How to Remove a Garland From a Tree

Remove the ornaments before you unwind the garland.

Garland is primarily used to decorate Christmas trees. It is draped and looped over the branches to give the tree a festive and finished appearance. Garlands can be hung on fences, over doorways, on fireplace mantels, or anywhere else you want to add some Christmas cheer. In such cases, they are often made of fresh greenery. Garland used on trees, however, are usually made of fabric, plastic, ribbon, wooden beads, or even popcorn and cranberries. Properly removing the garland from your tree will ensure that you can use it again next year.

Things You'll Need

• Ladder
• Storage box

Instructions

1. Remove all of the ornaments from the tree. This will prevent the garland from snagging on an ornament and breaking it. It also will protect the garland from being ripped or damaged. Start from the bottom and work your way up so you don't accidentally knock off any ornaments as you are reaching for them.

2. Set up a sturdy ladder near your tree so that you can reach the top of the tree easily. Find the end of the garland that is closest to the top of the tree.

3. Unwind the garland from the tree, starting from the top. Gather it onto your hand in loose loops as you carefully pull it from the branches. You might need to have someone help you if you can't easily reach the other side of the tree. In that case, station a person on the other side of the tree, and hand the garland off to that person when you cannot reach around the tree anymore.

4. Examine the branches carefully as you unwind the garland. Check for areas where the garland might be wound around a light, or areas where you might have secured it with floral wire. Some garlands, especially light ones, slip off the branches and need to be secured with wire or wrapped around the needles. If you used wire to secure it, unwind or clip the wire first before pulling off the garland.

5. Pull off any stray needles from the garland, and coil it gently into a storage box. Try not to kink or bend it, as this may damage it.

References

• Christmas World: Garland Tips
• Good Housekeeping: How to Take Down the Christmas Tree