Holiday Decor You Need to Buy Early

The Christmas countdown starts now! Find out which 5 Five holiday items you need to buy now before they sell out! Make sure your festive season is stress-free and fabulous.

I know it’s still Fall. We haven’t celebrated Halloween let alone Thanksgiving, and here I am talking about Christmas! But as we eagerly await the most wonderful time of the year, it’s essential to plan ahead and get a head start on your festive preparations.

Today I’m spilling the eggnog about the 5 items that if you don’t scoop up early, they’ll be gone by the time you try to buy them! I’ll give you details of each and tell you which are the best to buy! *This post gets updated annually to reflect the most recent products.

While HobbyLobby has had Christmas decor out since July, most stores are just now starting to stock their shelves. And there are a few items that once they become available, seem to sell out fast and are gone until next year! By the time you would naturally start to think about Christmas, it’s too late!

1. Christmas Trees

Artificial Christmas trees sell out fast. Now you might be thinking that you’ve seen them right up until the day before Christmas! That might be the case, so let me clarify. The BEST, most beautiful Christmas trees sell out early. If you don’t want the Charlie Brown of artificial trees, start shopping now.

I am a fan of Balsam Hill because after working with them once years ago, I realized that their trees look so much more realistic and natural than other brands. But of course, they come with a hefty price tag.

I have the European Fir with fairy lights and I love it. It doesn’t have the traditional cone shape to it, though. If you prefer a more traditional look, try either the Noble Fir or Fraser Fir, both of which have great reviews.

Last year, I bought this cute little Alpine Balsam Fir as a small accent tree for the dining room.

You can purchase less expensive Balsam Hill trees on Amazon. I personally haven’t ordered any, but they look nice online and I’ve always had great customer service with Balsam Hill.

I also found that the Nearly Natural brand sells trees at Home Depot. I love their plants and flowers so I assume I’d like their trees, too!

Some of My Favorite Trees

2. Holiday Lights

Whether you have an unlit artificial tree or a live one, both have one thing in common. The lights break every year!!!

Every year I pack them away neatly, and every year a least one string doesn’t work! By the time I realize some of the string lights have broken, there is not a set to be found in the store! Or the ones that they do have don’t match the other strings you have at home!

This is true for both tree and house lights. So if you haven’t yet tested your strings for the year, do it now and get your replacements early!

Greenery Picks

You can sometimes use greenery picks instead of garland, which can be more cost-effective. For greenery stems, Michael’s is my go-to store, but Hobby Lobby has a large selection.

I stumbled across this greenery stem at Michael’s on clearance last year and it looks and feels amazing! I’ve been adding it into my garlands to make them a bit fuller.

Here’s a look at how I combined the cedar garland from Terrain with the picks from Michaels in my mantel last year.

Tip: If you’re putting the garland on your railings, I love these garland ties that protect your banisters from scuffing!

My Favorite Garlands & Picks

4. Flocking Powder

If you’re considering flocking your tree, garland, or wreaths, it’s time to buy flocking powder! For some reason, it sells out early each year.

I used SnoFlock Powder and chose to just lightly flock my tree. I’ve used the aerosol cans in the past and I like them for small projects, like pinecones. For wreaths, garlands, and trees I would stick with SnoFlock.

You can flock a real tree, but you can also flock an artificial one if you just want to give it a different look. Two years ago, I flocked my Balsam Hill Carolina Hemlock to give it a new, softer look.

After several years of use, I wanted to give my artificial tree a new lease on life. I had actually thought about doing it sooner, but hesitated thinking it would be difficult. Boy was I wrong! It was so easy and I wished I had done it sooner!

5. Bells

The sound of jingling bells is inextricably linked with the holiday season. But these days, bells are used for more than just sound. They’re also a gorgeous element of decor!

These vintage-style bells are so popular right now that they sell out fast. I purchased three different sets last year but this one was my favorite and I returned the others.

I own the 5″, 4″, and 3″ set pictured below. I put some on my front door wreath just to give it a little bling…

But I’ve also had them hanging from my orchard ladder with a bit of greenery and antique grain sacks.

And they don’t have to hang! I used them last year as part of my dining table decor and below, they are part of a coffee table vignette.