When we play host to friends, decorations are usually an afterthought. By the time we hang up all of our clothes and clean the bathroom, we're too exhausted to deal with putting up trimmings. That's where garlands come in. Hang one across the entryway, along your living room wall, or between trees in the backyard, and your home is instantly festive. If you do a little prep-work, you can make one yourself. Just create a chain of pretty paper links like you did in kindergarten, or cut shapes and string them onto a length of ribbon. Or be lazy and buy a colorful strand of pennants for as little as $7.
