How to Hang Garland on Stair Railings

If you’ve always loved classic Christmas garlands running down the side of a staircase and want to try to recreate the look in your own home, here’s everything you need to know about how to hang garland on stair railings.

Can you believe I’ve never actually hung traditional green Christmas garland from our cute stairs before this year? I’ve done berry garlands for holiday decor in the past and fall leaf garlands for autumn, but never basic evergreen. Now that I see how perfect they look, I’m wondering what took me so long. They bring so much cozy holiday cheer to this side of the house, and I love the old-fashioned farmhouse look of the simple greenery draped over our old-house stair banister. If you’d like to try this classic Christmas decoration idea in your own home, here’s everything you need to know about how to hang garland on stair railings.

Pictured above: Faux garland | Brass bells | Gold satin ribbon | Black chandelier | Urn vase | Lamp with black shade | Beaded cream plates | platter | gravy boat

How Much Garland Will You Need?

Before you can start hanging garland on your stair handrail, you’ll need to determine how you’d like the finished product to look and if you have enough garland to complete the look. Generally, if you want the garland to run right along the banister, you’ll need your garland to be exactly the same length as the hand rail. If you’d like a bit of garland to hang down in front of the newel post, add about an extra three feet to your measurement.

If you’d like your garland to swag a bit in elegant loops down your stairway, as I’ve done here, you’ll want to measure the length of your hand railing, then multiply it by 1.5 to get the length of garland you’ll need. Again, add three feet of length if you’d like it to hang down a bit.

You can purchase one long length of garland, or you can use several smaller lengths to achieve the same look. Garlands can be attached to create one long length, or they can each be attached separately to the railing, and they’ll look great either way when you’re finished with your stair rail decorating project.

More festive holiday decorating tutorials: How to Make a Bow Christmas-Tree Topper

Which Type of Garland Looks Best?

There are a lot of people who will try to sell you on the very best luxury garlands that money can buy. As of right now, I’m not one of those people.

Don’t misunderstand me: I do think that those super realistic, thick and fluffy, extra-long garlands that have come onto the market in recent years are much, much better than the cheap versions. They’re beautiful with almost no effort, they look and even feel just like real greenery, and they’re worth every penny because they’re truly a foundational piece of Christmas decor that you will use to decorate your home year after year.

If you’re more of a budget-friendly kind of shopper though, inexpensive garlands can still look absolutely beautiful. Christmas decorations are about embracing your personal style and creating a warm, welcoming environment. Garlands are the perfect base for that, and it’s really more about what you do with them, than just owning the world’s best and most expensive Christmas garlands.

A few years ago, before these super fancy garlands were widely available, I went out on a mission to find the best mid-tier garland I could. I’ve been using it on my fireplace mantel ever since, and I’m really happy with it. This year, I saw that this exact same style of garland was available again, so I bought a bunch more. I find these are perfect when paired with a bit of fresh greenery from the yard, and the price allowed me to indulge in a few extra garlands without even thinking about it.

You can find an example of the popular, super realistic garlands here.

You can see an example of an inexpensive faux garland that would also work just fine here.

Simple holiday season greenery for the win: 15-Minute DIY Cedar Mini Wreaths

How to Attach Garland to Stair Railings

What you use to attach the stair garland and how you hang it will depend on the look you want and also how heavy the garland is that you’ll be using, including any floral picks, bows, or other add-ons. You can use zip ties or velcro straps for extra heavy garlands, ribbon for a decorative look, or (my favorite) pipe cleaners from the craft store.

All of the above options work well, but I like pipe cleaners because they’re widely available, won’t scratch the paint on my banister, and provide a surprisingly strong hold once you get them twisted in place. You can even get these ties that look like little pieces of garland, which are essentially just really fluffy green pipe cleaners. If you have hardwood handrails with a wood-tone stain, scratches probably won’t be as visible or as likely to happen, but it’s still nice to avoid them whenever possible.

No matter which method you use to hold your garlands in place on stairs, start at the top of your stair railing and attach one end of your garland directly to the banister. This method can be followed whether you have a straight staircase like I do, one that’s curved, or even a spiral staircase. You want to be sure that your garland falls either to the front of the railing or the back, never resting directly on top of the banister. Leaving the surface of the banister exposed will allow it to be used as a handrail and will ensure that your holiday decorations don’t become a safety hazard.

After attaching the garland at the top, move down the stairs a few feet and attach your garland again, either draping it for a swag effect or keeping it tight against the railing. You may need to make adjustments to make each draped section approximately equal, so be prepared for that and don’t adjust anything too firmly just yet. Continue draping (or not) and attaching the garland every few feet until you reach the bottom of your staircase.

Attach at the very bottom, next to the newel post, and allow any extra to hang down. Stand back and admire your garlands, and make any adjustments as needed. If you have these little loops on the ends of your faux garland, just cut them off because they really aren’t that helpful. You can see I clearly missed one of mine. Oops!

If you have extra garland available, you might want to double up your garlands to make the overall effect more full. This is what I did on my staircase, and I love the results, but sometimes a simple, delicate garland is so charming all on its own, so don’t be afraid to keep things dainty if you like the way it looks.

Home for the holidays: Christmas Tree Decorating Ideas for an Instant Upgrade and a More Polished Look

Finishing Touches

Pictured above: Faux garland | Brass bells | Gold satin ribbon | Black chandelier | Urn vase | Lamp with black shade | Beaded cream plates | platter | gravy boat

Adding bows, bells, ornaments, and red berries to your garland after it’s hung will give your stairwell charm, personality, and character. This is the fun part. Whether you want to keep things uncomplicated and basic or go all out adorning your garland with ornamental ribbon and florals to match the rest of your Christmas decor, the extra additions are what make your garland-draped stairs really special.

Attach ball ornaments, extra fresh greenery, pinecones, eucalyptus, and whatever else you can dream up using more pipe cleaners, floral wire, or just by tucking them into the greenery of the garland. Christmas stocking hanging down below your hand rails can be a fun addition, as well. If you’d like to have a lighted garland, gently weave a string of battery operated white lights back and forth over your garland.

I added some fresh cedar clipped from outside, then attached this large set of brass bells directly to the bottom of the banister using another pipe cleaner. I tied my big, floppy gold satin bow to the bells. I finished off with a few delicate bows in a matching thin gold satin ribbon.

Do you add garlands to your stair railings at Christmastime? Do you have any tricks you use to make them look extra special?