How to Hang Garland on Stairs + Entryway Christmas Decor

A quick tutorial to show how to hang Christmas garland on stairs & how to make it look real, plus a modern traditional entryway Christmas decor tour.

Apparently, this is the year I document all of the little Christmas decorating tutorials that I never thought to show before, my Christmas tree ribbon how-to from last week being one of them.

I’ve hung garland on stairs for our entryway decorating 6 times over the years, and the look each time ends up being a little different (because it’s just fun to change up Christmas decor each year).

The foundation of hanging garland on stairs, however, remains the same no matter your decorating style and no matter the size of your staircase.

Our banister is small, only spanning 6 steps into our foyer, but even if your stair banister stairs 10 stories, the process is the same. So I’ll show you the little tricks to help as you decorate and how to make faux garland look real.

How to Hang Christmas Garland on Stairs

Garland Types

First, take a look at your garland and make sure you have enough for the length of your banister.

I usually hang a 6′ strand of garland on our 4′ banister so it has enough slack to drape, and I connect it together with another 6′ garland strand make one long length of the garland that cascades down the newel post at the bottom of the steps.

You can also buy longer garland in 15′ – 100′ lengths to span your banister of you have an open staircase. That way you don’t have to worry about connecting shorter garland pieces.

This Norfolk pine garland I use is so realistic, but it sells out quickly. I sometimes mix in other types of greenery (fresh or faux), berry stems, and dried orange slices to add more character, depending on the look I want.

Here are some other highly rated realistic Christmas garlands.

Click any garland image in the collage below to find it online.

What You’ll Need

• Enough garland to span your banister + a little extra for draping
• Zip ties
• Scissors
• Floral wire
• Faux berry picks, stems, dried orange slices, and other accent florals of your choice
• Non-wired ribbon (I used this 1″ wide velvet ribbon)

Step 1 – Attach Garland with Zip Ties

Secure the garland pieces at each end to your banister using zip ties.

I prefer this method because they don’t cause permanent damage to my banister, stay in securely in place, and I don’t have to worry about tying string or ribbon while I try to hold up the garland at the same time.

Step 2 – Connect Garland Pieces

Place the next piece of garland beside the strand you just fastened with zip ties, and secure it in place to make the two look like one long connected garland strand.

Step 3 – Snip the Zip Tie Ends

You don’t want to see zip tie ends sticking up in the middle of your stairs garland, so give them a snip with scissors.

Step 4 – Attach Stems with Floral Wire

I used stems made of the same material as my garland to fill in the gaps and make my garland appear more full. (Sparse garland looks great too though; it’s totally up to the look you’re going for.)

Wrap a few pieces of floral wire around several places on the stem and twist it onto the garland to attach.

Step 5 – Add Accents

Add more pieces of greenery or berries with floral wire until it’s as filled as you would like. You can mix in fresh or dried leaves as well to look like fresh garland.

TIP: Spray fresh leaves with Wilt Stop to help them last longer.

Use more floral wire to attach dried fruit sporadically if that’s your style.

TIP: Here is how to dry fruit and preserve leaves or make your own dried orange slice garland.

At this point, you can also weave battery operated string lights through the garland, if you wish.

Step 6 – Add Ribbon

Tie ribbon around the exposed zip ties on the banister to help disguise them. Tie a few bows as well if you want.

I like using non-wired ribbon because it creates that draping, vintage effect. Add a few long strands at the newel post to cascade down the bottom step.

I love adding garland to our doorway as well, but I might share that process later. It’s basically the same but with Command hooks and fairy lights in the mix.

Entryway Christmas Decor

So our traditional Christmas entryway / foyer is done! We called it the mullet room since it’s usually the one clean place in the house when the rest of our rooms are a disaster. Business in the front, party in the back. 😉

At least guests who come knocking on our front door think we have our act together over here, right? It’s the art of illusion.

I’m so totally in love with the ribbon art addition to our family gallery wall! It was so easy to do.

I found this carved wooden marble topped cabinet on Facebook Marketplace last year, and it’s still one of my favorite furniture pieces of all time. Those wreath appliques feel especially festive at Christmas.

The rest of the entryway table decor is pretty simple with just a few picture frames of our family, a trinket dish of little jingle bells, and brass candlesticks with taper candles for a little hint of the blue color scheme.

I found this brass footed bowl at an antique shop a few weeks ago, and the patina is so pretty!

To tie in the blue and white color palette, I just filled it up with these porcelain orbs and some faux cedar stems and juniper sprigs.

The candlelight that reflects from this antique gold mirror is so pretty at night! The dried orange slices practically glow in the warmth of the candles.

This spot will forever be one of my favorite views of our house, and it’s always made better by the addition of lush garland on the stairs and doorway with a peek of the Christmas tree’s twinkle lights in our dining room.

It’s one of those things that makes me wish the holiday cheer could last all the way through the dark winter months until spring.

Do you use staircase garland at your house? I always insisted on hanging garland on the stairs at my parents’ house when I was growing up, and I definitely don’t plan to stop any time soon.

More Holiday Decorating Ideas

• How to Hang Wreaths on Windows for Christmas
• How to Put Christmas Tree Ribbon Decorations on Trees
• Best Realistic Christmas Trees for All Budgets
• DIY Christmas Decorations You Can Make Inexpensively