The best part? You can use them year after year.
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Come December, the Christmas tree tends to get most of the love and attention from family members, but a home's holiday decorations aren't truly complete without other cheerful touches. This includes Christmas village sets on the mantel (if you have one), outdoor lights, wreaths, and garlands. When it comes to the last option, you may be debating between buying real or faux garlands. Though you can't go wrong with either choice—it's purely a personal preference—we love the versatility and ease of faux garlands, especially if you buy the best ones. They will last you for seasons to come and can look quite realistic when styled correctly.
We're inching closer and closer to December 25, so if you have yet to secure a faux garland or two, now's the time to order one. We rounded up 14 great options to check out and add to your cart to speed up your shopping process. We chose only the most realistic-looking ones with solid customer reviews and ensured they adhered to anyone's affinity for tasteful decor. From nine-foot cedars dotted with twinkly lights to pared-down firs, our list has many worthy options.
When we think of a traditional holiday garland, a bushy green one made mostly of (faux) evergreen comes to mind. However, there's something to be said about a garland comprised of berries. It's an easy way to add a pop of unexpected color to your holiday decor scheme without having to worry about the dog getting poisoned because, as we said, it's faux! They may look and feel real, but if you give them a taste (which we don't recommend), you'll quickly realize they're plastic.
Here's another garland with hardly any green. In fact, in order to see the green, you may need a magnifying glass. This one is meant to look like fluffy fallen leaves blanketed in a thick layer of snow. If we can't have a real white Christmas, we can definitely have a fake one.
If you want to keep things classy, on the other hand, go with this maximalist Christmas garland, which is complete with bushels of berries, micro LED lights, faux pinecones, and giant red velvet bows. Get it in a six- or nine-foot length depending on where you're putting it, but personally, we think there's nothing wrong with a little extra garland pooling on the ground by the fireplace. Just make sure no one trips over it!
Calling all minimalists: This Scandinavian-inspired garland is a more wispy take on the classic, voluminous garlands on our list. This one is finished with tiny LED lights that go on and off on a schedule. It's also part of a set; it comes with a matching wreath.
Instead of pairing your evergreen base with decorative details like oranges, pinecones, berries, or ornaments, opt for faux willow branches. They help add even more texture to a garland and give it that wintertime seasonal touch.
This garland may be one of the cheapest on our list, but its appearance definitely doesn't match the price; it looks luxe. One Amazon reviewer said: "I bought two of these for my front porch. Excellent value for money. Lights and 'berries' and pine cones are not cheap looking. Greenery is full and plentiful..." This seems to be the general consensus with shoppers, though everyone notes that this garland has glitter on it. Make sure you give it a good shake outdoors before hanging it up.
Contrary to all the options you're seeing, garlands do not have to be green, filled with pinecones, or even flocked. Feel free to take a different route with this winding string of botanical florals. The motifs are crafted from iron, textured velvet, gleaming glass, and rustic wood.
You'll see a few cedar options on our list because, after all, this is one of the most popular trees to bring into the house when that time of year rolls around. Like our previous garland, this one is devoid of any decorations, which, in our opinion, gives it a more freshly foraged look.
Consider taking a more modern route with eucalyptus leaves. Our suggestion? Lay it across your dining table as a fresh and festive centerpiece. If you want to go the extra mile, weave in cut flowers and strategically place tapered candles around it.
There are a lot of fir trees out there, all of which can be used during Christmastime. If you want to match your tree to the rest of your holiday decor, this Balsam Hill garland is the perfect pick. It includes tiny twinkly lights that give the garland a beautiful glow.
We're not entirely sure what type of tree this is meant to look like, but we're obsessed with the fluffy texture and inter-woven lights. Whether you lay it flat across the table as pictured or use it in a more traditional way, you're going to bring some serious holiday cheer to your home. Plus, this is one of Christina Hall's favorite garlands!
You'll sigh a breath of relief this holiday season when you wrap this garland around your front porch, plug it in, and then call it a day. It comes pre-lit with faux berries and pinecones, so you don't need to add any holiday-specific extra trimmings. This beautiful piece has got you covered from all directions.
The only thing fake garland often doesn't have on the real stuff is that full, fluffy look. Our advice is to follow what bedding companies have been doing for decades: stuffing two comforters into one duvet cover. Of course, we don't mean literally. Instead of buying one garland, opt for two or three and weave them together using florist wires to make your railings, mantles, or anything else look bigger and fuller. By the way, if you need some help decorating your mantle, we've got you covered here.
Additionally, you can fill in any strange gaps or holes with other elements that will make your garland feel fuller. Incorporate other faux greenery elements such as pine, magnolia, eucalyptus, and cedar juniper. For some color, consider tying red and gold ribbons to the garland or weaving in ornaments and faux berries or pinecones. The more you add to it, the fuller it will seem.
There's a difference between cheap garland and faux garland. Good faux garland, which doesn't always have to be super expensive, can look real. Cheap garland, in our opinion, isn't just a reflection of a low price point but also a junky appearance and feel. When buying an artificial garland, pay attention to the details on the leaves and branches. If the colors, textures, and subtleties look like what you'd find in the forest, you've discovered a good faux garland. Luckily, all of the faux garlands we've chosen look real.
For those who are still not totally satisfied with their affordable faux garland, however, there are several ways to make it appear more realistic. For starters, add the embellishments as mentioned above like other greenery textures or even natural branches and leaves you foraged from your yard. If the latter isn't for you, you can buy all the faux materials online and weave them into your existing garland. We love a good DIY holiday project. Don't fret if your creation doesn't look like the ones you see in the product stock photos because nature is supposed to be perfectly imperfect.
You can take several precautions to ensure your faux garland stays in excellent condition for the following year. First is to consider where you're placing it: While a garland indoors will likely suffer little damage (unless your kids or pup decides to play with it), it'll be exposed to all the weather elements if you have it outdoors. Make sure you read the instructions to see if the piece holds up against the wind, rain, or snow, though most faux garlands fare way better outside than real ones, as those are only fresh for two or three weeks before needing replacement.
Once your garland is ready to disassemble, gently untie the layered pieces and carefully remove the extra embellishments. If anything looks dusty from sitting out for the month, use a soft, wet cloth to wipe down all the leaves. Then, let it air dry completely before storing. Instead of tossing all the items into a box where they can get crushed and tangled, purchase a proper garland storage bag to keep it away from dust and any potential critters in your basement or garage.
When it comes holiday decorating, the shopping editors at House Beautiful know a thing or two about where to score the best pieces. After all, we spend all year researching, testing, and covering the latest launches and items in the home and interior spaces. For this story in particular, our editors spent hours looking up garlands online, reading the reviews, and using our editorial judgment to only include the best ones. In addition, we combed the web to make sure we provided the most helpful answers to people's most pressing queries about faux garlands, like "how to make them look fuller." We're always going for festive cheer that feels elevated and understated, so if you're looking for top-notch pieces that will last a lifetime, you've come to the right place. Plus, with the holidays right around the corner, we've ramped up our guides—for both decorating and shopping—so feel free to peruse our latest Christmas content, including the best decorations that still look good after the holidays and designer-approved holiday decorating trends.
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