Easy, Homemade Christmas Garlands

There's something about homemade Christmas ornaments and decorations that add an even more sentimental touch to anyone's holiday. In that spirit, here are a few suggestions on Christmas garlands that you can make to adorn your Christmas tree while making memories with your kids that will last a lifetime.

Paper Garlands

Materials: Construction paper, scissors, glue

The old great standby of easy to make Christmas garlands. Cut one-inch strips of paper across the width of the construction paper. Lengths can vary (6-8 inches). Glue, tape or staple the ends together so that you form a round circle. Take the next strip of paper, thread it through the circle and glue the ends together. Continue until you have the desired garland length. To make it stand out from the typical green and red paper garlands, use different colors and papers to spruce up this garland and make it your own - two-sided decorated wallpaper or use a glue stick to attach Christmas wrapping paper to the construction paper to make it sturdier.

Ribbon Garlands

Materials: Ribbons, sewing thread and needle or stapler, scissors

I think I got this idea from Martha Stewart a long time ago and thought it was a terrific and unique way to recycle old ribbons from past Christmas gifts and keep a memento of the gift as well. Similar to the construction paper garland, cut the ribbons into 8-inch lengths. Sew or staple the ends together to form the circle. Thread the next ribbon through the circle, staple the ends together, and continue until you have the desired length.

Peppermint Candy Garlands

Materials: Peppermint candies, hot glue gun

Add a sweet touch to your Christmas tree with this candy garland. This idea comes from the Great Housekeeping website (Homemade Christmas Ornaments - Christmas Craft Ornaments http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/holiday-ideas/homemade-christmas-ornaments). This works best with the candies in the wrappers that are not twisted at the ends. Put a dab of glue on the end of one wrapper of one candy and attach it to the end of another wrapper. Continue attaching wrapped candies until you have one long string of peppermint candies. Wrap around your Christmas tree, and pray that the kids don't have a sweet tooth (or that your holiday guests are not in need of a breath mint)!

Well, there you have it. Three, easy-to-make Christmas garlands that can add a special touch to your house this holiday season. Actually, you don't even have to put these on your Christmas tree - you could also use these garlands to decorate your mantle, the staircase, or your doorways and spread the spirit of Christmas throughout your house. Whatever you do, I hope you have a blessed holiday season.