I shopped at Michaels and Hobby Lobby for holiday decorations, and one was a true winter wonderland

Terri PetersJan 14, 2024, 14:35 IST

I wanted to see if Michaels or Hobby Lobby had better decor for winter. Terri Peters

I visited Michaels and Hobby Lobby to see which had the best decorations for the holiday season.
Michaels got points for its diverse Santas and Hanukkah section, but its selection felt small.

Decorating for the holiday season is one of my favorite parts of the year.

In recent years, I've started slowly putting up Christmas decorations as soon as the Halloween ones are packed away. The longer our beautiful Christmas trees and holiday decorations are up, the longer I can enjoy them.

Each year, we add lots of new pieces to our collection, so the day after Halloween, I headed to craft stores Michaels and Hobby Lobby to get a feel for what's popular this year.

I was surprised to find that one store was an absolute winter wonderland while the other felt lacking in the holiday cheer department.

The Hobby Lobby entrance greeted me with holiday cheer.

Hobby Lobby had me feeling festive from its entrance. Terri Peters

At Michaels, the entryway felt distinctly less festive.

Michaels' entrance was underwhelming. Terri Peters

Hobby Lobby still had a large Thanksgiving section at the front of the store.

I appreciated that Hobby Lobby had so much Thanksgiving supplies. Terri Peters

Michaels had moved Thanksgiving to the back of the store.

Michaels didn't have a ton of Thanksgiving supplies but it was discounted heavily.Terri Peters

Hobby Lobby had double the holiday merchandise.

Hobby Lobby had almost a whole aisle dedicated to red decor. Terri Peters

Michaels had about half the merchandise Hobby Lobby did.

Michaels had a decent array of nutcrackers. Terri Peters

Hobby Lobby had way more unique ornaments.

Hobby Lobby had so many great ornaments. Terri Peters

Michaels didn't have as many ornaments.

Michaels had some cute ornaments but the selection wasn't huge. Terri Peters

Hobby Lobby was lacking in Black Santa representation.

Hobby Lobby had a few Black Santas Terri Peters

Michaels did a better job showcasing Black Santa figures.

It was nice to see diversity when it came to Santa figurines. Terri Peters

At Hobby Lobby, Jesus is the reason for the season.

My Hobby Lobby had a lot of Jesus-related holiday decor. Terri Peters

The Hanukkah section at Michaels felt like an afterthought.

My local Michaels didn't have too many Hannukkah decorations. Terri Peters

Hobby Lobby had so many nutcrackers.

Hobby Lobby had some sparkly nutcrackers.Terri Peters

Still, Michaels won for nutcracker diversity.

Michaels had a ton of nutcrackers. Terri Peters

Hobby Lobby had a better variety of festive craft supplies.

Hobby Lobby had tons of festive craft supplies. Terri Peters

Michaels' holiday craft selection was a bit more limited.

I thought Michaels would have more festive craft supplies. Terri Peters

If you're creating a themed tree, visit Hobby Lobby.

Hobby Lobby is a great place for rose-gold ornaments. Terri Peters

Michaels had some themed decor, but it was sparse.

Michaels had a lot of solid one-off decor items. Terri Peters

The Grinch seemed to be the main character at Hobby Lobby.

If you like the Grinch, head to Hobby Lobby. Terri Peters

Michaels seemed to be leaning into Elf on the Shelf.

Michaels seemed like the place to buy an Elf on the Shelf. Terri Peters

Both stores were solid, but Hobby Lobby blew me away.

Hobby Lobby had no shortage of trees and ornaments. Terri Peters

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