Where to Purchase Unique Christmas Ornaments in Huntsville, AL

In some ways, Huntsville is a small city, and in some ways it is a fairly big one. This seeming contradiction can actually make Huntsville, Alabama a beautiful place to spend the holidays, with its small town charm and big city shopping. Here are a few of my favorite places to buy Christmas tree ornaments, and other holiday decorations.

1. Hobby Lobby. Yes, I know it's a national chain, but it's still my number one spot for grabbing beautiful, expensive looking ornaments for extremely cheap. Throughout the entire holiday season, and even before, most Christmas items are 50% off -- double for you money. The selection is outstanding, and many of the unique ornaments are organized by color, making your job easier if you are going for a blue, green, red, black and white, etc. theme. Besides ornaments, they have plenty of wreath making materials as well.

2. The Pool Place - turned Christmas shop. The owners of this business are smart. What do people buy in the winter when they don't want to buy swimming pools? That's right, Christmas decorations. They turn their entire warehouse into a Christmas emporium. You can find everything there from lights to trees to ornaments, and the selection is wonderful.

3. Trees and Trends. This home decor shop converts most of its aisles to Christmas accessories during the holiday season, with many wreathes, ornaments, and artificial trees. While the ornaments have a high-end look, they also come with a high-end price tag. Still, it would be worth it to buy a few expensive ornaments and mix them in with the everyday ball variety. This store also sells everything you need to make gorgeous holiday centerpieces for your table.

4. Lowe Mill Art Show. About once a month at Lowe Mill, local artists put on an exhibition. During Christmas time they feature plenty of hand-made Christmas ornaments. You can find all kinds of fun and funky designs for little money, and they are all one of a kind. Scattering a few of these ornaments throughout your tree will definitely make it stand out from the neighbors.

5. The Neighborhood Thrift Store. This is one specific thrift store, located on University Drive for those of you who know the area, that sells a wide range of used items. I love their selection around Christmas. I bought my artificial Christmas tree there last winter, and paid less than a quarter of the amount I would have paid for it new! This secondhand store also sells lights, ornaments, and outdoor decorations at a very affordable price. If you are shopping on a budget this year, I would certainly recommend the Neighborhood Thrift Store.