The holidays may look a little different this year.
Due to a short supply of decorations, consumers may be paying a premium for those boughs of holly.
Santa shortage: Companies working with less Santas as demand spikes
Deborah Boggs made sure to get ahead of the problem.
"I've already purchased, and I've already put them up," she said.
Kevin Johnson, the franchise owner of an ACE Hardware store, says he has only received about 60% of the decorations he was expecting.
"We have plenty of light bulbs with color, but not enough mini white lights," he said.
When to shop for the lowest price
Customers shouldn't expect a lot of deals on decorations this season. The only great deals people may find before Christmas will likely come next week.
"Black Friday, if anything, is a good time to kind of get decorations," said Lexie Pelchen, a home expert with Forbes Home.
She says Black Friday may be a customer's only real chance to get deals on decorations this year.
She said stores likely offered their best deep discounts about six months ago.
"So for Christmas, it's actually a really good time of year to shop for décor around that Christmas in July," she said
How to save on decor right now
That's all well and good for next year. But how can people save some cash on celebrating the season in 2021?
"Think of the ways you can do it yourself or DIY," Pelchen said. "Make a wreath out of candy canes that you can get one hundred of them for a few bucks or make a garland from popcorn and cranberries and just kind of use what you have."
Not crafty? Decoration "swap" parties are the newest holiday trend.
"Find a few friends who have some decor and family that don't really want to use them, go in and swap, you know, take from your parents, take from your friends," she said. "So everybody feels like they have something new, but it's just something from somewhere else that has been used before."
And finally, who doesn't love free? Could backyards be the answer to saving cash this holiday season?
"Pine cones, little pieces of evergreen trees, acorns, all of that stuff feels very festive and very familiar when it comes to the holidays," Pelcher said. "Throw it in a nice glass dish or tie little bows around acorns. It's a really easy and free and eco-friendly way to decorate for the holidays."
They're all great ways to help celebrate the season, so you don't waste your money.
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