5 Holiday Decor Items to Buy in October
Trust me….I realize it’s only October and for us in Canada, we are still enjoying turkey left overs from this past weekend’s Thanksgiving. If it were up to me, the holiday season would exist from mid November to shortly after New Years. Yes, I know some of you wait until days before the big event , the 25th to decorate and then you pitch it all out the front door come Boxing Day, the 26th. This post is definitely not for you.
However, if you love to deck the halls, the holiday season is your favorite time of year, then by all means, I hope you stick around. :) If you’re like me and you like to make your home merry early in the season so you can actually sit back and enjoy it, you may also know that if you wait until Black Friday to pick up any new holiday decor, then you will be sh!t out of luck. In recent years with C——, supply chain issues, shipping, etc. you may have noticed that a lot of the most popular decor items tend to sell out before Halloween. And if it doesn’t sell out, then the prices go up—significantly.
So trust me when I say: plan ahead, store some holiday décor in a closet or basement for a month or two, and don’t stress-buy that poor excuse of a garland in November because nothing is left but you HAVE to have garland. I’ve found that if I buy in October, and (start to) decorate in November, December is a much happier month.
Of course, there are certain categories of holiday decor that tend to sell out faster than others. In this blog post, I’m going to talk about five decor items you should buy in October.
Garland
Last year when I posted our Stairwell, I got so many DMs about the garland I used. It sold out fast here in Canada. The main garland I used was the pre- lit artificial Cedar garland from Canadian Tire. I also used this 9ft Eucalyptus garland from Canadian Tire.
For my American friends, I love the Real Touch Norfolk Pine Garland from Afloral.
There are so many other great options out there including this one. If this year is anything like the last few years, it will be hard to come by sooner than later.
2. Faux Christmas Trees
While I love the smell and feel of a real Christmas tree, it just isn’t ideal for our family. Between the three house cats and house rabbit, they would have the bottom 1/3 limbed within a week. We also have a wood stove for our main source of heat so real greens dry out quick and third, I love to have my tree up early. So with those reasons in mind, a faux tree is best for us.
If you’re in the market for a new tree this year, I would not delay especially if you’re ordering one online and expect to receive it before Christmas. I’m sharing my favorites from the traditional, less traditional (flocked and modern) to table top.
I love a traditional tree. Last year we put our tree in our sunroom/dining room and chances are pretty good, that is where it will end up again this year. I also picked up a couple of these pre-lit non-traditional flocked trees for our living room and second floor tv room. I really enjoy having trees in multiple rooms.
My tree is no longer available. But, this one looks pretty similar to the one I have. I did choose to go with an unlit one vs pre-lit as I never feel the pre-lit has enough lights and then I worry about one day when the lights stop working. I love how realistic this one looks. If you’re in need of a smaller tree, this one looks lovely. If you like the more modern flocked trees, this one looks pretty realistic.
And don’t forget about table top and mini trees…they’re always my favorite. I love placing them in a vase or planter for a higher end look. This one from Target is only $10. I picked up a couple quite similar from Ikea last year for $9. At the time of writing this, Ikea has not launched their holiday decor.
3. Christmas Villages
These little white ceramic houses were all over social media last year. Several years ago, I picked up some smaller ceramic houses from our local Dollarama and spray painted them white. Last year, I did pick up a couple of white ceramic houses at the Real Canadian Superstore. These are super cute and come with a battery operated LED lite inside. My daughter expressed interest in a more traditional village last year and she scored some vintage village houses at our local decor consignment shop. I have plans to DIY some wooden houses this year so stay tuned for those! This set of three that light up are super cute. This set from Target is cute too. This wood set is similar to what I plan to DIY. These little houses were such a hit last year that I anticipate the most affordable options will absolutely sell out quickly!
4. Wreaths
Everyone loves a wreath. Especially at Christmas time. However, really nice ones are so hard to come by especially at a decent price. For my exterior doors, I tend to go with a real fir wreath. You can usually pick them up at your local farmer’s markets. In the country, you will also see people selling them along the side of the road.
However, if you also want to adorn your windows and use them on doors inside your home, buying real wreaths can get expensive. Every year I pick up a couple plain fir wreaths from Michaels. They usually will have them on a BOGO. I change up the ribbon I use each year to match my decor or whatever I fancy that year. Amazon is a great place to find spools of ribbon at great prices.
If real wreaths or DIY wreaths aren’t your thing, here are some that I picked out at different price points. This pre lit faux hemlock is a stunner but will run you over $100. I love the fullness of this one. And then there is this one adorned with pine cones. I love cedar and especially at Christmas time. This one is beautiful if you can’t have the real thing. And then there is this one that’s a little easier on the pocketbook as well as this one. Last but not least, the classic boxwood which you can keep on your door all winter long.
5. Bells
The brass jingle bell trend was hot last year and it’s safe to assume, it will be popular again this year. And for good reason—they’re so pretty when used with garland, or hung by themselves on doors. You can even get the really big ones and place them on a fireplace hearth. Right now, you can find them from many different retailers for a reasonable price, but come November, they’ll either be sold out or double the price.
While these aren’t brass, I found them at a local small retailer last fall. However, I have my eye on these from Amazon. Another great place to find brass bells is Etsy. I think these would make such a statement above a mantle. And then there are these and these.
Feeling overwhelmed about decorating this year? Perhaps you find yourself no longer looking forward to this time of year? My Christmas Decorating package is for you! This holiday season I am helping busy women once again enjoy the holiday season by offering to do the holiday decorating for them. If you’re local to Nova Scotia, I have an in person package for you. And for my online clients, don’t worry I got you, you can sign up for the online package. For signing up, you will receive two bonuses- my mantle style guide and my style your holiday table guide.
