How to

Hang a Garland: 6 Fresh Ideas for the Holiday Season 

Sparkling lights, colorful ornaments and strands of nature-inspired garland work together to create a festive holiday mood in your home. Garland and wreaths add a natural, cozy touch to your holiday decor. These items look stunning around window sills and the perimeters of your rooms. They also add a special, creative touch to your home when you mix in a little bit of the unexpected. Use these decorating ideas from us at Pottery Barn as inspiration for your holiday garlands.

How to Hang Garland Without Nails 

Hanging garland around a door adds a traditional, welcoming touch to your entryway. Decorate the ends of your entryway bench with matching garland to further enhance your holiday decor. To change things up, use adhesive mounting hooks instead of nails. These let you attach the garland without making holes in the walls or doorframe. This also makes it easy to put up and take down your holiday decorations.

Decorating the Counter

The magic of baking holiday cookies, cakes and treats happens in the kitchen. It adds a touch of warmth when you turn part of a countertop into a Christmas display. Add to the holiday ambience by making your counter and plates of baked goodies part of the decor. This is easy to do by draping garland around the edges of your countertop before you set treats out for a party. Or, try snaking a verdant faux garland between bowls of candy and serving platters filled with colorful cookies.

How to Hang Christmas Garland on a Banister

Create a beautiful setting for holiday photos by decorating your stairway. The steps give everyone a place to pose, and the garland and decorations add extra touches of greenery. Wrap strands of garland around each post and around the banister rail. Leave spots open for people to grasp the rail when climbing the stairs. Embellish the garland by attaching big red bows or sparkling ornaments from it. For homes that don’t have a mantel, this is also a place where stockings look nice hanging atop garland.  

Embellish a Side Table

Decorate a side table in your entryway or coffee table in your living room for an unexpected touch. Wrap the legs of the side table with garland and attach it around the edges of the table. Use adhesive hooks for decorating to protect the finish of your furniture. Sprinkle a light layer of iridescent glitter or fake snow around the ornaments and on the top edge of the garland to give the whole scene a wintry finish. 

How to Hang Garland with Hooks or Tacks

When you want to attach garland around the door using hooks or thumb tacks, you can without making a lot of holes in the wall or door frame. Position the tips of the hooks or tacks so the points slide into the cracks where the frame and wall meet. If you’re putting the garland up outside, match it to a bold wreath. Illuminate the foliage by winding it around a strand of twinkling string lights. Hang a lantern at each corner where the garland meets to brighten the doorway even more. 

Draw Eyes to the Mantel

When you’re hanging the stockings by the chimney, add some garland and lights to make the whole mantel into a Christmas display. Set up a Christmas village, or add a festive touch to your favorite art pieces by winding the garland around large sculptures. Add LED candles throughout the display for a soft glow that draws the eye and creates a cozy atmosphere. Hang some silver or red ornaments on the wall behind the display to catch and reflect the candlelight. Then loosely tie silver and gold ribbon into delicate bows around the garland to complete the holiday look.