Looking for the BEST faux greenery for Christmas? This faux pine greenery looks so real, and it’s 9 feet long and under $20.
If you had to guess?
At first glance.
Without any overthinking or overanalyzing and going with your first impression…
….would you think this evergreen Christmas garland was real or fake?
I’m crossing my fingers that you said real.
Because that’s the look I was going for.
Truth?
It looks so real, but it’s not. It’s totally faux.
If you are looking for a garland that looks real, but is under $20 and you can leave it up from now until the wiseman show up with frankincense and myrrh?
You can see this garland here.
Just between us? I used to be all about a real pine garland. I decorated with real garland for years and years and years.
Until this happened.
// brown paper stars //9-foot garland under $20//
// brown paper stars //9-foot garland under $20//white paper stars //
I used to be team real Christmas garland.
It had to be real.
No faux for me.
Every year, I’d search all over town Thanksgiving weekend for yards and yards and yards of real garland.
The kind that smells like Christmas.
The kind that you can sink your nose into.
The kind that’s related to hot chocolate and Christmas carols and bells and jolly stumps of pipes and reindeer everywhere.
// metal house // large metal house //
At first, all that real pine garland was amazing.
Truly.
Every time I walked down the staircase…
…I would pat myself on my Christmas back.
The smells.
The feels.
The tiny little evergreen branches tucked over that 100-year-old staircase.
The way the greenery draped over the side of the banister.
// brown paper stars //9-foot garland under $20//white paper stars //
And then?
One day I was walking up the staircase and I noticed a tiny little piece of greenery on the ground.
Who knocked this off? I asked.
How did this happen? I wondered aloud.
No one fessed up. No one knew the answer.
No one saw how the greenery ended up on the floor.
So I shrugged my shoulders and left the mystery unsolved, and went on my merry Christmas way.
// brown paper stars //9-foot garland under $20//white paper stars //
A couple of days later?
More pieces of greenery on the ground.
More tiny evergreen flakes.
More branches on the stairs.
And I realized no one was knocking the branches off.
No one was responsible for all the mess.
And the pieces.
And the branches.
And the bits of evergreen.
THE STAIRCASE WAS SHEDDING ITSELF.
// brown paper stars //9-foot garland under $20//white paper stars //
What I thought was a brilliant Christmas decorating decision?
Turned into a HOT CHRISTMAS MESS.
Sigh.
I know the Earl of Grantham probably only used real greenery at Downton Abbey, but he had staff who could put it up and take it down before it shed too many tiny evergreen branches.
And if Mrs. Hughes lived around here, to manage the garland shedding? I’d be all about it.
And can we all agree that real Christmas garland looks amazing in magazines and on episodes on PBS?
But as for me and my house?
We like garland that looks real and doesn’t need a housekeeper to take care of it.
What do you think?
Are you team real or faux?
Inquiring Christmas minds want to know. 🙂
disclosure: affiliate links are used in this post.
I ordered this same garland and I would venture to say it surpasses my other fake garland that I spent a ton more on! It is so easy to lay and bend. Merry Christmas to you and your whole big wonderful family!
Hi Kari-Anne - Team real here. I have tried, valiantly, to switch sides over the years, but I just can’t do it. I always end up putting the faux stuff in a garage sale or a donation bin. The longest time I was able to hold out was about five years on some outdoor garland with multi coloured prelit lights. And, that was because they were expensive and I felt guilty about wanting to get rid of them in favour of natural garland. So, I have less, but it is always a natural tree, garlands and wreaths for me.
They DO look real!! Your home is gorgeous! Thank you for sharing!
You are way too young to remember this , but there was a time when we entertained Jin our homes and people actually smoked at parties! ( it was a LONG LONG time ago) I can barely remember it myself. What I do remember was this particular tree didn’t drink enough water. It almost went up in flames as friends were standing too close ( while smoking) admiring the ornaments. I had to stand guard around the tree for the rest of the evening! That was the last real tree for us! Faux can be beautiful too! I do miss the wonderful scent of real and so happy that our friends no longer smoke, but I’m team faux for everything that doesn’t live in a vase of water on a table. And yes, that garland does look real‼️
Very lovely and realistic. I love how full it is and those stars are a special touch. Always inspiring and beautifully festive. Happy holidays, Karianne! xoxo
Judy's story is terrifying. Yikes! As for me, I grew up with real Christmas trees, and it was a fight every year to fit the tree into the tree stand, and there was the inevitable tree-shedding mess that went with it. Neither of these factors gave me warm fuzzies about Christmas, so when I became a grownup, it was team faux for me. We used to have a spruce in our front yard, and I would clip branches for the mantel, but alas, said spruce died several years ago. I have switched to faux holly, and it's so much easier to deal with. That being said, a few years ago I went to a wreath-making event, and having a real wreath on my front porch was the bomb! It lasted all season long, too (I'm in Michigan--I doubt that would be true in a warmer climate). All to say--I love the look of real, but not the work. Your garland does look amazing, KariAnne!
I just purchased it like 5 minutes ago. I love it. It's going on my front porch
Oh, faux all the way...and I can't believe the price on that garland. They must have shipped them in before the tariffs took effect. When I was growing up on a small farm in northwest Missouri, we always cut a red cedar out of the pasture for a Christmas tree since the things grew like weeds and were considered a nuisance. They not only shed, but smelled like tom car! We discovered we could spray them with green spray paint since they always tended to have a brownish tint. That not only made them a gorgeous green, but locked in the odor and kept those in the family who were allergic from suffering with swollen eyes and runny noses! Realistic faux greenery is the answer!
I remember those pasture trees...sticker bushes is what my mom always called them. The most fun thing about those trees was the adventure into the field to select one!
I mix the faux and the real. I love the smell of real greenery at Christmas so I buy a plain real wreath and decorate it to hang in my home. I then add the faux thru out. So I guess I am faux-real kinda gal...lol. Big Hugs
It is beautiful! I'm definitely team faux. I tried real cedar last year and made a table centerpiece as well as garland for the mantle. It was so pretty. However, it started drying out which didn't look so pretty. After about a week of watery, puffy eyes, I realized it was the garland. 😂 Out it went!
You recently posted a blog about christmas lights that were not battery operated but rechargable, i think. Can you refresh my memory as to what they were??
Here are fairy lights that are rechargeable! You can see them here: https://amzlink.to/az0eCEQLOKhlX Happy day! KariAnne
Thank you!
haha you tell such a funny story or three your foyer and staircase looks amazing and oh to have a household staff - we can only dream, eh?
AMEN Sister! You can get the real smell from other things with less mess. Who needs mess at Christmas?!
I'm a little bit of both - I can use faux only where one of my cats cannot reach it to eat (we've already had mega surgery to clear out his stomach from that). I also have to be careful with real as another cat likes to snack on that (we have to keep Poison Control on speed dial for him)! The faux has become more and more realistic looking though which is wonderful, but it also requires storage space of which I seem to always be running a bit short. Real takes up no space when the decorations come down, and I might miss finding those last three needles in a floor crack when I am waxing the floors before Easter decorating - I was sure I had gotten every single last needle by then 😂
Oh my gosh KariAnne, Pat myself on my Christmas back?!! You are the funniest girl I know haha xoxo So pretty!
I once had some lilacs on my desk at work that were faux. I cant tell you how many times someone went to smell them. I finally looked for a lilac spray and voila! I wonder if there is a smell that would work for your garland. I agree that I love to see real but I'm cheap. It is very expensive if you have to buy it. I like pulling it out every year.
It looks so lovely. I love the real touch feel at the cheaper price. Makes a huge difference. Lovely decorations Kari Anne.
The older I get the less decorating I do. A four and a half foot tree on a side table, garland and lights outside, a few knick knacks here and there a few pillows and I'm done. My staircase isn't closed so can't put a nice garland up.