How To Make A Christmas Swag | Boxwood & Spruce

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What Is A Christmas Swag?

Christmas swag is greenery, typically made from pine or cedar boughs, fastened together at each end and hanging down in the middle. A swag blends the best of both a wreath and a garland, adding a festive touch to your home.

cedar Christmas swag hung on a vintage brass wall sconce with a blue plate and needlepoint to the side

Where should I put my Christmas swag?

Holiday swag can be put in a myriad of places. The touch of greenery adds classic a classic holiday aesthetic that can be hung for all to enjoy.

Typical places you might hang a swag include interior and exterior light fixtures, atop a mirror or over a mantel. However, holiday swag is not limited to these places. Other ideas for hanging you swag could include on the back of a chair or atop a framed piece of artwork. The options are limitless!

How to hang a Christmas swag?

Your Christmas swag can simply be draped over the light fixture or afixed with a small and inconspicuous piece of floral wire to keep in in place. If hanging your swag on something like the back of a chair, you can use floral wire or even a beautiful piece of ribbon.

Christmas swag on a brass wall sconce with wall decor hung in the background

cedar swag with blue ribbon on a brass light fixture

How do you make a Christmas swag?

Making a Christmas swag is very simple and often can be used with materials that exist right outside your door! For this tutorial, I’m using cedar boughs from a tree we had removed from our yard. If you don’t have access to evergreen boughs outside, you can always purchase fresh cedar boughs or faux boughs.

Holiday swag is beautiful all on its own, however there are many options when it comes to adding embellishments to your swag.

a stack of various different ribbon options and a pair of red scissors

My personal favorite embellishment is the simple addition of a ribbon. I prefer a beautiful cotton ticking stripe ribbon. However, other embellishments you might consider for your swag are rustic brass bells, small, icicle ornaments or even artificial juniper or red berries.

Materials Needed To Make A Christmas Swag

Greenery (real of faux)
Floral wire or twine
scissors
Ribbon (or other embellishment)

flatly of ribbon, cedar boughs and scissors

Steps To Make a Christmas Swag

STEP ONE:

Gather your greenery, making sure to use stems of varying length. Using different lengths will give your swag beautiful and organic movement. If you are using faux stems, simply trim them to give you the varying lengths.

scissors, red and white bakers twine, ticking stripe ribbon and cedar boughs

STEP TWO:

Separate your greenery into to equal, but separate groupings, overlapping the stems at the top.

ticking stripe ribbon and cedar pine boughs

STEP THREE:

Tie the two groupings of boughs together at the top, using twine or floral wire.

using red and white bakers twine to tie cedar boughs together

STEP FOUR:

Add any ribbon, bells or embellishments to finish your swag and it’s ready to hang!

tying a bow with cream and white ticking stripe ribbon onto a Christmas swag

Where to buy Christmas swag?

If DIY is not an option, beautiful swags can be found at your local nursery, tree farm or even Home Depot. However, your least expensive option will always be to head outside and use this simple tutorial to create one yourself!

cedar swag on a vintage brass wall sconce with ticking stripe ribbon

cedar Christmas swag on a vintage brass wall sconce with blue sribbon

cedar swag on light with architectural salvage and wood door

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