How to Hang a Garland on the Stairs

I am happy to be partnering with Command Brand on this post.  As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

I have finally completed decorating the house in preparation of our Christmas home tours at the end of this week.  I can’t wait to show you everything, but I thought that I would start today with a quick post on how to hang a garland on the stairs.

In previous years, I have always just wrapped my garland around the stair posts {you can see last year’s HERE}, but it really is a pain to put up {and take down!} and it can do some damage to your garland. If you have little ones that need to use the stair railing, it also blocks them from using it.

I purchased some new garland at a post-Christmas clearance last year that is a lot more fragile, so I knew that I wouldn’t be able to use the same technique when hanging my garland this year.  Instead, I ended up using the Command Brand Clear Medium Hooks and it went up so much easier!

The clear hooks are used with a transparent adhesive strip so they totally end up blending in with your surface.  As soon as the garland is fluffed up, the hooks pretty much disappear.  They can be used on any smooth, sealed and finished indoor surfaces and are damage free – even on the wood banister.

To get the best adhesion, clean the area with rubbing alcohol prior to applying the adhesive strips.  Apply the “wall side” strip to the banister and press in place for about 30 seconds {NOTE: Make sure that this is applied vertically – NOT horizontally or at an angle}. Next remove the blue liner and apply your hook to the strip, pressing firmly for another 30 seconds.  Wait about an hour before use and you are ready to go!

All I did to hang the garland was wrap the wire garland around the hook.  If you are using real greenery or a garland that is not wired, just use some green florist wire to attach.  To get an even swag as it went up the stairs, I counted the number of stair posts and divided by three so figure out where the hooks needed to go.  I ended up using a total of 6 hooks for my staircase.

Tips for Putting Together Your Garland

• Putting together a pretty garland is all about layering.  I like to start with an inexpensive wire fir garland to provide some structure.  These ones are easy to mold to your desired shape and can easily be wrapped around a hook to help secure the garland.  I then layered over a nicer fir garland that looks more realistic and provides more fullness.  Finally, I topped it off with the pretty twig and berry garland that I purchased last year.  If you have a more expensive garland and want to get a little more bang for your buck, use some wire cutters to split it up into different sections so you can layer it a little more sporadically over the base of the garland.
• Try adding in some real greenery to your faux garland.  It will make everything look more realistic, add some fullness to your garland and provide you with that great Christmas greenery smell!  I will likely do this to mine as it gets a little closer to Christmas so it doesn’t dry out too much.
• Add in some twinkle.  There is nothing prettier than twinkling Christmas lights so I always like to wrap a string of lights around the length of the garland.

• Add your finishing touches – my favorite part!  I added some pine cones and clusters of silver and white ornaments throughout my garland as well as these cute stockings at the top of each swag.  The ornaments especially look pretty when it is dark and the lights are shining against them.

If you are looking for hooks to hang your own garland {or other holiday decor!} Command Brand Products are available at home centers, mass merchandise drug and craft stores nationwide and also online.

For more Christmas decorating ideas, check out these posts…

DIY Glitter Reindeer

Christmas Chalkboard Inspiration

Christmas Kitchen Decorating Ideas