Decorating your home can be a fun family activity and is a great way to kick off the holiday season. Christmas garland is a traditional holiday decoration that's easy to display, and can make a big impact. Without even leaving your home, a few clicks of your mouse can get you all the tools you need to decorate your home with this classic Christmas greenery.



Merriam-Webster defines the word garland as ?a circular or spiral arrangement of intertwined materials (such as flowers or leaves).? While garland can be created from all sorts of materials, around the holidays, garland is made by joining boughs of Christmas trees.

There are many varieties of artificial Christmas garland available GreatOccasions.com offers a selection of lighted garland, flocked garland, and even garland in every color of the rainbow, including pink or lime green. Nothing says Christmas like the smell of fresh pine needles, and garland made of real Christmas trees will truly bring the spirit of the holidays into your home.

Companies like ChristmasFarms.com offer fresh garland cut from live Christmas trees grown on their farms. You can purchase by the foot, and during the holidays, they offer free shipping. Inside the home, the most traditional way to display garland is in a doorway. Using push pins, or small finishing nails, you can frame the door all the way around. Or, create a ?curtain? effect by pinning the middle of your strand to the top center of your doorway. Then, take the two strands hanging down and pin to each side of the doorway.

A fireplace mantel is another ideal spot to display garland. Miles Kimball offers Mantel Garland Grabbers adhesive-backed hooks that adhere to any surface, allowing you to effortlessly drape your garland on the mantel. Garland can also be weaved around a stairwell banister, and secured at each end. Or, Miles Kimball also offers Garland Grabbers with plastic hooks that snap onto the banister railing. Outside your home, you can decorate your porch or fence with garland. On these outdoor wooden surfaces, a staple gun is an ideal way to fasten it into place.

If you want to display garland along your rooftop, Ace Hardware carries gutter hooks shaped like an ?S? that hook into place on the gutter with a second hook to hang decorations. Finally, if your home is made of brick, you can still display garland by using brick hooks from AlwaysBrilliant.com. These cleverly-designed plastic hooks wedge into the mortar joints allowing you to hang up to six pounds without damaging the brick in any way.

Garland is an excellent additional to your holiday decorations, both inside and outside the home. Whether you choose artificial or real Christmas garland, the options are plentiful. With a little creativity and the right tools, decorating with garland can be fun and easy.