How to Make a Holiday Gingerbread Village Garland

We crafted wooden gingerbread houses and snowflakes and turned them into an adorable staircase garland. Similar looks sell for $50 per house, but ours cost less than $10.

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By: Jessyca Williams

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A winter holiday village can make a charming centerpiece, mantel decoration or a staircase garland. This holiday decor goes with so many styles from traditional to modern Scandinavian. We purchased our wooden gingerbread houses at the craft store and painted them with acrylic paint, chalk markers and puff paint. We also painted wood snowflakes to complete our gingerbread village and accented it with fresh greenery.

DIY Garland of Wooden Houses and Snowflakes on a Modern Staircase

DIY Gingerbread Village Garland on a Staircase

HGTV shares how to create this festive holiday garland for your home.

Photo by: Jessyca Williams

Jessyca Williams

Tools and Materials

small snowflakes
brown spray paint
twine
sticks
removable hooks
tacky reusable adhesive
natural greenery

1. Paint the Houses

Start with a base coat on all the houses. Apply two coats of brown paint to achieve that classic gingerbread hue. When the paint has dried, sketch intricate details like roof shingles directly onto the houses with pencil or use stencils for precise lines.

Jessyca Williams

Photo By: Jessyca Williams

2. Add Sweet Details

To add texture and mimic the look of snow (or delectable icing), use puff paint to outline roofs, chimneys and other prominent features. Use a white chalk marker for the finer details, like tracing windows, doors and adding whimsical designs to blank spaces. The beauty of chalk markers: Mistakes are easily corrected.

Jessyca Williams

Photo By: Jessyca Williams

3. Make Snowflakes

We decorated wooden snowflakes to match the houses. Start with a coat brown spray paint to give them a gingerbread cookie aesthetic. When dry, personalize the snowflakes with decorative designs using a white chalk marker. Even simple dots can elevate these festive accents.

Jessyca Williams

Photo By: Jessyca Williams

4. Deck the Stairs

When your gingerbread houses and snowflakes are dry, it's time to adorn the staircase. Use removable hooks to hang the snowflakes at varying heights, adding twigs or sticks for a rustic touch. Securely attach the gingerbread houses to the staircase using sticky tack, ensuring they sit above the hooks. Tuck small sprigs of greenery beneath the houses to complete the enchanting winter scene.