a little more cheerful.
Measure the window first and pick a garland a bit longer so the ends can drop down the sides. A pre lit one on a timer glows from the street at night.
18. Frame the front door with garland
SaveCredit: Making it in the Mountains
Garland around the front door frame says welcome before anyone knocks. This one runs up the sides and across the top with a few red accents tucked in.
Use outdoor rated hooks along the trim and choose a pre lit garland so it shines at night. A stack of firewood and a little tree on each side keep it cozy and simple.
19. Paper chain over a doorway
SaveCredit: The Crafted Life
Remember making paper chains in school? A big bright one draped over a garland framed doorway is pure fun, and the kids can make it for you.
Cut letter size cardstock into four strips. Loop one, staple it, slide the next strip through and staple again. Hang it with clear fishing line from the same hooks that hold the greenery.
20. Layered garland over the garage door
SaveCredit: The Kim Six Fix
One thin strand of garland over a garage door disappears from the street. Twisting two or three strands together makes it read from the road.
Wrap the strands around each other before you hang them, then fluff each branch. Hang it in soft swags from hooks along the top of the door so it lines up under any lights.
21. Colorful felt ruffle garland
SaveCredit: The Crafty Blog Stalker
This garland is so cheerful in a kitchen arch or over a doorway. It is just little strips of felt strung tight together until they ruffle.
Cut felt sheets into 1 by 3 inch strips. Thread a long needle with crochet thread and pierce each strip in the center, pushing them close together. One 9 by 12 inch sheet makes about 4 and a half inches of garland.
22. Old fashioned popcorn garland
SaveCredit: The Merry Thought
Popcorn garland is the one my grandma made, and I still make it every year with the kids. It is cheap, simple and smells good while you string it.
Use plain popcorn with no butter or salt, since those can make it smell or spoil. Thread a needle with heavy thread and push it through the firmest part of each piece. Put on a Christmas movie because it takes a while.
23. Dried orange slices and ribbon on the tree
SaveCredit: Ella Claire and Co.
A garland of dried orange slices swooped around the tree gives it a warm, natural farmhouse look. Red velvet bows tucked in between finish it.
String dried slices on heavy thread with a needle. Start the first strand just above eye level, skip a few branches for a deep swoop, and pinch the slices to each side of a branch so the garland lies right.
24. Free twig and pinecone garland
SaveCredit: Funky Junk Interiors
This rustic garland costs nothing but a walk in the yard. Little bundles of twigs tied with pinecones in between look great on stone or wood.
Break thin twigs at their natural joints. Starting at the middle of a long string, double knot on seven twigs, then one pinecone, and repeat until it is as long as you want. It takes under two hours.
25. Black gingerbread house garland
SaveCredit: Hallstrom Home
Little black gingerbread houses and trees clipped along twine look modern against a white mantel. They sit right under a simple pine garland.
Cut house and tree shapes from black cardstock and draw on windows and doors with a white paint pen. Cut twine about five and a half feet long and clip the shapes on with tiny clothespins.
26. Wood bead garland with tassels
SaveCredit: Hallstrom Home
A wood bead garland looks sweet on its own, but tassels make it extra cozy. This one swags along a white mantel under a row of bottle brush trees.
Cut tassels off a length of tassel trim and slide each one onto the bead strand about seven beads apart. Always put one on each end, even if the spacing comes out uneven.
27. Turn a dollar store bead garland gold
SaveCredit: Craftberry Bush
A cheap red and green bead garland from the dollar store can look expensive in five minutes. This one became antique gold and now spills over wrapped gifts under the tree.
Squeeze a little gold Rub n Buff into a zip top bag, drop the garland in and squish it around until every bead is coated. Let it dry on a paper towel before you hang it.
28. Rainbow ribbon chain you can save for years
SaveCredit: At Home With Ashley
A ribbon chain looks like a paper chain but you can pack it away and use it again every Christmas. Fifteen colors of ribbon make a rainbow that runs across a whole room.
Cut wide ribbon into 8 inch lengths. Hot glue the first loop, slide the next ribbon through and glue it, and keep going. Hang it from the ceiling with small strips of gaffer tape.
How to make any Christmas garland look fuller
Use more than you think. On a staircase, plan for garland about one and a half times the length of the rail if you want it to swag, plus a few feet extra to hang down the newel post.
Layer two or three strands. Inexpensive thin garlands twisted or wired together look richer than one pricey strand, and mixing two kinds, like cedar with pine, adds texture.
Point the branches down, then fluff. Real greenery hangs toward the floor, so shaping a faux garland that way makes it look natural.
Add a little real greenery. A few clippings of fresh pine, cedar or eucalyptus tucked in bring the smell and make the faux look more convincing.
Finish with one accent repeated all the way along, like dried orange slices, pinecones, bells, berries or a long ribbon.
How to hang garland without damaging anything
Zip ties, twist ties and green floral wire hold garland on a stair rail without scratching the wood. Snip the tails short so they hide in the branches.
On a mantel, use removable adhesive hooks or garland clips along the top edge or underside. A weighted stocking holder or two at the ends also keeps a heavy garland from sliding.
Around doors and windows, small adhesive hooks along the trim work for light garland. For a heavy pre lit garland outdoors, use outdoor rated hooks or small nails in the trim.
Christmas garland FAQ
How much garland do I need for a mantel? Measure the length of the mantel and add enough for the ends to drape down the sides. For a full look, many people buy two strands and layer them.
Is real or faux garland better? Faux garland lasts for years and does not drop needles, which matters on stairs where loose needles can be slippery. Fresh garland smells wonderful but usually stays fresh only a week or two indoors, so many decorators mix a little real greenery into faux.
How do I keep a fresh garland fresh longer? Keep it away from heat vents and fireplaces that are in use, and mist it with water every few days. Hang it as close to Christmas as you can.
How long will a popcorn or cranberry garland last? Plain popcorn garland can be saved and reused if you store it dry in a tin. Fresh cranberries dry out and darken over a week or two but still look pretty, and they should be composted after the season.
What can I add to a plain garland? Try ribbon, dried orange slices, pinecones, bells, berry picks, ornaments, wood beads or a strand of warm white lights. Pick one or two and repeat them all along the garland.
