Five Best Places to Buy Christmas Tree Decorations from Catalogs

Money is tight and selection in the stores is limited, why not try catalog shopping from home for the best pick of inexpensive and fun Christmas tree decorations. Catalog shopping is easier because you save time, money and gasoline. You can go online to shop or browse the catalogs in the comfort of your own home or office knowing in advance if an item is in stock, how much it will cost and how it will actually look on your tree. Here are five of my favorites:

TERRY'S VILLAGE 1-800-200-4400 www.terrysvillage.com

This is my favorite because the quality of the products are excellent and the prices are so low. I have found the same or similar tree decorations here at one-third the price than other fancier outlets like Frontgate and Pier One. Currently I have my eye on the Reindeer Ornaments. These are resin knockoffs of the authentic wood ones offered by those stores which cater to the rich. They look just like the real thing and even have a sprig of holly and pine cone wreath around their necks. They are five inches in length and come in a set of three for only $9.99. My other favorites are the Snowman Pinecone Ornaments. Also made of resin but looking like the real thing, the hanging pinecones have little smiling snowmen with floppy hats bearing gifts from their twig arms. They are four and a half inches and for a set of three are only $7.99. I recently purchased their Hear, speak, See No Evil Snowmen trio for $12.99. The artistically painted resin characters in red, white, blue and yellow are each five and half inches, larger than I had anticipated, and were so eye-catching even my little dog wanted to play with them.

Terry's Village is offering free delivery with a $59 order and the order desk is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for your convenience.

TAYLOR GIFTS 1-800-829-1135 www.taylorgifts.com

This catalog is famous for the "As Seen on TV" cordless holiday lights. This store offers a buy now, pay later plan with deferred billing until February. Besides traditional lighting they also offer solar powered lights for holiday decorating. 50 LED lights on a 23 foot string that turn on automatically at night. The all white are $19.98 and the multi color are the same price. If you buy two or more they are just $16.98 each.

CATALOG FAVORITES 1-800-221-1133 www.catalogfavorites.com

This store offers an unconditional guarantee as well as personalized products. You can check your order status online and receive email confirmation. Their prices are a little higher, but the products are more geared toward gift giving. I like the Faith Box, made of resin and painted with faux gems, the cover has a cross handle inscribed with the Bible verse from Hebrews 11:1 "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." The idea is to write your prayers on a slip of paper and place them inside the box. It stands four and a half inches tall and costs $18.95.

BITS AND PIECES 1-866-503-6395 www.bitsandpieces.com

This catalog advertises that they are celebrating their 25th year in business. They have wonderful gifts and puzzles. My favorite is the wind spinner of kinetic copper finish. Three colorful marbles nest inside the twisted cage while one swings from a metal chain. This is 14 inches long and comes ready to hang for $14.99. They have an excellent selection of nesting dolls like the elegant Copy Cat Ladies Nesting Doll Set who fit inside one another each holding their precious pet, while the smallest has a tiny cat inside. The tallest is seven and a half inches. The 10-doll set is $39.99, while the 8-doll set is $16.99. If you are ordering anything personalized, be sure to allow a full two weeks for delivery.

ORIENTAL TRADING COMPANY 1-800-228-2269 www.orientaltrading.com

This company has been doing business for 75 years. They have over 4,000 Christmas items online and everything is guaranteed. Over 1500 of those items are on-line only deals. They tell you which items are best sellers or customer favorites and have a holiday gift shop. This catalog has a huge selection of bagged and multiple-order candies and decorations. For example, their holiday Rubber Duckies. Each are two-inches high and made of vinyl. You can get a dozen assorted for $5.99. How about Bubble Bottle Necklaces. Each plastic bottle with wand is on a 30-inch nylon cord. You can get a dozen multicolored assorted bottles for $6.99. One of their best sellers is Santa's Toy Box Assortment (100 pieces per unit) which is a variety of toys in a 12-inch cardboard Santa's Toybox for $14.99.

All of these catalogs show up by mail around the same time, so I believe they know each other although they are located in different states. They all advertise the benefits of saving time, money and gasoline because you don't have to drive around and fight the crowds in order to get great bargains on Christmas decorations. Even with shipping, which some offer free with a minimum purchase, the cost of these decorations are way less than the retail stores and the quality is much better. Happy holidays!