The Milam family turned the front yard into a holiday-themed putt-putt course. Going all out for Christmas decorating has become a tradition for the Dallas family.
Thanks to: Mike Milam
This holiday season, the front yard of the Milam family home in Dallas has been transformed into a winter wonderland for mini golf.
Visitors stop by from almost dawn to dusk to admire the Christmas decorations — and to borrow a bat to play a round of putt-putt themed around Santa Claus, candy canes, snowflakes and more.
“You see the excitement and wonder not only from children, but from adults as well,” said Mike Milam, a firefighter and father of two.
Landscaping the front garden has become an annual tradition for the Milam family since the Covid pandemic. The family of four's elaborate decorations capture a trend that many retailers, including Home Depot And Walmartsomething we have wanted to respond to in recent years: some customers opt for seasonal decoration, even if they look at how much they spend on other luxury items.
Consumers prefer decorations and experiences over gifts this holiday season, according to an annual survey of holiday spending by consulting firm Deloitte. The survey found that respondents expected to spend slightly less on gifts this year – a decline of around 3% year-on-year. But they planned to spend about 9% more on non-gift purchases, with most of that increase coming from Christmas decorations.
The Milam family turned the front yard into a holiday-themed putt-putt course. Going all out for Christmas decorating has become a tradition for the Dallas family.
Thanks to: Mike Milam
Survey respondents said they planned to spend $181 on home-related items, furniture and decorations for the holidays, up 22% year over year and nearly 60% more than during the pre-pandemic holiday season of 2019.
Holiday decorating gives retailers a boost, even those who like it Goal, Dollar general And Dollar treewho have noticed a decline in other categories.
Target's Chief Commercial Officer Rick Gomez said during an earnings call in late November that customers are “looking for ways to add a little bit of seasonal decor,” which in the most recent quarter led to higher sales of accessories including frames, candles and vases, has led.
Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said during the company's earnings call in early December that the retailer was pleased with customer response to “the discretionary side of Halloween.” He said shoppers' response to that seasonal decor offered “some glimmers of hope” as the dollar store chain heads into the peak of the holiday season.
Christmas decorations will go on sale at a Home Depot store in Miami, Florida on November 14, 2023.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Decor can't save the holidays
Still, sales of Christmas decorations may not be as cheerful as some companies would like.
For example, Chris Butler, CEO of National Tree Company, said sales have slowed over the past two years. He said the New Jersey-based company, which sells online through retailers such as Kohl's, Amazon, Macy's and Home Depot, expects sales to remain stable year over year.
Nearly 70% of the company's sales typically come from artificial Christmas trees, but it also sells decorations such as wreaths and garlands, Butler said.
Sales rose in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, when consumers had extra stimulus money to spend and could spend more time at home, Butler said. Since then, 2022 and 2023 have been “lagging for years because we left the big boom behind,” he added.
The company's research shows that consumers typically receive a new artificial tree every five to six years. Pandemic purchasing patterns and the pressure inflation put on households extended the replacement window longer, he said.
“If you can try to make that tree last another year, consumers will probably do that instead of buying new trees,” Butler says.
Home Depot, a longtime seller of both real and artificial Christmas trees, has focused more on seasonal decorations — especially after its 10-foot-tall skeleton, Skelly, became a viral sensation during the pandemic. This year, an 8-foot Santa Claus and an 8-foot reindeer are being sold, along with a wide variety of other decorations such as animatronic Disney characters.
Still, the home improvement store has found a balance to attract customers who want to spend less on holiday fun after high inflation, said Lance Allen, senior salesperson of decorative holiday items for the home improvement store. He said it has purchased more inexpensive artificial Christmas trees this holiday season, such as a pre-lit tree selling for $49, compared to previous Christmas trees.
He added that the “porch greetings” — plastic figurines such as a small snowman or a gold doodle in a Santa hat — are also a more wallet-friendly choice for less than $40.
At Walmart, red bows, giant nutcrackers and artificial icicles are popular so far this holiday season, according to Sheila Wiles, chief holiday decor merchant at Walmart US.
Melissa Repko | CNBC
Target's leaders have also emphasized value as they try to win over consumers who are more discerning about spending on wants rather than needs. The big-box retailer is also capitalizing on trends, such as pink holiday decorations, minifigures for mantelpiece landscapes, oversized bows for entryways and walls and nostalgic ceramic ornaments, spokesman Brian Harper-Tibaldo said.
And to boost sales, Walmart has chased social media trends while trying to provide value. It debuted a 6-foot-tall white nutcracker after noticing customers were buying the painted large nutcrackers and redecorating them.
The Nutcrackers sold out when they first went on sale last year, said Sheila Wiles, head merchandiser for Christmas decorations at Walmart. Walmart has doubled its inventory this year, but they were still nearly sold out before Halloween, she said.
She said cheap decorating is also a hit, with customers making their own garlands from $1.98 red velvet bows and decorating their Christmas trees with 98-cent artificial icicles instead of ornaments.
Home Depot, Target and Walmart declined to share holiday decor sales figures this season or say whether the category is performing better than last year.
The Milam family has decorated their front yard with themes such as Nintendo's Super Mario.
Thanks to: Mike Milam
Maximizing decor
While the Milam family created a holiday spectacle, they also wanted to discover value along the way.
Instead of buying a lot of decor, the Milam family made the most of it. The family spent about $1,000 decorating the front yard for the mini golf course, Mike Milam said. Most of his supplies came from Home Depot, where he bought wood, paint and other tools. The family of four – Mike; his wife Katie; 12-year-old daughter Merrick; and 10-year-old son Nash – built the putt-putt holes together on evenings and weekends starting in the fall.
This year, the family also bought a real 8-foot Christmas tree at Home Depot for $129, and a festive, plastic Christmas chicken for $20 on Amazon.
But most of the Milams' decor is recycled from years past, Mike Milam said. In his neighborhood, he said most families have put up the same decorations and inflatables in the yard as last year.
Mike Milam said he was being “more conscientious” about spending this year. Food and electricity cost more than before. Moreover, as his children get older, they have more sporting activities that come with a price tag.
“Everything is a little bit more expensive,” he said.
Despite the cost of decorating, he plans to continue decorating his property – and has plenty of other ideas in mind for the front garden. So far, the family has filled the front yard with themes like Nintendo's Super Mario and a Christmas version of Steven Spielberg's classic film “ET the Extra-Terrestrial.”
As he spends more money and time on Christmas decorations, he cuts back on spending on gifts for his children.
“I prefer experiences over stuff,” he said.
Through the projects, he said his children have become more skilled, learning to paint, lay AstroTurf and use a power saw. It has become a way for the whole family to be creative and bond.
“We probably have ideas for 12 to 15 years,” he said. “I'll do it as long as I'm working and my kids are there and want to be a part of it.”