I am always singing the praises of consignment and thrift when it comes to holiday decorations. (As a matter-of-fact, I’ll link a great read on the topic below). Consignment and thrift shopsare a great way to buy all types of holiday decorations for all types of holidays and Christmas is king among them. Today I want to focus on the evergreen in the room and give you some ideas on how to decorate your Christmas tree with consignment and thrift purchases. It’s easy. It’s inexpensive. And you can make your tree (or trees) look like no one else’s in the neighborhood. So let’s get started…
Consignment and Thrift Your Tree “Containers”
Every self-respecting thrift and consignment store will have a tree stand. Many of them will have these babies in mid-July, in fact. But that is not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about unique containers to house your trees – big and small. Thrift and consignment stores are great resources for galvanized metal tubs (a great choice for a live tree, or one you will replant post-December 25th). They are also a wonderful place to find over-sized baskets (great for faux trees), unique crates (also best for faux trees) , ceramic planters (that you can use for either real or faux) and great old crocks (also great for both).
Ornaments Galore at 1/10th of The Price
Christmas tree ornaments are small, but they are pricey little devils. Most consignment and thrift shops don’t have the time or the space to display them individually like the posh gift shops do, so you can often get them by the bag or box full. And you’ll get 5 or 10 for the price of just one. And those special single ornaments (like ones from Lenox, Christopher Radko, and the like) will still be a bargain at these shops. Boxed Christmas ball ornaments are also really reasonable.
Insider Tip: Consignment and thrift shops are also great places to find faux (artificial) trees at great prices.
When Decorating Your Christmas Tree with Consignment and Thrift Items, Don’t Forget The Lights
Although we sell them (and we test them first) at my brick-and-mortar store, Consignments Ltd., I would say it’s risky to buy string lights out-of-the-box on thrift and consignment. This is especially true because most thrift and consignment shops do not accept returns. That-being-said, many of these shops carry lights that are new-in-the-box. Consignors change their Christmas tree theme, down-size their tree, or just buy too many boxes of lights and opt to sell their excess. Thrift shops get string lights new-in-the-box for the same reasons. No, you can’t take them back, but you can ask to test them, and the savings might just be worth the risk.
And Then There’s The Inspired Creativity Tree
One of my customers owns a bakery. The Christmas tree in her shop is decorated with whisks, rolling pins and muffin tins. And guess what? She decorated this tree with thrift and consignment items. So if you’re going with a coastal-theme Christmas tree or one for your cabin up north you know where to go for inexpensive inspiration. If you want all one color on your tree, go consignment. You can decorate your Christmas tree from consignment and thrift stores with items for any theme you can imagine: from hearts to birds, to Santa’s and farm animals. You name it and these shops have the stuff for your inspired Christmas trees.
For more on consignment shopping, check out my previous blogs: Consignment Shop Best Buys, Consignment Shop Best Buys: Fashion, Consignment Shop Best Buys: The Rest and One of The Best Item To Buy on Thrift and Consignment.
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