The Milam family transformed their front lawn into a holiday-themed putting course. Going all out with Christmas decorations has become a tradition for Dallas families.
Courtesy: Mike Milam
During the holidays, the front lawn of Milam’s home in Dallas is transformed into a mini-golf winter wonderland.
Visitors stop from sunrise to sunset to admire the Christmas decorations and borrow a club for a round of putt featuring Santa Claus, candy canes, snowflakes and more.
“Not only do you see the excitement and wonder of the kids, but you see the excitement and wonder of the adults,” said Mike Milam, a firefighter and father of two.
Decorating the front yard has become an annual tradition for the Milam family since the coronavirus pandemic began. This family of four’s sophisticated decor captures trends from many retailers, including home depot and Walmarthas tried to capitalize on this in recent years: Some shoppers are stepping up efforts on seasonal decor, even as they watch how much they spend on other non-essential items.
This holiday season, consumers are placing more emphasis on decorations and experiences than gifts, according to consulting firm Deloitte’s annual holiday spending survey. The survey found that respondents expect to spend slightly less on gifts this year, by about 3% annually. But they plan to increase spending on non-gift purchases by about 9%, with most of the increase coming from holiday decorations.
The Milam family transformed their front lawn into a holiday-themed putting course. Going all out with Christmas decorations has become a tradition for Dallas families.
Courtesy: Mike Milam
Survey respondents said they plan to spend $181 on home-related items, furniture and holiday decorations, up 22% year over year and nearly 60% higher than the pre-pandemic 2019 holiday season.
Holiday decorations provide a boost for retailers, even ones like Target, Dollar General and dollar treethey noted pullbacks in other categories.
Target Chief Commercial Officer Rick Gomez said on an earnings call in late November that customers are “looking for ways to add a little seasonal décor,” which drove sales of accessories including picture frames, candles and vases in the latest quarter.
Dollar General Chief Executive Todd Vasos said on the company’s earnings call in early December that the retailer was pleased with customer response to the “casual nature of Halloween.” As the dollar chain enters the peak of the holiday season, he said, shoppers’ response to seasonal decorations offers “some glimmers of hope.”
Home Depot stores sell Christmas decorations on November 14, 2023 in Miami, Florida.
Joe Reddell | Getty Images
Decorations May Not Save the Holidays
However, sales of holiday decorations may not be as cheery as some companies hope.
For example, National Tree CEO Chris Butler said sales have slowed over the past two years. The New Jersey-based company, which sells online through retailers such as Kohl’s, Amazon, Macy’s and Home Depot, expects sales to be about the same as last year, he said.
Butler said nearly 70% of the company’s sales typically come from artificial Christmas trees, but it also sells decorations such as wreaths and wreaths.
Butler said sales surged during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, when consumers had extra stimulus money to spend and more time at home. He added that since then, 2022 and 2023 “have been declining because we’re going through the big boom.”
According to the company’s research, consumers typically get a new artificial tree every five to six years. Pandemic buying patterns and the pressure inflation is putting on households have lengthened the replacement period, he said.
“If you could try to make the tree last another year, consumers might do that instead of buying a new tree,” Butler said.
Home Depot, a company that has long sold real and artificial Christmas trees, is leaning more toward seasonal decorations — especially after its 12-foot-long skeleton Skelly caused a stir during the pandemic. This year, the company is selling an eight-foot-tall Santa Claus and an eight-and-a-half-foot reindeer, along with a variety of other decorations such as animatronic Disney characters.
Yet the home improvement retailer has struck a balance to appeal to customers looking to spend less to enjoy the holidays in the wake of high inflation, said Lance Allen, the home improvement retailer’s senior merchant for holiday decorations. He said more low-priced artificial Christmas trees, such as pre-assembled ones for $49, are being purchased this holiday season than in the past.
Its “porch greeters” — plastic figurines like a little snowman or a golden doodle wearing a Santa hat — are also a more affordable option, costing less than $40, he added.
So far at Walmart, red bows, giant nutcrackers and faux icicles have been popular this holiday season, said Sheila Wiles, Walmart’s chief merchandiser for U.S. holiday decorations.
Melissa Repko | CNBC
Target’s leaders also emphasize value as they try to win over consumers who are more discerning about spending than need. Spokesman Brian Harper-Tibaldo said the big box retailer is also embracing trends such as pink Christmas decorations, mantelscape mini figurines, oversized bows in entryways and walls and nostalgic ceramic decorations Taste.
To drive sales, Walmart is chasing trends driven by social media while striving to provide value. The company introduced a six-foot-tall white nutcracker after noticing customers buying its large painted nutcrackers and redecorating them.
Sheila Wiles, Walmart’s chief merchandiser for holiday decorations, said the Nutcracker sold out when it first went on sale last year.
Low-priced decorations are also popular, she said, with customers making their own wreaths with $1.98 red velvet bows and decorating their trees with 98-cent artificial icicles instead of ornaments.
Home Depot, Target and Walmart declined to disclose sales figures for holiday decorations this season or whether the category performed better than last year.
The Milams decorated their front yard with themes such as Nintendo’s Super Mario.
Courtesy: Mike Milam
Maximize decoration
While the Milams created a holiday spectacle, they also wanted to find value in the process.
Instead of buying a lot of decorations, the Milams made most of them themselves. Mike Milam said the family spent about $1,000 decorating the front yard and creating a mini golf course. Most of the supplies came from Home Depot, where he purchased lumber, paint and other tools. The family of four—Mike; his wife Katie; daughter Merrick, 12; and son Nash, 10—began building the putting hole together in the evenings and weekends in the fall.
This year, the family also purchased an eight-foot real Christmas tree from Home Depot for $129 and a festive plastic Santa Claus on Amazon for $20.
But most of the Milams’ decor was recycled from years past, McMillam said. He said most families in his neighborhood had the same decorations and inflatables in their yards as last year.
Mike Milam said he is “more conscientious” about spending this year. The cost of food and electricity is higher than before. Plus, as kids get older, they have more physical activities, and the prices are higher.
“Everything is a little more expensive,” he said.
Despite the cost of renovations, he plans to continue decorating his property — and has plenty of other ideas for the front yard. So far, the family has decorated the front yard with a variety of themes, including a Christmas theme from Nintendo’s Super Mario and Steven Spielberg’s classic film E.T.
As he spends more money and time on holiday decorations, he spends less on gifts for his children.
“I’d rather have experiences than material possessions,” he said.
He said that through these projects, his children have become more proficient by learning how to paint, lay AstroTurf and use a chainsaw. It has become a way for the whole family to be creative and bond.
“We probably have 12 to 15 years in mind,” he said. “As long as I’m working and my kids are around and want to be involved, I’m going to do it.”
