Our mantle decorated with this faux garland and plaid stockings

I know, I know, I’m publishing this post in October, but I’m trying to help y’all be prepared for the upcoming holidays! I always find it’s so much better to be a little ahead of the curve than to scramble to find what you need when you’re ready to decorate in December. Retailers often carry limited runs of their holiday decor like greenery and wreaths, and once they’re gone, they’re gone.

Sometimes you just have to roll with these early releases (pre-Halloween 🤪) and just plan to stash that decor away for a couple of months. Then when the Christmas and holiday seasons roll around, all you have to do is pull it out and put it up!

Faux holiday greenery for the win

Over the past several years, I’ve mixed more and more faux greenery into my decorating - particularly inside our house where I don’t want to have to constantly clean up pine needles or shedding cedar. It also lets me keep my decorations up for the full holiday season without going through that lovely crispy stage at the end.

We do still put up a real Christmas tree, which I can’t quite give up, but most of the other greenery in our home is of the artificial variety. I’ve found some really good faux garlands and wreaths that I use every year now - many of them are really affordable.

You can take a peek at a few spots where I’ve used them in both our Richmond and Philadelphia homes (those are the the photos you see here) and see how real they look. Faux greenery has come a long way and there are some really great ones out there. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a roundup of some that I’ve pulled together!

The mantle is a classic spot for faux garland and I’ve really loved this one from Target - they’ve brought it back for several years now and I’m so glad! It comes in at a great price point and they even have a 10’ version this year, which is awesome. For reference, my mantle uses two of the 6’ versions to create one long length. I’m debating picking up another strand or two so I can use it on my stair bannister like we did in our Philadelphia house (see it below).

I also used a faux magnolia wreath layered on a big piece of art to bring in a little more Christmas cheer. It’s simple, but with a pretty black and white bow tied onto it, it feels so festive!

I love this garland on a staircase too - tie it up with some wide ribbon and you’re set! For a fuller, lusher look, you can even layer a couple of garlands together (of the same or different varieties) or insert some smaller faux greenery stems to beef it up. Get those creative juices flowing - it’s pretty hard to mess it up!

Faux garland, wreath, and swag roundup

Now that I’ve sung the praises of artificial greenery, you might be wondering where to find the good ones. Well you’re in luck because I did a deep dive online to find a bunch of them! These are all pretty realistic-looking in my opinion. Like I mentioned at the beginning of the post, I’d look into purchasing early before they sell out since they’re usually limited production runs!

Sources

The Best Faux Garlands and Wreaths for Holiday Decorating (Shop Early!)

Faux holiday greenery for the win

Faux garland, wreath, and swag roundup

Sources

Save or Splurge: Furniture & Decor (Copy)

An Honest Review of the Loloi Rugs in My Home