Quick 411 on Buying Lighted Garlands: Our Advice & Tips

Let’s talk lighted garlands!

We love using these garlands as an affordable way to dress up a mantle piece . . . or even decorate a kid’s bedroom. The lights add a soft glow, which is a nice touch.

We spent several hours researching lighted garlands, surveying our parent readers for their tips. Here are a few quick points:

• Lighted garlands come in four basic types: eucalyptus, flowers, berries or ivy. Each is great for different times of the year. We like eucalyptus garlands for decorating in the spring and summer, since the lighter green color motif fits other greenery at those times of the year. Our readers tell us they use flower garlands year-round and lighted berry garlands for the festive season.

• Most all lighted garlands are battery operated. Some use lithium button-type batteries, while others are AA or AAA type. Typically, the lights are small, “fairy-type” lights that add a romantic look. The best garlands with lights have timers to turn them off after a set period of time (so you can run them in the evening, but not all night). 

• Consider the type of light. Some garlands have brighter, blue-type white lights . . . while others are more yellow. The latter are more subtle and perfect for a bedroom.

Here are the best lighted garlands we found in our research:

About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!