Garland does a lot for the money. One good strand changes a mantel, a staircase or a doorway more than almost anything else you can buy. The two common mistakes are buying too little of it and buying faux garland so cheap it looks like plastic.
Fresh or faux
Fresh garland smells like Christmas, and nothing else really does. A cedar or fir garland on the mantel scents the room for two or three weeks.
The downsides: it sheds (cedar especially), it dries out near a fireplace or heating vent, and it lasts about three to four weeks indoors if you mist it every couple of days. Outdoors in a cold climate it can last the whole season. Expect $25 to $50 for 6 feet at a garden center or tree lot, more for mixed greenery. It goes in the compost in January.
Faux garland has improved a lot. The good ones mix several kinds of foliage, long needles and short ones, a few pinecones, maybe some frosted tips, and they look real from a few feet away. The bad ones are one flat shade of green with plastic stems showing. Under $20 for 6 feet usually means the bad kind; $30 to $60 gets you something decent.
Faux lasts for years, doesn’t shed, and can sit near a fireplace safely. Pre-lit faux, like this battery-powered 6-foot strand (on Amazon), saves you the most tedious part of the job. It doesn’t smell of anything, and sunlight fades it, so outdoor faux garland wears out faster.
If you’re buying faux, a $45 garland used for five years costs less per season than fresh. Look for “mixed tips” or “real touch” on the label (this 9-foot faux cedar (on Amazon) is one example), bend a branch to check the stem, and look at it from arm’s length before you decide.
How much to buy
Garland needs slack to look full. Measure the space and multiply by about 2.5 for anything that drapes.
| Where | Typical size | How much garland |
|---|---|---|
| Standard mantel | 48 in. | 10 ft |
| Wide mantel | 60 in. or more | 12–15 ft |
| Staircase, one flight | 8–12 ft run | 15–20 ft |
| Single front door | 36 in. | 9–12 ft |
| Double doors | 60 in. | 15–18 ft |
| Window | 36–48 in. | 6–9 ft |
| Console table | 48–60 in. | 9–12 ft |
For stairs, measure the banister along its slope and multiply by 1.5 to allow for dips between posts. For a doorway, measure up one side, across the top and down the other, then add 2 feet.
You don’t need one long strand. Two 6-foot garlands overlapped by a foot look like one continuous piece once you fluff the join, and they’re easier to hang and store.
Hanging it
Fresh garland is heavy; a 9-foot cedar strand can weigh 8 to 10 pounds. Faux is lighter but still needs support every 2 to 3 feet or it sags.
Mantel. Three large removable hooks (on Amazon) (both ends and the middle) hold most faux garland. For fresh, add two more and let the garland rest on the mantel shelf; the hooks just stop it sliding forward.
Staircase. Green zip ties (on Amazon) through the garland’s wire core, around the balusters, trimmed short and tucked into the branches. On wood you don’t want to mark, tie the garland on with wide velvet ribbon instead.
Doorway. An over-the-door garland hanger takes the weight across the top, and removable hooks every 18 inches hold the sides.
If it’s pre-lit, plug it in and check every light before you hang it. Finding a dead section after you’ve tied it all the way down the stairs is no fun.
Storing it
Fresh garland: shake the needles off outside and put it out with yard waste.
Faux garland: don’t fold it into a tight ball. Crushed branches stay crushed. Coil it loosely into a big circle, like a wreath, and put it in a garland bag (on Amazon), a garment bag or a large trash bag, either hung in a closet or laid flat. Wrap the plug on pre-lit garland in a small bag so it doesn’t snag the branches. Write the length on the bag (“12 ft faux cedar”) so you know which is which next December.