A staircase without garland during December just feels…incomplete (fight me on this).
Greenery draped over a mantel or wound around a banister does more heavy lifting than almost any other single decoration; it instantly reads, “The holidays are here,” with no extra effort required.
PIN FOR LATER 📌
Whether you’re after something bold and oversized, a modern neutral palette, or a DIY option you can put together yourself, I rounded up 21 Christmas garland ideas to help you figure out exactly what your space needs this year.
1. DIY Wool Felt Christmas Tree Garland
Felt stars stitched together with a blanket stitch, stuffed with a bit of polyfill, then strung alternately with felt balls, a hand-sewing project you can spread over a few evenings in front of the TV. It’s a slower one to make, but the payoff is a genuinely heirloom-feeling garland in a neutral linen shade that works with any color scheme.
EVERYONE’S CLICKING ON:
35+ DIY Christmas Gifts Everyone on Your List Will Actually Love
13 Christmas Bathroom Decor Ideas To Bring Holiday Cheer Into Every Corner
15+ Festive Christmas Bedroom Ideas For A Space That Feels Like A Winter Retreat
20 Christmas Living Room Ideas To Make Your Space Feel Effortlessly Festive
22 Christmas Ornaments to Make and Sell (Start Now, Thank Me in December)
2. DIY Holly Light Bulb Garland
Fabric ball string lights get a glitter coating and a few punched-out cardstock holly leaves hot-glued on, turning basic string lights into a colorful, modern take on holly garland (in shades of pink and coral, not just the usual red and green). A fun, playful pick for a mantel, shelf, or even a kid’s room, and genuinely as easy or detailed as you want to make it.
3. Advent Stocking Garland
Forty-eight tiny felt stockings (24 in each of two colors), hand-embroidered with numbers and clipped onto a rope with mini clothespins, doubles as both garland and advent calendar. It’s genuinely the most time-intensive project on this list, best for someone who enjoys hand-stitching, but the payoff is a keepsake you’ll pull out year after year.
4. Five-Minute Ornament Garland
Genuinely the easiest one on this list: string ornaments onto a length of twine, knot each one in place, and hang it on your mantel. Five minutes, two supplies, and it’s a nice way to show off extra ornaments if your tree’s already at capacity. If you’re using glass ornaments, just handle them gently while stringing so they don’t clank together and crack.
5. DIY Dried Orange Garland
Slice oranges (and grapefruits or clementines, for an ombré effect) thin, bake low and slow for a few hours until fully dried, then string them onto twine with wood beads in between. It’s more of a slow weekend project than a five-minute one, but the payoff is a genuinely gorgeous, natural garland that smells like Christmas while it’s baking.
6. Paper Christmas Tree Garland
Cardstock strips cut into descending lengths, glued into stacked rings that create the shape of little trees, then embellished with glitter or sequins before stringing them together. It’s an easy one to involve kids in (no sharp tools required beyond scissors) and a nice low-cost project for anyone without a lot of craft supplies on hand.
7. DIY Gold Garland
Faux fern leaves wired in pairs, wrapped onto a length of wire with floral tape, then given a coat of metallic gold spray paint (outdoors, with proper ventilation) for an elegant, botanical-look garland. More time-intensive than most on this list, but it doubles as year-round decor once the holidays are over, not just a one-season piece.
8. DIY Wool Felt Leaf Garland
Cut roughly 90 small leaf shapes from wool felt (upcycled sweaters, scarves, or an old blanket work well), pinch and stitch each one to add subtle dimension, then hand-sew them all onto a long fabric strip. It’s a genuinely repetitive project best done over several evenings, but the payoff is a soft, neutral, Scandinavian-inspired garland that looks nothing like a store-bought one.
9. Star Garland Advent Calendar
Twenty-five tiny paper mâché star boxes, gold-leafed, numbered, and strung onto twine, each one filled with a small treat or a little daily activity (hot cocoa and a movie, a family game night, decorating gingerbread). It’s a genuinely ambitious project (gold leafing takes patience), but it becomes a reusable, one-of-a-kind advent tradition rather than a store-bought calendar.
10. Oversized Holly and Berry Garland
Oversized paper holly leaves and berries, scaled up dramatically from the real thing, for a bold, statement-making garland that reads more “art installation” than “craft project.” A showier pick for anyone who wants their garland to be the actual focal point of a room rather than a subtle accent.
11. DIY Jingle Bell Garland
Oversized jingle bells (sold as vase filler at Target, not intended as a craft supply) strung onto heavy string and knotted in place one by one. Genuinely just as fast as the ornament garland, and it comes with a bonus: an actual jingle when the door opens or a breeze comes through.
12. DIY Popsicle Skis Garland
Mini popsicle-stick skis, painted and glued into X shapes, then strung onto twine for a playful winter garland. Genuinely kid-friendly to make together, and a fun, unexpected alternative to the usual pine-and-berries look if your decor leans more “cozy ski lodge” than traditional Christmas.
13. Festive Pom-pom Garland
A pom pom maker turns yarn into fluffy pom poms in a rainbow of colors, threaded onto twine with a bobby pin standing in for a needle (a clever trick for anything too thick to fit a normal needle). It’s a genuinely fun, low-skill craft and a great way to bring a playful, colorful pop into decor that otherwise leans red and green.
14. Glittery Star Garland
Glittered cardstock stars connected with jewelry jump rings for a sparkly, chain-like garland (though twine or ribbon works just as well if you don’t want to buy jump rings). A great one to get kids involved in, since cutting, gluing, and dumping on glitter is basically the dream craft afternoon for them.
15. Gingerbread House Garland
Scrap cardboard from delivery boxes gets traced into gingerbread house shapes, painted with white trim, and lit from behind with copper string lights poking through cut-out windows. A genuinely eco-friendly, budget pick (the only real cost is the lights), with a free printable template included, and it gives off a cozy Scandinavian glow once it’s dark out.
16. DIY Wood Bead Garland
Painted wood beads (stripes, dots, solids, whatever pattern you like) threaded onto embroidery floss with a hand-tied knot between each one to hold them in place. A colorful, modern alternative to traditional garland, and genuinely customizable to match whatever color scheme you’re already running with on your tree.
17. DIY Christmas Light Balloon Garlands
Retro-style paper “light bulb” cutouts attached to balloons on strings, mimicking the look of oversized vintage Christmas lights. A fun, playful, colorful alternative to traditional greenery garland, especially striking when wrapped around a tree or hung across a party space.
18. Ornament Garland
Ornaments strung directly onto ribbon and knotted into place, genuinely the easiest garland on this list. Described by the original creator as the most “glamorous” option since it leans into a fuller, more bunched-together look rather than spaced-out ornaments.
19. Pom-Pom Christmas Light Garland
Yarn pom poms trimmed into an oval “light bulb” shape, threaded onto a painted silver wooden spool for the “base” of the bulb, and strung together for a garland that mimics retro string lights. A cozy, hands-busy project for a movie night, and it doubles as a cute gift topper if you don’t need a full garland’s worth.
20. Candy Cane Garland
Red and white pipe cleaners twisted together, cut in half, and bent into little candy cane shapes, then strung onto baker’s twine. A childhood craft classic given a grown-up garland spin, genuinely quick enough to whip up a whole batch in minutes, and a nice one to make with kids if you’ve got them.
21. DIY String Lights Garland
Take basic globe string lights and dress them up with yarn tassels and clear ornaments filled with a sprig of greenery, wired onto the strand alongside small colored ornaments. A nice way to upgrade lights you probably already own into something that looks intentional rather than just plugged in.
ALSO WORTH A LOOK: