SEE & DO: DIY Christmas Doorway Garland

If there’s one quick and visible way to shout out “Merry Christmas,” it’s through a doorway garland adorned with ornaments! It’s a high-impact holiday accent, but it need not be high-cost. If you know where to source budget-friendly materials and combine them with recycled items you already have, you’d be surprised at the stylish yet affordable result. To help you assemble a holiday garland for your own front door, here’s another of our super-simple See & Do posts!

How to Make Your Own Holiday Door Garland

What Materials To Use 

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Gather these items — either store bought or from your Christmas stash *(item available on Amazon):

• – faux pine garlands – if possible, not the pre-decorated kind
• – loose decorative leaf sprays or leaf picks – in glittery gold*, burnished copper*, and metallic champagne*
• – large gold Christmas balls – your choice of assorted designs*, assorted finishes*, and varied sizes
• – white Christmas string lights – now available in solar-powered* and battery-operated* types, so your door need not have a nearby power outlet
• – large nails or hooks
• – green crafting wire or invisible nylon cord
• – hammer, pliers, heavy-duty scissors
  
  

Other suggestions: You may opt for holly garlands or white garlands instead of pine, depending on the look you are aiming for.

Even your leaf sprays or picks may be in silver or snow-flocked finish. While your ornaments and baubles may be in a different color scheme, or made from different materials, such as wood, fabric, felt, glass, clay and more. Or an ombre effect of blush pink, beige and gold.

Just make sure to stay within the color palette and style you have chosen (rustic, country, modern, whimsical, neon, pastels).

Assembly How-To

Step #1: Embed the nails/hooks at intervals around the door frame. Keep in mind the total length of the garlands you have available, and the effect you want to create (framing the entire door or leaving one side artistically asymmetrical, as we did with ours).

Step #2: Attach the individual garlands to the nails/hooks using the crafting wire or nylon cord, to create one continuous frame around the door. Take care to hide the attachment points behind the leaves.

Step #3: Wind the string lights around the completed garland, and switch them on to test the placement and spacing of the lights. It’s easier to make adjustments at this point, rather than when all the ornaments are in place!

Step #4: Using the crafting wire or nylon cord, tie together assorted sizes and finishes of Christmas balls to create 2 large bunches with 7 to 8 balls each. Then, create 3 or 4 more bunches of 3 balls each.

Step #5: Attach the 2 large bunches of Christmas balls to the top corners of the garland. Attach the smaller bunches at the top-center and down the hanging sides, along with a few single balls

Step #6: Insert the decorative leaf sprays at random points along the garland—not too symmetrical, though, for a more artistic look.

Step #7: Switch on the string lights and ENJOY!

Decorating tip

To give your home a pulled-together holiday look, it’s best to use the same basic materials for your indoor decorations, too. See how this Christmas Door Garland matches our Christmas Coffee Table Centerpiece and our Modern Meets Organic Holiday Tablescape!