Why Christmas Decor Costs More and Sells Out Earlier in 2026

Every year we get the same question in late November: is there any way to still get the 9 foot garland in the color I had last year. Most years the answer is yes. This year we think it will be no more often than usual, and the reason has nothing to do with demand in the United States.

Why is Christmas decor more expensive in 2026?

Roughly 87 percent of the Christmas decor sold in the United States is sourced from China, according to the American Christmas Tree Association. A very large share of it comes out of one city, Yiwu, which produces much of the world's artificial trees, tinsel and ornaments.

CNBC reported from Yiwu on April 20, 2026 that shipping disruption in the Strait of Hormuz and elevated oil prices had pushed one artificial tree manufacturer's cost per tree up 10 percent. The PET plastic used in artificial pine needles was up 5 percent and the plastic used for shipment packaging was up 15 percent. A tinsel maker in the same market reported plastic input costs up as much as 40 percent.

What do tariffs do to the price of pre-lit greenery?

Shipping disruption is the newer pressure. Tariffs are the older one, and they land hardest on exactly the part of a pre-lit garland that costs the most to make.

NBC News reported on November 12, 2025 that several major U.S. importers expected artificial Christmas trees to cost an estimated 10 to 20 percent more that season than the year before because of increased tariff costs. In the same report, Harman of the artificial tree retailer Balsam Hill estimated that around 90 percent of mass market Christmas decor products are made in China.

That is the number worth carrying into a buying decision. On a pre-lit garland or wreath, the lights are a bigger share of the cost than the foliage, so tariff pressure on lighting components moves the price of a pre-lit piece more than it moves the price of an unlit one. It is also why the gap between a pre-lit garland and a plain length of greenery widens rather than holds steady when input costs rise.

Tariffs did something to selection as well as to price. NBC News reported that the overall supply of artificial trees took a hit that season after vendors chose to import fewer units to offset the higher tariff costs. That is the same mechanism described above for the compressed factory calendar, arriving from a different direction: when importers order defensively, the catalog thins first and the price moves second.

The 2025 season is the baseline. The shipping disruption reported from Yiwu in April 2026 lands on top of it rather than instead of it, which is why the practical advice for this season is to decide early rather than to wait for a better price.

What does a compressed factory season do to selection?

This is the part that matters more than the price tag. Manufacturers told CNBC that buyers were holding off on orders and that delivery schedules were being compressed into a May through August window. When a factory runs less product and orders arrive late, the items that sell through first are simply not made again that year.

In practice that means the specific things people plan around go first: a particular length, a particular wreath diameter, a specific colorway. The category stays in stock. The piece you wanted does not.

We are already seeing it in our own inventory. As of August 26, 2026, four pieces in our Christmas collection were sold out: the Woodland urn filler, the Woodland window box filler, the Woodland hanging basket and the Aspen urn filler.

When do most people actually buy and decorate?

Earlier than most people assume, and earlier than the stereotype of the day-after-Thanksgiving rush.

In its annual holiday survey, fielded October 1 to 7, 2025, the National Retail Federation found that 42 percent of shoppers planned to begin browsing and buying for the holiday season before November. Average planned spending was $890.49 per person, of which $262.56 went to seasonal items including food, candy, decorations and greeting cards.

If you want the timing question on its own, we walked through it in how early you should decorate for Christmas. Decorating starts early too. YouGov surveys conducted December 1 to 3 and December 3 to 5, 2025 among 1,114 and 1,122 US adults found that 18 percent of those planning to have a tree put it up before Thanksgiving, 28 percent between Thanksgiving and December 1, and 30 percent during the first week of December. The same research found 81 percent planned to use an artificial tree.

What is available now, and in what sizes?

Here is the current shape of the four pre-lit garland and wreath families, so you can check a size against your space before deciding.

If you are deciding between power sources, we compared them in plug-in vs battery operated garland. Every battery operated piece runs the same timer: 6 hours on, 18 hours off, or steady burn, and lasts the full season on one set of batteries in timer mode. Dual-color models switch between warm white and multicolor from a dial on the battery pack, so one garland covers both looks.

Does buying early actually save money?

Not always on the sticker. What it does is protect the plan. If you measured for a 9 foot run and the 9 foot is gone in November, you either buy two 6 foot pieces or you change the design.

Where the money argument does hold is reuse. A pre-lit garland used across five seasons carries a per-season cost that falls every year you store it and rehang it, while lower-grade decor replaced annually rises in price with every input cost increase. That is the standard we have manufactured to since 1993, when Geoffrey Harris began producing pre-lit trees, garlands and wreaths for QVC, Frontgate, Brookstone and Plow & Hearth.

It is also why we sell storage bags and garland ties. The reuse only works if the pieces survive the attic, which we covered in choosing a tree storage bag.

Quick answers on 2026 Christmas decor supply

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References

Prices and availability stated as of August 2026 and subject to change. Third-party figures are attributed to their original publishers and linked above.