Searches for DIY Christmas garland are up again this year. Garland is one of the easiest things to make yourself, and a homemade one changes how a room feels more than another store-bought ornament does.

All of these can be done in an evening, at a table, with a movie on.

Dried orange slices

The most popular homemade garland right now, and for good reason. It glows when light shines through it.

Drying them yourself: slice oranges about a quarter inch thick. Pat them dry with paper towels. Bake on a rack at 200°F (95°C) for three to four hours, turning every hour, until dry and slightly see-through. Thinner slices dry faster and more evenly.

Buying them dried: a pack of dried orange slices (on Amazon) saves the oven time.

Making it: thread with a large needle and jute twine (on Amazon) through the top of each slice. Space them 3 to 4 inches apart, or add something between them.

Oranges and cinnamon

Between orange slices, tie small bundles of three cinnamon sticks (on Amazon). It smells good near a warm lamp.

Popcorn and cranberries

Very old-fashioned. Use day-old popcorn, which breaks less, and fresh cranberries. Thread with a needle and button thread, five pieces of popcorn, one cranberry. It’s for indoors only, and it lasts a couple of weeks before it needs to go.

Paper chains

Not just for kids. Cut strips from kraft paper, sheet music or old book pages, about 1 inch by 6 inches. Glue or tape into loops. One color, or two alternating, looks grown up.

Wood beads

A wood bead garland (on Amazon) is easy to make too: wooden craft beads on twine, with a tassel at each end. It doesn’t go off, so it stays useful year after year.

Felt balls

Felt ball garland in a mix of colors, threaded with a needle, looks soft and playful on a tree or above a window.

Hanging it

On a mantel, drape it from end to end, letting it dip in the middle. Across a window or doorway, use removable hooks (on Amazon) at each end. For extras like photos or cards, clip them onto the garland with mini clothespins (on Amazon).

Dried orange garland keeps for years if stored in a dry box with some paper in between.