We Love Faux Garlands—Here's Where You Can Buy the Best Ones

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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 latter, you may be debating between buying a 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 yourself a faux garland or two, now's the time to order one. To speed up your shopping process, we rounded up 14 great options to check out and add to cart. We chose only the most realistic-looking ones with solid reviews from customers and made sure they adhere with anyone's affinity for tasteful decor. From nine-foot cedars dotted with twinkly lights to pared-down firs, there are a lot of worthy options on our list.

No matter which faux garland you go with, or where you place it in your home, this additional decorative element will make your house feel more festive than ever. (Take that tree!) And when the celebrations are over, simply store away your greenery until next year.

Winter Willow Garland

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.

Gilded Botanicals Iron + Velvet Garland

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.

Pre-Lit Artificial Christmas Garland

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.

Harelda 72-inch Faux Garland

Fluffy and thick garlands can look heavy, so if that's not your design aesthetic, perhaps you'd prefer wispier designs. This 72-inch berry greenery feels light, delicate, and minimal on any mantel or above a doorway arch.

Artificial Spruce Christmas Garland

This faux spruce is nine feet long, making it the perfect size to drape across your mantle or wrap around your railings. It's dotted with artificial pinecones and a few glimmering string lights for an extra festive feel. It's also lightly flocked, meaning it's dusted with a super-fine blanket of barely-there faux snow.

Artificial Cedar Pine Green Garland

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.

Eucalyptus Garland

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.

Faux Cypress with Pinecones + Berries Garland

Aren't these berries going to attract bugs and rodents, you may ask? In normal circumstances, yes. In this case, all of the plum-colored fruits are fake (though they look so delicious that you may be tempted to taste one), so you won't have to worry about any uninvited guests showing up to your holiday party. What's more, Lulu and Georgia will automatically knock 25 percent off the price at checkout.

Faux Cedar Garland

Available in three lengths—six, nine, and 15 feet—this cedar find may be faux, but you wouldn't really know that unless you reached out to touch it. All of the details, especially the cedar leaves themselves, are extremely real-looking. Unfortunately, the ribbon and lights aren't included, so if you want to mimic this look, you may want to consider snagging those additional elements here and here.

Fir Foliage

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.

Faux Christmas Garland

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!

Lit Faux Flocked Pine Wreath & Garland

Anything with lights is best suited for outdoors, in our opinion. This one is also designed to work outside, so if you're worried it won't last a day in the snow, worry not. A faux garland like this Pottery Barn option will make your home feel equal parts warm and cozy. Did we mention it comes with a matching wreath? Consider your front door Christmas decorations done and dusted.

Pre-Lit Christmas Garland

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.

Faux Flocked Snowfall Creek Garland

Here's another example of a flocked garland, though it may be easier to tell in this Williams Sonoma find than in the garland we shared earlier. This one looks as though it has sat in the snow before being brought inside to double as our holiday decor.

How do you make fake garland look fuller?

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.

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.

How to make cheap garland look real?

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 garland we've chosen definitely looks 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 in the aforementioned embellishments like other greenery textures or even real branches and leaves you foraged from your yard. If the latter isn't for you, you can buy all the other faux materials online and weave them into your existing garland. 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.

How to care for faux garlands

There are several precautions you can take to make sure your faux garland stays in excellent condition for the following year. First is consider where you're placing it: While a garland indoors will likely suffer little damage (unless your kiddo or pup decides to play with it), if you have it outdoors it'll be exposed to all the weather elements. 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 t0 disassemble, make sure to gently untie the layered pieces and carefully remove the extra embellishments. If anything looks a bit 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 simply 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.

Why trust us?

When it comes holiday decorating, the shopping editors at House Beautiful know a thing or two about where to buy 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 judgement 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.

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