There’s something so satisfying about a garland... Possibly because they remind me of the stringing-popcorn-and-cranberry excitement of childhood. But there’s also something about draping that appeals to a universal aesthetic sense. In any case, draping garlands on the tree or about the inside or outside of a dwelling is a common pleasure in many households.

Garlands can be made from a great many things...
  

• Popcorn and cranberries! - strung with a needle and thread. (Wonderful for outdoor trees for the critters too - at a minimum, they could have the indoor garlands after you take them down.)

• Or what about just popcorn? - and dye some of the pieces other colors. (Use a dilute food coloring spray.)

• Try little pine cones or fir cones strung on jute twine, perhaps with nuts in between (in which you’ll probably have to drill the holes first).

• If you’re in a warmer area, fresh vines might be found to swag on your tree or mantel. (A delicate ivy, perhaps? - making an interesting contrast to traditional pine or fir branches.)

• Jigsaw puzzle pieces! - strung on monofilament (like fine fishing line). This is a great way to use up pieces to puzzles that are too annoying to complete (pieces lost; too much space all of one color; or just plain too ugly a picture). Paint the pieces if you like. Use a thin awl, or a Dremel tool, to make tiny holes at either end for threading through. (I especially like the idea of stringing all of the border pieces in order.)
   
• Self-stick 1" colored dots, stuck back-to-back on a string a couple of inches apart

• Plain paper links are easy and fun decorations for children (or anyone) to make. You can use all one color or multi-colored pieces of paper - strips from Christmas cards, construction paper, origami paper, wrapping paper, magazine photos... how about gold and silver paper?

• Another version of the above is the chain of paper hearts - see "Paper Heart Chain" in Instructions.

• Folded paper autumn leaves (crease them along the vein lines) glued or stapled together make a wonderful whole-room garland.

• Then there’s newspaper rickrack! See "Paper Rickrack" in Instructions.

• ...And the old-fashioned "Jacob’s Ladder Chain", also in Instructions

• Rolled wallpaper, or perhaps thick handmade paper, beads strung together make a not-too-hefty chain. See "Beads/necklaces" in Instructions.

• How about kids’ tiny hands in a paper-doll-style chain?... Accordion-fold stiff paper into equal squares just bigger than the child’s outstretched hand. Trace around it - and have little fingers and thumbs touch the folded edge (and each other, when the shape is cut and spread apart). Make several and tape them together to extend the chain.

• As above, make gingerbread-men-shaped cutouts on brown paper... And "frost" the features with thick paint. (Or what shape would you prefer? - teddy bears or elves, perhaps?)

• Wine corks with stringing-holes drilled through them

• Have so many cookie cutters you don’t know what to do with them? (lucky you!) …String them together (with large red wooden beads between?).

• Linked paper clips make a beautifully sparkly chain for the tree! (especially the one at the office?)

• Aluminum foil "beads" strung together

• Acorns, slices of walnut shells, and short pieces of thin bamboo strung together

• Seashells, perhaps threaded with bits of dried seaweed

• Pieces of bone or antler interspersed with pieces of thick, interesting dried twigs
    
• Cornhusks and dried apple slices (serrate the edges of the cornhusks with pinking shears, crumple the strips accordion-style and push a string-threaded heavy needle down the center of the wad, fan it out along the string; add in a red-rimmed apple piece every so often)
    
• Strung-together shapes snipped from a package of new colored sponges

• Braided cellophane strips
   
• Cloth measuring tapes

• Colorful 1/4" rubber bands linked together are fun (you can buy a whole ball of them for just a couple of bucks).

• 2- or 4-hole buttons strung on thin, bright cord
   
• Animal crackers with holes carefully bored through them, hung on bright ribbon
    
• Little pretzels strung with red ribbon woven through the holes (can use hot glue gun to tack them in place)
    
• Many other items around the house might be worked into garlands - pieces of drinking straws, Cheerios, cotton balls (like little snowballs), macaroni and other "holey" noodles, bottle caps (painted or not)... What else do you have around? Link them together with string, wire, soutache braid, fishing line, different types of twine, etc. etc.

• Or just use the stiff twine by itself - maybe 2 or 3 strands (gold and silver?) knotted every so often.

• Small shapes cut from balsa wood and strung together

• Link together any lightweight ornaments into a garland... For instance, small stuffed folk-art felt shapes (stars, moons, hearts, gingerbread people, etc.) strung with jute twine.

• When I was in junior high, gum wrapper chains were a rage... I once had a fantastic few yards of one that I sure wish I’d kept! Such an attractively zigzaggy braid can be made from strips of any kind of paper - color magazine pictures would work especially well; metallic paper would make nice, shiny garlands... See "Gum Wrapper Chain" in Instructions for directions...
    
• Make tiny Christmas cards and hang them 2-3 inches apart on a cord

• Curls of exposed film are beautiful twisted around the tree!
    

(Don’t forget to decorate the dog house, barn, or stable!)