The Christmas decor options at the dollar store might seem really tacky at first, but if you look more closely, you’ll see that there are some great classic pieces hidden in there that you’ll use again and again! Here are some of my favourite dollar store Christmas decor finds!
I’ve seen some pretty great dollar store Christmas decor hacks in the past in various blog posts and magazines and while I’ve always been intrigued by these ideas, I’ve come to realize that these articles that I’ve read were missing something. I used to be such a fanatical dollar store shopper back in the day when I was just getting my house set up and I would find all kinds of great cute and useful things there. The funny thing is that quite a few years (10-12-ish) have passed and my home decor budget has quite a bit more wiggle room, I still find myself using a lot of the dollar store Christmas decor I bought all those years ago over and over again. It’s just good stuff!
The Best Dollar Store Christmas Decor
The dollar store is always thought of a place to get things that are cheap and cheerful, but not meant to last. It’s the place you go to get pretty things (or just tacky, fun things) that you think of as kind of disposable. We think we’ll use them for this year, then get something a little better next year when we have more time/money/whatever. I thought it would be fun to look at some of the dollar store Christmas decor items that have really gone against this idea and have actually stood the test of time for me, with a couple of my favourite new finds thrown in for fun. If you’re headed to the dollar store to grab some Christmas cheer for your home, these are the best of the best that you can choose, in my humble opinion. 🙂
Red Berry Picks
Red berry picks have been one of the best Christmas decor investments I’ve made. They can be expensive or cheap, you can reuse them for years and years, they don’t have to match or be the exact same style, and they brighten any little nook or corner of your home at Christmastime. I have some I found at the dollar store about 10 years ago, and some I’ve bought in more recent years that were a little more costly and honestly they all look great and I use them all together interchangeably.
Burlap Garlands
Burlap garlands used to be really trendy and expensive a few years ago, but now you can find them at your local dollar store! They work well as a garland on a rustic Christmas tree, but you can also use them to make big bows or even use them scrunched up as filler in the bottom of clear glass lanterns or vases. They’re also the key ingredient in making those fluffy, puffy burlap wreaths!
Acrylic Figures
I don’t own many of these because I seem to always run out of flat surfaces available for decorating at Christmas, but they always catch my eye. The dollar store always seems to carry these clear acrylic animal figures and Christmas trees at this time of year and they really do just look like the most delicate glass pieces. Use them to create a beautiful wintery forest on an entryway table or a mantel!
Boxwood Balls
OK, so I use these all year round, but boxwood anything looks great as Christmas greenery. I love these faux boxwood topiary balls as filler at Christmastime for so many different areas around the house. You can see I just plunked them in an old toolbox on the hutch in the kitchen here a few years ago and they looked perfectly festive. 🙂
Basic Ornaments
All basic round ornaments are pretty much the same. The dollar store always has a ton of them in whatever color you need! These are so handy for decorating the tree, but you can also pick up a few extra to use as vase fillers, here and there in cute little bowls, or to add some sparkle to the garland on your mantel. You can basically just use them everywhere and they’re super handy.
Dollar Store Christmas Decor
Oversized Ornaments
So these are the same as the basic ornaments, only bigger. I thought they really needed they’re own category though because they can really be stand out pieces on your tree. Using oversized ornaments will really give your tree dimension and help you get that “designer tree” look. No one will know that your giant ornaments were found at the dollar store and not some fancy boutique. Unless you’re me and you write about it on your blog. Then everyone will know. 🙂
Mercury Glass Votive Holders
I bought these close to ten years ago now (I think) and they honestly almost never get put away. They’re always out somewhere around the house during all seasons, but they’re especially perfect at Christmas. If I remember correctly, I bought them in the Christmas section so they are technically Christmas decorations. If you love the magical look of these mercury glass votives, but can’t find any similar in your store, grab some clear glass ones and spray their insides with mirror spray paint for the same look, just like I did with my mason jars.
Yarn
I was so surprised to find beautiful chunky grey yarn in my local store and I honestly bought a little too much of it. That’s OK because it’s great for all kinds of crafts, like my DIY wool wreath, and my mini wool wreath ornaments. You can also use it just about anywhere you would use ribbon for a fun, cozy look. Wrap it a few times around presents or use it to hang ornaments from your tree, things like that. 🙂
White Pitchers
If you’re looking for something quick and simple, you can’t really beat clipping some greenery from the back yard and sticking it in some kind of cute container. I love the fresh, farmhousey look of fresh cedar, pine, or boxwood in a plain white pitcher. I found this one at a dollar store a long, long, long time ago. It had some lettering on it so I just spray painted the whole thing white and it’s been a trusty sidekick in flower and greenery arranging ever since!
Galvanized Metal Containers
I’ve been using my dollar store galvanized containers for various things fairly obsessively since I discovered how to age shiny galvanized containers back in the spring. I used them for planters in the summer, for holding mums, pumpkins, and bundles of wheat in the fall, and now – guess what? – they also look great with greenery, berries, Christmas ornaments, or just about any of Christmassy fun you can think of to tuck in them! Definitely grab a few of these the next time you’re at the dollar store to use on your front porch or even around the tree to hold smaller gifts.
The smaller galvanized containers are perfect on a mantel or a shelf, or just tucked into any little Christmassy display that needs a little but of rustic-ness.
Have you found any great Christmas decor ideas at the dollar store that you’ve used again and again?
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.