Today I want to show you something that my family did when I was a kid which was always such a fun activity: making festive popcorn garlands for our Christmas tree!

This is one those activities that makes an easy, memorable addition to your Christmas traditions. I have some good memories of stringing popcorn for our family tree (I am one of 12 kids – and 10 of them are sisters)!

We didn’t make them every year, but we did it enough times that I look back on it with fondness. This year, I decided to bring that back to my own home, with my own little family.

A natural Christmas

The natural Christmas theme is a simple, classic, beautiful way to decorate for Christmas. If you love the old fashioned Christmas vibe (or you’re looking to save some money), I highly recommend it! With a little bit of creativity, even things you find in your backyard can become beautiful Christmas decor.

These diy garlands are an affordable addition to your natural themed Christmas. Popcorn garlands are an inexpensive, traditional decor item with a long shelf life. Not to mention, if you have these things already on hand, making a homemade popcorn garland can be a great way to use up old pantry items, like extra popcorn kernels, hidden at the back of the shelf!

Handmade for the holidays: homemade Christmas decorations

Natural Christmas decor uses all things natural to create a gorgeous, handmade Christmas. Homemade ornaments, edible decor (like popcorn, cranberries, or gingerbread), pine cones, real greenery, burlap, straw, wood, twine, clay, and spices (like cinnamon or star anise) are all great ways to make this theme come alive.

In recent years, it’s become one of those modern holiday decor trends (in a way), but it’s also a timeless, classic way to make this festive season more beautiful.

This is one easy way to incorporate natural elements into your decor. Also, once you’ve got this down, you can also use the same method to string fresh cranberries!

With those two things alone (popcorn and cranberries), you can make an adorable white popcorn garland, and a beautiful red cranberry garland for your tree or other greenery around the house. These two simple elements add some beautiful color contrast to your other green and wood ornaments.

Uses for popcorn garlands

Popcorn garlands are great for your Christmas tree, but you can also use them on their own, strung around the house (or mixed with cranberries for some added color). Try hanging them above windows or doorways, or use small ones in fresh greenery hung across a doorway (or for a fresh green arrangement on your front door).

Basically, however you can think of to use them, these adorable white garlands can add a dash of festivity to your home, however and wherever you choose to use them.

Making memories

This simple holiday project is a family-friendly craft to add a touch of nostalgic beauty to your home this holiday season. It is the perfect opportunity to bring together the entire family for some social time and fun, while also tackling the project of Christmas decorating!

I have some special memories of sitting on the couch draped in blankets with my mom and sisters, stringing popcorn into garlands for our Christmas tree. I hope that with some intentionality, this tutorial can become a beloved Christmas custom for your family as well.

Warning: If you’re making these with garlands with kids, make sure they are old enough to handle a needle safely. Adult supervision is recommended!

Choosing a decor theme for Christmas

In these pictures, you might notice that my tree isn’t exactly a purely “Natural” theme. I’ll just be honest here – I really love blending old and new styles together, mixing natural elements with glittery golds and reds. It’s a good reflection of how I like to decorate my home in general: old, classic furniture in a clean, new space.

That said, I’d love to ask: what’s your Christmas theme? How do you plan to decorate? Leave me a note in the comments with your own Christmas style, or what kind of a feel you’re going for this year.

You will need:

A needle, thread, and buttons will be available for purchase at a local craft store or the craft section of a department store like Walmart. They can also easily be ordered online.

Unseasoned Popcorn (8 cups popcorn, which is about 1 cup of popping kernels, popped) – you can use fresh popcorn or stale popcorn for this tutorial
Hot air popper (or a pan on the stovetop to make the popcorn)
A needle and thread (any color thread is fine) – for multiple people, make sure you have a set of sharp needles (one per person working on this project)
A thimble
16 Buttons (any buttons will do, but I used these little wooden buttons)
A large bowl to hold the popcorn while you work

How to make popcorn garlands, step-by-step

Here’s a breakdown of the method for making your own popcorn garland for Christmas! You can use different colors of thread for this process (although dark green thread might be the best if you’re going to use these garlands to decorate greenery).

For some extra color, feel free to add fresh cranberries, cinnamon sticks, or dried orange slices to your garlands! (And then let me know what you did in the comments because I’d love to hear about it!)

Do NOT use microwave popcorn for this tutorial.

This tutorial makes about 40 feet of garland (eight 5-ft strands).

Step 1: Measure your thread

I like to make mine about an arms width (about 5 ft), and then double it so that the string can be doubled for better strength and durability. I don’t like to make it longer than this because it’s easy to get knots in the thread and mess the whole thing up. This length is good for keeping it workable.

Step 2: Thread the needle

Thread the needle, and double the thread so that the two ends are tied together, with the needle on one end, and the two knotted threads tied together on the other.

Step 3: Knot the thread onto a button

The buttons are necessary to prevent the thread from pulling through the popcorn and causing the whole strand to fall apart. Thread the needle through one of the button holes, and then pull it through the other direction until you can stick the needle between the 2 threads at the knot to connect it. Knot the thread into place.

Step 4: String the popcorn

Push the threaded needle through the center of a popcorn kernel, and then repeat with more popcorn pieces (one at a time), until you have a long strand. When you have 4-6″ left on your strand, thread another button onto the end, and knot it into place.

Cut the string, and voila! There is one completed garland!

Step 5: Repeat

Follow the above steps until you have finished making 8 5-ft popcorn garlands. Drape onto your Christmas tree or into other garlands around your house.

And that’s it! Super simple. This is really fun to do with a friend or family member. Try working on this while you watch your favourite Christmas movie!

Printable Tutorial:

popcorn, garland, buttons, thread, scissors, and pin cushion

How to Make Popcorn Garlands

This will tutorial will show you how to make enough garlands to decorate one 6-7ft Christmas tree.

Prep Time 1 day

Servings 8 5-ft garlands

Author Naomi

Ingredients

Unseasoned Popcorn 8 cups pocorn, which is about 1 cup of popping kernels, popped
Hot air popcorn popper or a pan on the stovetop to do it
A needle and thread any color thread is fine
A thimble
16 Buttons any buttons will do, but I used these little wooden buttons
A large bowl to hold the popcorn while you work