Materials

• Try a few different types of materials.christmas decorations image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  Christmas in California might offer the convenience of fresh grapevines right in your garden, but most families will have to settle for artificial options. Many shops such as craft outlets and discount stores carry plastic flowers and greenery. GT Decorations carries silk grapevine garlands with wired greenery for ease of shaping. Look for brown wire, a natural look to blend in with the grapes. Light in the Box on-line store uses another material for its vines, microfiber.
  
  

Lights

• Set up your lights.Christmas Lights image by Vanessa van Rensburg from Fotolia.com
  
  Christmas Moon suggests weaving white frosted lights throughout your vines for an old-fashioned look, but colored grape lights are widely available. Clusters of grape lights in red, green or purple look beautiful even when not lit up, so decide on a color for your Christmas decorating theme, or mix up grape colors the way you might have with traditional Christmas bulbs. If you plan to set up your grape lights outside, check to make sure that your lights are not strictly for indoor use.
  
  

Make Your Own

• Grapevines make good indoor garlands when treated carefully.Christmas Decorations 3 image by wayne ruston from Fotolia.com
  
  Garden Guides suggests that your homegrown grapevines make good indoor garlands when treated carefully. When the vines lose their leaves, save the trimmings. Twist these into garlands immediately after trimming so that they still bend easily. Wire coat hangers offer a flexible base for shaping your grape vine garland into a wreath, or you can purchase natural and artificial grapevine twig garlands and wreath shapes. Twist in your lights, plastic grapes and any other embellishments you like such as ribbon.
  
  

Wine Theme

• Try a wine theme.christmas decorations image by mrslevite from Fotolia.com
  
  A grapevine garland may lead you to an overall wine theme in your Christmas decorating. Corks added to your garland or wreath, even wreaths and decorations given over to a cork motif, provide one option. A cork-adorned garland may call for some goofy tree ornaments such as inebriated characters or wine glasses. Wine bottles decorated with ribbon holding festive candles offer another, more traditional style. Leave wine glasses filled with candies on end tables and adorn their stems with Christmas wine charms.
  
  

Decorating Ideas

• Christmas Moon suggests a variety of decorative uses for grapevine garland both inside and outside. Combine long vines, about 14 feet, with baling twine or string to a width of 6 to 8 inches, then drape these over your doorway by fastening with nails or cup hooks. Add your lights or artificial grapes for color. Their website displays photos of grapevine garlands used to decorate an arbor, a bed and a gazebo. Your grapevine garland can wind around a banister, the base of your Christmas tree or over a window.