The Best Faux Greenery for Christmas
In days past, artificial greens for Christmas looked quite… artificial. These days, the technology and standards have gone way up and there are now some great faux options. Today, I’m sharing the best faux greenery I’ve found for Christmas.
My mom always had bags of faux garlands that she used to deck our halls. Every year, we pulled it out and spent hours fluffing it up.
When my husband and I got married, we bought a faux, pre-lit tree and used it until the lights burned out.
Every year, we would pull the tree out of the basement and plop it in the living room. I loved it, but I also loved how charming real trees were.
At the time, there were no artificial trees that looked the least bit realistic. They all looked visibly fake and I was hoping to bring some charm into our Christmas season.
With that, we decided to try having a real tree for Christmas.
This was the beginning of my obsession with only have real greens in our home.
It started with the tree and eventually moved into my appreciation for real garlands and wreaths, too.
There’s just nothing quite like the “real deal” at Christmastime.
Pros and Cons of Real vs Faux Greenery
While I do love real greenery, there are some cons to the real thing. Likewise, there are pros and cons to faux greenery, too.
I wanted to touch on both of them because both require an investment and it’s worth figuring out which will work best for your home.
- Money– While faux Christmas decor might cost more up front, it’s a one-time cost (at least for the foreseeable future). Using real greens means you have to replace them year after year, which adds up.
- Time– If you are like me and you want to let Christmas shine a bit longer than one month, having real greens doesn’t really work. They get brittle and crumble all over the place. While I don’t mind the mess, I don’t like that they look… dead, after two weeks of being in our home.
- Storage– If you don’t have storage space, then it’s very hard to find room for faux greens. They take up quite a bit of space and are, usually, in awkward boxes that don’t fit in small places. With live greens, you just take them out of your home when you’re done with them.
- Smell and Look– There’s no getting around it, the real thing smells and looks better than artificial greens. Your home will smell of pine or cedar for several weeks after you deck your halls if you use real trees and garlands.
How to choose artificial Christmas tree
While I adore real trees, which we have had for the last 5-7 years, I am ready to be able to decorate early without worrying the tree and greens won’t last.
I prefer unlit trees, to be honest. You don’t have to worry about the lights going out and the entire tree needing to be replaced.
If you have the budget to replace a tree every few years, get a prelit one. Otherwise, stick with putting the lights on yourself.
Pop on a Hallmark movie and string those lights!
I want to share a few things to look for in a faux tree, if you’re wanting a realistic look.
- Realistic Tips– This is a new technology that I’ve been seeing more and more. Not all of the branches will have the “real-feel” technology, but a good portion should so that it looks like real needles from afar.
- Realistic Shape– One thing that is so charming about real trees is that they aren’t perfect. They thin out on the top and have some gaps between the branches. Look for trees that have some quirks and charm to them.
- Realistic Size- Most people who get real trees get a tree that is around 7-8 feet tall. You rarely see monstrous trees at the tree lot. While I have high ceilings, I prefer a 7.5 foot tree because it looks more realistic. I got a 9 ft tree two years ago and it didn’t like it because it looked so fake.
Another thing to look for when buying a tree is how close the branches are to one another.
It’s tempting to get a tree that is super full and filled out. The only problem is that your ornaments won’t hang. They will, instead, sit on the branch below.
Finding a tree that has some room in between the branches allows your ornaments room to actually hang on the branch.
To fill the tree out, place some ornaments farther back on the branch to “fill it in” and add some interest to the inner part of the tree.
How to find Faux Cedar Garland
My preferred garland is cedar. It hangs so nicely and has large panels of needles which look whimsical.
If you are looking to invest in some faux greenery to drape on your mantel or banister, then look for some that looks real.
This has been a slow process for me, as I add to my faux greenery collection. Each year, I add one more item to my tote of greens.
It is important to have realistic expectations when buying faux greens.
They are fake, they won’t smell like the forest, and they will look plastic-like up close.
BUT, they will layer beautifully with other decor, they will last, and they will look real from a short distance.
My faux greenery looks so real until you are about two feet away. Y’all, I can handle that.
I love that I can put it up in November and leave it up until New Year’s.
Artificial Christmas Wreaths that look Real
The last piece to the Christmas decor puzzle is the artificial Christmas wreath.
My first big purchase for faux greens was our garland on our stairwell. They next purchase were artificial wreaths that I could hang on doors and walls.
The best part about wreaths is that you can buy smaller ones and hang them all on one wall to get a festive look for less money.
Larger wreaths can cost quite a bit, but I still feel like they are the most cost-effective purchase when compared to garlands and trees.
Simple Ways to make Faux Greenery look Real
You’re right, faux greenery doesn’t look as real as the real deal greens, but it comes mighty close!
There are simple ways to make faux greenery look real as you decorate your home.
I want to share some simple tips for making it look real.
- Allow garlands to droop and hang.
- Layer your garlands to give variety. Use different types of garlands and weave them into one so that you have a fuller, eclectic look.
- Add in a few sprigs of real greens from your yard, such as twigs, pine cones, and berries.
- Velvet ribbon is a great addition to fill out and add texture to your garlands. Velvet has a way of elevating everything.
- Avoid trying to make it look too perfect. Allow your greens to be more “natural” and not so perfect.
Other Christmas Decor Posts you’ll love
Free Christmas Printable
Enjoy this free Christmas printable for your home.
