Christmas Garlands the Traditional Decoration

The Christmas garland was invented in Neumberg, Germany, in 1610, and is a decorative cord used over the festive season. Originally, it was made from shredded silver, flowers or leaves, but modern garlands are available in a wide range of materials. The word garland comes from the French guirlande, itself taken from the Italian ghirlanda, meaning ‘a braid’.

Christmas garlands are very similar too Christmas wreaths. The main difference is that the christmas garland can be molded to the shape you require and Christmas wreaths are circular, both are superb christmas decorations.

Christmas Garland with Decorations

Xmas garlands may be hung anywhere, but are usually hung across the mantlepiece or around an inanimate object, such as the Christmas tree. The metallic garland hung around the Christmas tree is known as tinsel – originally made from shredded silver, tinsel is now made from plastic and is also hung from walls and ceilings. The name tinsel is taken from the old French word estincele, meaning ‘sparkle’.

The type of fresh Christmas garland hung across the fireplace is often made from pine boughs, favoured for their rich green colour and pleasant smell. Artificial Christmas garlands are very popular, as they can be used year after year, and modern advances mean that they can look very authentic.

Christmas garlands are available in the traditional colours of green, gold, silver and red and also the more modern shades such as black and white. They are also available in many styles -garlands with lights are very popular and give the room a cosy glow. Despite the scope of choice around today, people still like the traditional Christmas wreath, with those featuring red velvet bows being particularly in demand.