You know that feeling when you walk into a craft store in November and suddenly you are overwhelmed by the urge to make everything yourself? That happened to me last year when I stumbled upon the garland aisle and realized I had been spending way too much money on pre-made decorations that honestly looked pretty generic. I decided right then that this year would be different. This year, I would create my own Christmas garland, and honestly, it turned into one of the most enjoyable holiday traditions I have ever started.

The beauty of DIY Christmas  garland is that it can be absolutely anything you want it to be. I am not talking about following some perfect Pinterest tutorial where everything looks flawless and professionally photographed. I mean the kind of homemade garland that actually reflects your personality and maybe has a few wonky pieces that make it all the more charming. Plus, when you make your own festive garland decorations, you can customize them to match your existing decor instead of trying to force store-bought pieces to work with your color scheme.

I started my garland making journey with something simple: popcorn and cranberries. Yes, I know it sounds incredibly old-fashioned, but hear me out. There is something deeply satisfying about sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, a bowl of fresh cranberries, and a long piece of thread. I put on some holiday movies and just started stringing. Did my thread break twice? Absolutely. Did I eat more popcorn than I actually strung? Probably. But the end result was this beautiful, natural-looking Christmas garland that cost me less than ten dollars and took up an entire evening in the best way possible.

For those who want something a bit more permanent, paper garland offers endless possibilities. I grabbed some old sheet music from a thrift store (the kind that was too damaged to actually use) and cut it into strips. Then I just looped them together, creating this vintage-looking chain that I draped across my mantel. The paper garland idea works with literally any paper you have lying around. Old book pages, newspaper, wrapping paper, even those holiday cards you have been saving for years because you felt guilty throwing them away. Just cut, loop, and connect. It is meditative in a way that scrolling through your phone definitely is not.

Dried orange slices have become incredibly popular for homemade  holiday garland, and I understand why. When I first tried making them, I was skeptical about whether they would actually look good or just seem like I was trying too hard to be trendy. But after slicing oranges about a quarter inch thick and baking them at a low temperature for several hours, I ended up with these gorgeous translucent circles that smell amazing and catch the light beautifully. I strung them with cinnamon sticks and some twine, and suddenly my kitchen looked like something from a farmhouse catalog. The dried citrus garland also doubles as a subtle air freshener, which is a bonus I had not anticipated.

Pine cone garland is another route worth exploring, especially if you have access to pine cones in your area. I went on a walk through a nearby park specifically to collect them, which felt wonderfully wholesome and probably made me look slightly eccentric to other park-goers. After cleaning them and letting them dry completely, I attached them to a thick ribbon using hot glue. Between each pine cone, I added some artificial greenery I had left over from another project. The result was this rustic, woodsy piece that I hung above my doorway. Every time someone walks under it, they comment on how it looks like it came from an expensive boutique.

Fabric garland appeals to anyone who has a stash of fabric scraps they have been hoarding. I certainly do. I cut various holiday themed fabrics into strips and tied them onto a long piece of rope, letting the ends hang down at different lengths. The texture and movement this creates is something you simply cannot buy in stores. It looks intentionally imperfect, which somehow makes it perfect. You can use felt, burlap, flannel, or whatever you have available. This type of festive garland decoration works especially well in kids’ rooms or playful spaces where you want something soft and touchable.

What I have learned through all this garland making is that the process matters as much as the product. Sure, you could order something online and have it arrive in two days. But would you remember doing that five years from now? Would it become a story you tell? When I look at my various handmade garlands, I remember the evening I made each one, what I was listening to, who I was texting with updates about my crafting disasters. That connection to the decoration makes it meaningful in a way that purchased items rarely achieve.​​​​​​​​​

Reference

Nissenbaum, S. (1996). The Battle for Christmas. Alfred A. Knopf.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). (2023). Food Safety and Inspection Service: Safe Food Handling.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). (n.d.). Forest Service: Celebrating Wildflowers.