Christmas Garland Ideas: 12 Collections for Every Mantel and Staircase

This page gathers every christmas garland collection on the blog in one spot, so you can see what’s out there before you commit to a style. Some entries are full room-by-room idea roundups, others are printable paper designs you cut and string in an afternoon, and a few are advent calendars for when the garland is done and you need the next project.

What decides which one fits you is mostly the space you’re dressing and how much making you want to do. A staircase needs a different plan than a mantel, a pantry-shelf DIY takes longer than a print-and-cut sheet, and a retro palette won’t sit next to a gold-and-green one. Budget matters too: some of these cost nothing but paper and a printer, others ask for felt, oranges or a hot glue gun.

It’s for anyone decorating a house for Christmas who wants to see the actual range before buying ribbon or firing up the printer, whether that’s a first tree, a big staircase moment, or a quiet mantel with a cup of tea.

Where to start if you’re decorating a whole room

Read the full guide25 Christmas Garland Ideas That Make Every Mantel, Doorway and Staircase Look Magazine-Ready

This is the overview to open first if you haven’t picked a spot yet. It covers mantels, doorways and staircases together, so you can compare a fireplace look against a banister look against a front-door look before settling on one.

There are 25 separate ideas here, each with its own materials and colour palette, and each one shown in a real room rather than a studio shot. It’s the entry to use for narrowing down a direction, then jumping to one of the more specific guides below for the how-to.

Dressing the banister so it doesn’t look bare

Read the full guide16 Christmas Staircase Garland Ideas That Turn Your Banister Into the Prettiest Spot in the House

If your staircase is the thing you actually want to fix this year, this is the narrower, more useful stop. It’s just banisters, 16 of them, so you can see how garland sits against spindles and newel posts instead of guessing from a mantel photo.

Every one of the 16 looks is shown on an actual staircase, which is the detail that matters here: you’re checking for fullness and proportion, not just colour. It’s the fix for a banister that currently reads thin or half-done.

Making garland from things already in the house

Read the full guide22 DIY Christmas Garlands Made From Oranges, Popcorn, Felt Balls and Other Pantry-Shelf Treasures

This one’s for the host who’d rather make something than print it, using oranges, popcorn, felt balls and other things from the pantry or a quick craft-store trip. It suits a slower, more textured look, and fits a first baby’s first Christmas or a big gathering where you want garland that took actual time.

There are 22 ideas in total, and each is shown finished and hung somewhere real in the house, so you’re not working from a flat-lay. It’s the pick if you want the garland itself to be a weekend project rather than an evening one.

Printable paper chains with nutcrackers and Santas

Read the full guide18 Printable Paper Christmas Garlands Starring Nutcrackers, Gingerbread Men and Vintage Santas

This is the paper-doll end of garland making: nutcrackers, gingerbread men and vintage Santas cut from a printed sheet rather than built from scratch. It gives a classic, storybook look that suits a kids’ room or a doorway more than a formal mantel.

There are 18 designs, each with its own free printable sheet and a photo of the finished garland hung up, and no two designs repeat. It’s the one to open if you want a print-and-cut project with a traditional character theme already decided for you.

Star garlands for a window instead of a mantel

Read the full guide8 Free Printable Paper Star Garlands to Cut and String Across Your Windows

This collection is for windows specifically, not mantels or stairs, which makes it distinct from most of the others here. The 8 star designs run from gold classics to atomic starbursts, so it covers both a traditional look and a more retro, graphic one.

Each star design is a free printable you cut, punch and string yourself, with no glitter involved. It’s a quick pick if you’ve got bare windows and want something finished in one sitting.

Choosing a colour palette instead of a theme

Read the full guideColorful Christmas Garlands: 12 Free Printable Paper Garlands in Pink, Red, White, Blue, Gold and Green

This entry is organised by colour rather than by motif, which is useful if your decorating is built around a palette first. It’s centred on pink, with red, white, blue, gold and green alongside it, so it suits a house that’s doing something other than the usual red-and-green.

There are 12 free printable paper garlands in the set, and the process is the same throughout: print, cut, string. It’s the stop for matching garland to a colour scheme you’ve already decided on elsewhere.

A kitschy, 1950s living room look

Read the full guideRetro Paper Christmas Decorations: 10 Free Printable Kitschy Garlands Straight Out of a 1950s Living Room

This is the retro pick, built around starbursts, baubles, Santas, reindeer and even poodles in a kitschy mid-century style. It fits a house leaning into vintage or novelty decorating rather than the traditional woodland or classic red-and-gold look found elsewhere on this page.

There are 10 free printable designs, and the excerpt is clear that no two look alike, so it reads as a genuine variety pack rather than one motif repeated. It’s worth opening if your tree and ornaments already lean retro and the garland needs to match.

Paper chains in candy stripe and gingham

Read the full guide12 Free Printable Paper Chain Christmas Decorations in Retro Candy Stripes, Gingham and Polka Dots

This is the pattern-led option: candy stripes, gingham, tartan and shape garlands rather than characters or stars. It suits a cosier, more countryish look, and sits apart from the retro set by being patterned fabric-style prints instead of mid-century motifs.

There are 12 free printable paper chain designs here, each with its own print-and-cut sheet, and the excerpt notes there’s no burlap involved. It’s a fast option if you want pattern and texture without sourcing actual fabric.

Bunting as an alternative to a hanging garland

Read the full guide10 Free Printable Christmas Bunting Ideas With Harlequin Flags, Candy Stripes and Tartan

Bunting reads differently from garland on a wall or mantel, more like flags than strand, and this set leans into that with harlequin diamonds, candy stripes and tartan. It’s the pick for someone who wants the printable, pattern-heavy look of entry eight but in a flag shape rather than a chain.

There are 10 free printable designs covering harlequin, stripes, tartan, gingham, snowflakes and holly. As with the other printables here, it’s a print, cut and string job with nothing else to buy.

Countdown calendars made from jars and tins

Read the full guideDIY Advent Calendar Ideas: 18 Handmade Countdowns

Once the garland’s up, this is where to look for the next project: advent calendars built from jars, tins, branches and ribbon rather than sewn or printed. It suits an adult household as much as a kids’ one, since the fillings are described as adult-friendly rather than purely sweets and toys.

There are 18 ideas in the set, and the excerpt is specific that none of them need sewing and the budget required is almost nothing. It’s the practical pick if you want a countdown using materials you likely already have.

Advent calendars meant to be kept for years

Read the full guideHandmade Advent Calendars: 12 Crochet, Felt and Fabric Countdowns to Treasure for Years

This is the slower, keep-forever version of the countdown idea, built in crochet, felt and fabric rather than jars or paper. It suits someone who wants an heirloom piece rather than a one-season decoration, and sits apart from entry ten by being about permanence rather than speed.

There are 12 designs, each noted with cheap swaps and a quick build despite the handmade materials, plus guidance on exactly where in the house to hang each one. It’s worth opening if you want this year’s advent calendar to still be in use next Christmas.

A countdown built around kids and daily treats

Read the full guide22 DIY Advent Calendars Ideas for Kids Packed With Tiny Treats, Activities and Giggles

This set is aimed squarely at children, with small treats, activities and daily giggles rather than crochet or jars as the point. It fits a household with young kids who want the anticipation of the countdown more than a decorative object, and it’s the lightest-effort of the three advent entries.

The excerpt counts 21 easy, cheap ideas and notes printables are included, with no glue gun marathon required. It’s the stop for a countdown that’s mostly about the daily treat rather than the container holding it.